The ThunderBlogs

The wooden double doors were closed Wednesday afternoon at St. Mark’s College Chapel. Father John McCarthy preached inside the concrete walls to his student congregation attending the weekly 12:10 p.m. mass.

Plato’s Cave, the student run café to the right, had its single wooden door propped open. The laughter and chatter of the volunteers inside carried into the outdoor square. They worked together to set up the free soup lunch.

Catholic Campus Ministry co-ordinator, Maureen Wicken, organized the event. She said Catholics are responsible for taking care of everyone in the world, which can be partially achieved through hospitality. “I can’t do their laundry. I can’t tuck these kids in at night. But I can feed them,” said Wicken.

Mass was over. The doors opened. The congregation filed out into the square. A group of students claimed the lone picnic table. Some lingered in the sun conversing with other patrons. Many walked inside Plato’s Cave and relaxed on their couches and chairs. Everybody waited for soup.

Wicken said the weekly student soup lunch is just part of the ministry’s hospitality work and they perform a lot of community service. They run frequent food drives for the AMS Food Bank, which startled some people in the community who did not realize that students were going hungry, she said.

The soup arrived. A thick cream of mushroom and a spicy Thai curry were served to the crowd. The sound of silver spoons clinking against glass bowls filled the student space.

The picnic table outside was cramped with people dining. A student intern for the ministry, Anna Francia, said she knows some people who have lunch do not go to mass. “Students are starving too though, ’cause they have to pay for tuition,” she said.

Sydney Thorne sat at a table inside the café with fellow students Matthew Richardson and Peter Vetter. They came to socialize and connect with others. Only one of the three attended mass earlier. Thorne said going to mass is not a requirement to participate in the lunch. “I’ve never seen anyone turned away,” said Richardson.

The ministry’s mission of hospitality allows anyone to take part in the event, although going to mass is encouraged. “Mass and soup is always a nice combination,” said Thorne as her empty bowl sat on the table in front of her.