Posted by Irma Montes, Catholic Studies Alumna ’11
During my four years at St. Thomas I never really knew exactly what the Lord was preparing me for, but I knew St. Thomas was where I needed to be. I was fortunate to have many professors who really wanted to emphasize the importance of intellectual formation from a Catholic perspective.
As a Catholic Studies student, I came to understand that we need to have well formed minds in order to make sound decisions. Personally, I realized quickly as graduation got closer that it is a privilege to have a well formed mind. I then realized that I didn’t want to jump into the work force right away; I needed to give myself time to mature and just let the privilege I have been given set in a bit more.
Because of my experience with Catholic Studies, I knew that I needed to be doing something that involved formation of my mind and personal growth. In stepped Christ in the City.
One fateful night during the Catholic Leadership Interns Spring Institute in Chicago, Illinois, the idea for “The Catholic Edge” was born. When focusing on the once “Community Night”, the Interns found themselves asking, what is our objective; what is the purpose of these nights? It seemed that an important element was missing: Challenge. The interns realized that what the Catholic community at St. Thomas needed was 
This year’s kick off event held true to its usual Ice Cream Social theme complete with CS Faculty and Staff. However, Catholic Studies decided to mix it up by adding a substantial food element. Clearly, this was a smart move 
because Famous Dave’s had nothing on Sitzmann Hall with the amount of people that showed up for some good ol’ BBQ. The attendance at this event was very high in relation to previous years (at least 200) and no one would probably deny that it was a success. To prove this perhaps undeniable statement even further, the event ran out of food. Twice. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, within the first half hour the BBQ and ice cream had run out. 