By Matthew Gambino • Posted March 1, 2018

The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., has notified Archbishop Chaput that Catholics of the Philadelphia Archdiocese donated $178,442 to the university’s recent national collection.

A letter to the archbishop from CUA President John Garvey dated Feb. 21 noted that 280 students of the university hail from the archdiocese. The university currently enrolls a total of 6,076 graduate and undergraduate students, according to U.S. News and World Report.

The donations, wrote Garvey, “will help us to establish new programs that serve the needs of the church today and educate tomorrow’s Catholic leaders among both the laity and the clergy.”

Whether students are studying in fields as diverse as theology, literature, business or engineering, they are challenged “to pursue the truth in light of faith, convinced as we are that faith in Christ sheds a new light on everything,” Garvey wrote.

He added that since its founding in 1887, Catholic University has prepared students “to become missionary disciples ready to ‘communicate Jesus,’ as Pope Francis has said, wherever they are.”

Expressing his thanks for the archdiocese’s donation, Garvey said the university “belongs not just to those who work and study here, but also to you and your parishioners. I invite you to visit with us next time you are in town to see, hear and experience the impact your financial support has on our university.”