CUA at Nationals Park

Image Courtesy of Fernando Cordova

By Zachary Lichter

On Friday, September 3rd, Campus Ministry hosted their traditional early semester event, welcoming the student body to Nationals Park. Students all across Catholic University got to know each other while watching the New York Mets play the Washington Nationals. Last year, Campus Ministry’s Friday Night Event at Nationals Park was canceled due to the coronavirus; however, this year, Campus Ministry restored their annual tradition after a Nationals ticket manager reached out to them over the summer. Campus Ministry bought a block of 200 tickets, and thanks to the Nationals ticket manager, they were able to secure seats for the game, as well as a $15 meal voucher. Students were also able to receive a commemorative Washington Nationals hat with the Catholic University logo on the side. 

“In the past, Campus Ministry usually took about 100 to 150 students to a Nats Game sometime in the fall,” said House Minister Christian Bordak-Roseman. “However, this is the first year that the Advancement Office held a “Catholic U Night” at Nats Park, and since much of the Catholic U community would already be at the game, Father Jude and I decided that we should capitalize on the size of the event and help our first-year students affordably attend the game”.

The “Catholic U Night” included members from a capella groups Take Note and Redline singing the national anthem and a surprise visit from Red the Cardinal. So whether you were a freshman or a student minister, a Mets fan or a Nationals fan, or even just went to the Nationals game to hang out with friends, everyone was able to have fun. 

“Despite the fact that the Mets won, I enjoyed the excitement of the crowd and the liveliness and community behind sports,” said freshman Justin Ruggeberg. “It had been a while since I went to any sports event, and being able to go to the game allowed me to reconnect myself with a sport that I had always loved as a boy.”

Campus Ministry plans to host other events like cookouts or may even do a Washington Wizards or Capitals Night. They also will host Metro Madness—a D.C.-wide scavenger hunt—and their first-ever House Party to welcome back people onto campus for the first time in over a year and a half.

“We planned a lot of really cool events for this upcoming semester,” said House Minister Fernando Cordova, “although I don’t want to give too much away.” 

CUA at Nats Park was a great event, and the campus community is excited for what Fernando and the rest of Campus Ministry have in store for us.