Competition, Worship & Fellowship

California

July 12, 2025

After delving into Euclid and Kierkegaard in the classroom on Friday morning, the Summer Program attendees got ready for an afternoon of friendly competition.

With days of practice under their belts, students and prefects competed against each other in an epic volleyball tournament. Ten teams continuously played rounds until dinner, when prefect Lucas Wozniack’s (CA’26) squad emerged victorious. The team lost, however, in an intense final match against a group of Summer Program tutors, who won by just two points. Famished from the workout, the athletes sauntered over to St. Joseph’s Commons for a relaxing meal with their fellow programmers.

Photos: Volleyball Competition

Since the College encourages its Catholic students to abstain from meat on Fridays, dinner included vegetarian egg rolls, rice, Naan bread, and Asian salad. Subsequently, the students who spent the week practicing their parts in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest put on an amazing performance for the rest of the programmers, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd, which laughed heartily throughout the play.

Photos: The Importance of Being Earnest

As they came out of St. Cecilia’s Hall, the high schoolers gathered on the Chapel steps to pray at the campus’s outdoor Stations of the Cross. Walking down to the lower campus, the students guided the way, holding candles as Summer Program Chaplain Rev. Sebastian Walshe, O.Praem., led them in prayer.

Photos: Stations of the Cross

Once Stations had ended, the students chatted on their way to the Fairway for a fun hour of music with friends, singing along to classic songs, surrounded by fairy lights and eating ice cream bars.

Photos: Music on the Fairway

Before going to bed, students said prayers and enjoyed giant soft pretzels back in their residence halls. The weekend is off to a great start! Check out the Summer Program Blog later today for a recap of the morning’s Mass and hike!