Volunteers tend to Catholic University of America’s community garden on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, for a “Walk with Francis” day of community service.
(WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
WTOP/Kathy Stewart
Pope Francis is expected to visit Catholic University of America’s campus on Sept. 23 during his visit to D.C. He’s encouraging people of all faiths to take the “Walk with Francis” pledge by performing community service.
(WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
WTOP/Kathy Stewart
Catholic University of America’s auditorium was filled with volunteers on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, for a “Walk with Francis” day of community service.
(WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
WTOP/Kathy Stewart
Preparing to go out and serve the community, volunteers board buses at Catholic University of America on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, taking action on the “Walk with Francis” pledge.
(WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
WTOP/Kathy Stewart
Volunteers tend to Catholic University of America’s community garden on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, for a “Walk with Francis” day of community service.
(WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
WTOP/Kathy Stewart
Pope Francis is expected to visit Catholic University of America’s campus on Sept. 23 during his visit to D.C. He’s encouraging people of all faiths to take the “Walk with Francis” pledge by performing community service.
(WTOP/Kathy Stewart)
WASHINGTON – On Sunday, students at Catholic University of America celebrated Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to D.C. by serving in their communities.
About 600-volunteers, students, faculty and alumni took the “Walk with Francis” pledge, a call out to do a good community deed, no matter your faith.
Pope Francis is expected to visit the school on Sept. 23.
Catholic University President John Garvey says students got up early Sunday morning to do the types of things the pope has been talking about.
“It’s really inspiring, isn’t it?” Garvey says.
Virginia Reynolds, a sophomore at Catholic University, went to Hyattsville to help out in that community. Clair Denny, a junior at the school, led one of the service groups that cleaned up the campus community garden.
She says other students were being sent to different parks throughout the D.C. area “to really just make our presence known and connect it with pope’s historical visit.”
Student volunteers met on campus and either walked or were bused to various locations— such as the National Mall or the World War II Memorial—to clean up. Others spent time with the elderly, Garvey says.
Some of the other locations the volunteers served at were Carroll Manor Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Archbishop Carroll High School and the Franciscan Monastery.