On Sunday, November 24, 2019, the Catholic Student Union at the University of South Florida (USF) celebrated a Baccalaureate Mass to honor and bless the Fall graduates of the university! Five Catholic graduates were recognized during the Mass celebrated by Father Joshua Dyachim. Father Justin Paskert, Director of the Catholic Student Union, concelebrated the Mass.

Each of the five graduates has achieved so much in completing their baccalaureate degrees, two of whom were very active members of the Catholic Student Union throughout their undergraduate careers: Maria Larcomb and Patrizia Planzo.

Maria Larcomb graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a concentration on professional writing. Patrizia Planzo graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance. She recently completed her final dance performance as a student at the University of South Florida, drawing on her experience of Jesus in the Eucharist, His mother Mary, and her talent for dance to bring together a stunning performance.

The Mass was celebrated in one of the rooms at the Marshall Student Center at USF, attended by about 70 Catholics. The vice-chair of the Catholic Bulls Alumni Society, Kevin Horwedel, a 2018 alumnus, was also in attendance. He gave a speech inviting the graduates to the Society. He spoke of his experience graduating and how many things were different than what he had expected. He continued by saying “If you’re anything like me when I graduated, you probably have come to some idea of what you want to do now; some others probably have no idea. But you can always come home when you need to. We are your brothers and sisters, and I truly hope that you have found a home here, as I did.”

Kevin Horwedel is a 2018 graduate of the University of South Florida. Although he currently works at Saint Leo University and attends the Master of Business Administration program there, he is still very involved in the life of the Catholic Student Union at USF and the university itself. Kevin is currently the vice-chair of the Catholic Bulls Alumni Society, CBAS for short, and is very excited to continue being a leader in the community there.

If you or someone that you know is a Catholic graduate of the University of South Florida, we invite you to join the Catholic Bulls Alumni Society by visiting the Society’s website to learn more or visit this link to sign up.

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