TLDR: The Chalice and Paten set that Mastodon Catholic has on PFW's campus for its weekly Masses needs to be replaced. As a way of giving back to this good community of Catholics, will you help me purchase a new and worthy Chalice and Paten set? Please keep this secret from the current students. I would like it to be a surprise!

Long version: Greetings Mastodon Catholic alumni and friends! It has been my joy to be the chaplain for Mastodon Catholic for the past three and a half years. Our little community of Catholic faithful has grown in attendance and fervor these last years and I'm delighted to be a part of it. I have great hope that Mastodon Catholic will continue to be a strong hub of friendship for new Catholic students in years to come, remain a witness to Christ on the PFW campus, and set a standard of excellence to be followed by other Catholic clubs at other Universities.

Not everything is a numbers game, to be sure. However, attendance does speak in part for the health of an organization. When I first arrived as chaplain in the Fall Semester of 2021, there were probably 10 - 12 regular attendees at weekly Mass on campus. Times were strange for every student organization at PFW, especially with the societal reaction to Covid (please excuse the foul language) and the difficulty of trying to gather in larger groups. For Mastodon Catholic, only having 10 to 12 attendees wasn't "bad." In fact, the group seemed pretty close-knit as a result. But we knew we had a bigger mission ahead of us than simply ministering to a small group. We knew we were simply in a rebuilding phase. Fortunately for this rookie priest with no experience in college ministry, the group was full of energy and was clearly inspired by a love of God to get to work on bringing many of their fellow students close to Him. Soon the fruit of the labor began to show. Within only a few semesters we more than doubled our weekly attendance, regularly filling the classroom which had become our weekly de-facto chapel.

Ever since, the community has continued to blossom. These days we have two meeting times per week and other monthly extra-curricular events, not to mention the countless impromptu trips to Culvers, etc. PFW Catholic students have joined other young adults from the area on conferences, pilgrimages, and retreats like SEEK, World Youth Day, and Summit Awakening. Needless to say, the group is well and alive, taking their lives of Faith seriously.

Naturally, weekly Mass has remained a central focus of the group's common life. This brings us to the point of this campaign. When I arrived on campus, the sacred vessel set that the group had on campus for Mass was not in good condition: scratched finish inside and out on the chalice, dinged and dented paten. It did not seem to me that its condition was a result of mis-use by Mastodon Catholic. Rather, it was likely poorly made to begin with and subsequently poorly cared for. It was likely donated by a local parish that had no use for it. In response, during my time as chaplain, I've simply opted to bring my own chalice and paten with me each week, so that Our Eucharistic Lord would have a worthy throne. However, it has always been my intention to replace the set which is kept on campus with something more fitting.

This is where I need your help. My goal is to raise around $2500 to purchase a chalice and paten set which will give glory to God at Holy Mass offered at Purdue Fort Wayne. I've put this campaign together in this way to give transparency to the project so that funds raised can be traced, but also to provide our alumni a way to give back and the friends of our community an opportunity to donate to a worthy cause. Additional funds beyond the cost of a new chalice and paten set will be donated to Mastodon Catholic for use as the group and officers require. Please prayerfully consider a donation to this campaign so that the good work which the Lord has begun with Catholic PFW students can be lifted up and brought to fulfillment. Thank you.

In Domino,

Rev. Daniel Koehl

Chaplain to the Catholic Students at Purdue University Fort Wayne