Nearly 100 students from The Catholic University of America will give up a rare day off to volunteer with the Franciscan Monastery Garden Guild.
They have signed up to give back to their community as part of Catholic University’s annual MLK Day of Service, which honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The students will help take down, move and store nearly 1,200 luminaria holders that lined the Monastery’s Rosary Portico and Portiuncula Chapel from Christmas to New Year’s. Each candle was dedicated to a special intention.
The service day is the latest partnership between the Franciscan Monastery and Catholic University. In August and September, students volunteers worked in the Monastery garden, with the food donated to local non-profits.
With help from CUA and other groups, the Garden Guild harvested over 4,700 pounds of food in 2016 to feed the city’s hungry.
CUA students also designed the initial hermitage located behind the Franciscan Monastery and available for private retreats.