Collection aids college in Washington

A collection will be taken up at all Masses in the Albany Diocese on Sept. 22-23 to benefit The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., the "national university of the Catholic Church."

"Catholic University is unique as the national university of the Catholic Church," said Bishop Howard J. Hubbard in a pulpit letter read in parishes last weekend. It is "the only higher education institution founded by the U.S. bishops and chartered by the Vatican. As such, it has a special responsibility to educate future leaders for our Church and for our nation. The Catholic University belongs to all of us in the Church, regardless of where we live."

The Catholic University hosts the only school of canon law in the United States. It is also the only American university approved by the Vatican to grant canonical degrees in the areas of theology and philosophy.

"The financial sacrifices required of Catholic parents today to provide a truly Catholic college education are enormous," said Bishop Hubbard. "Your contributions directly benefit students from all over the United States, including our own Diocese, by funding scholarships for those who would not otherwise be able to attend."

That financial aid helps the University to offer $3,000 parish scholarships to more than 1,000 incoming freshmen and also fund campus ministry programs.

"The students receive personalized attention in a wide range of programs, combining an excellent liberal arts curriculum with courses in their major fields of study," Bishop Hubbard noted. "Grounded in the philosophy of Catholic intellectual tradition, these students are well-prepared for success in life and ready to make a difference in today's world."

(9/20/07)