SFDS Brings College Students Together for a Holiday Darty

By Brendan Mullen

For many college students, returning home for winter break can feel disorienting, caught between the routines of college life and the familiarity of their hometowns. This Christmas season, St. Francis de Sales Parish offered something different: a way for college-aged parishioners to reconnect not only with one another, but with their faith and parish community.

As a 2020 graduate of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy and a sacristan at St. Francis de Sales Parish since 2021, I have been part of this community for more than a decade. Even while away at college, I return during summer and winter breaks to serve the parish, reflecting both a long-standing connection and a commitment to remain actively involved when I am home. While sacristan duties are an official role, the deeper reward has always been the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to parish life. This year, that connection took on new significance when Father Jim Cunningham approached me with a question: how could the parish create an event specifically for college students home for the holidays while still centering it on Mass?

The timing felt ideal. College students were home, Christmas naturally draws people together, and the Church has repeatedly emphasized the importance of engaging young people early and intentionally. Pope Leo XIV has consistently spoken of young people as the Church’s present, not only its future, calling for their active participation and genuine community.

When Father Jim asked for ideas, I suggested something familiar to college culture: a “darty,” short for day party. In college settings, darties are daytime gatherings centered on community, celebration, and shared tradition, often before large athletic events or adding nuance to the typical nightlife. The concept offered a way to incorporate that sense of belonging into a parish context. From there, the 2026 Holiday Darty was born.

The Mass itself was a powerful testament to collaboration and care. It was celebrated by Father Jim and concelebrated by Father Bill Sweeney, Father Sean Suckiel, and Father James Kuroly, a visible sign of the clergy’s shared investment in the parish’s young people. Father Sean’s homily addressed the challenges of maintaining faith in college environments, where social and academic pressures can make regular practice difficult. He emphasized that these formative years shape who we become, and that faith can provide grounding and direction among that pressure.

The Mass concluded with a Eucharistic procession, inviting students to bring their intentions and struggles to Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. For many of us, it was a moment of stillness and clarity, something rare in the often hectic rhythm of college life.

As a sacristan, I had the privilege of assisting with the liturgy, made especially meaningful by seeing nearly 100 attendees under the age of 25 fill the church. In my years of service, I am more accustomed to older congregations. That evening on Sunday, January 4, the youthful energy was unmistakable.

Following Mass, the parish hospitality team hosted the Holiday Darty reception. Food, drinks, conversation, and laughter filled the space as friends reconnected and new conversations began. Being able to live in a town where your parish brings people together, where you can run into friends you haven’t seen in months, and still center the night on Mass and faith is something truly special. Having a place where faith, friendship, and belonging intersect so naturally is something many young Catholics long for.

The success of the Holiday Darty demonstrated what is possible when parishes meet young adults where they are, without compromising the centrality of the Eucharist. It was not only an event, but a model. One that shows how intentional outreach can remind young people that the Church is not something they outgrow, but a community that begins with them and grows alongside them.

This is something worth continuing, expanding, and celebrating, not only at St. Francis de Sales, but throughout the wider Catholic Church. With gratitude to the parish and all who helped make the Holiday Darty possible, we already look forward to the second annual 2027 Darty.