January 10, 2018

The Catholic University of America and the Dominican House of Studies, in association with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), will kick off the second semester of the academic year and National Catholic Schools Week at the annual University Mass in commemoration of the patronal feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas. It will be broadcast live on EWTN and CatholicTV.

The Mass will be held Thursday, Jan. 25, in the Great Upper Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at 12:10 p.m. Catholic University classes are cancelled from 11:50 a.m. to 3 p.m. to allow students, faculty, and staff to attend the Mass. Nearby Catholic schools are invited to attend the Mass in anticipation of National Catholic Schools Week, which will be celebrated Sunday, Jan. 28, through Saturday, Feb. 3.

This year year's celebrant and homilist is Very Rev. Aquinas Guilbeau, O.P., prior of the Dominican House of Studies.

The Dominican House of Studies Schola along with students from Catholic University will sing at the Mass.

This marks the fifth time that Catholic University has been joined by NCEA in the celebration of this Mass. National Catholic Schools Week, founded in 1974, is a project of NCEA. The theme of this year’s National Catholic Schools Week is Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.

MEDIA: To attend the Mass, contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at communications@cua.edu or 202-319-5600.

ABOUT: The Catholic University of America is the national university of the Catholic Church and the only higher education institution founded by the U.S. bishops. Established in 1887 as a papally chartered graduate and research center, the University comprises 12 schools and 26 research facilities and is home to 3,241 undergraduate and 2,835 graduate students.

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