BELMONT — Latino families who face financial barriers to higher education and career opportunities are about to receive help from a new partnership between LAWA (Latin Americans Working for Achievement) and Belmont Abbey College.
The college will match scholarship grants for LAWA students from low- to moderate-income families attending the college, doubling their award. The new program recognizes that finances often keep Latino families in the Charlotte region from gaining access to high-quality post-secondary career opportunities. In partnership with LAWA, Belmont Abbey will also host a workshop dedicated to helping students with FAFSA (student aid applications) and making college more accessible. The workshop will take place on Belmont Abbey’s campus on Thursday, Dec. 9.
“We feel incredibly grateful to Belmont Abbey College for partnering with us,” said LAWA Executive Director Ana S. Rey. “Our partnership will allow our organization to reach more Latino homes in Gaston County.”
LAWA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the education and quality of life for the Latino community in the Charlotte region through scholarships and career-readiness programs. Through collaboration with community organizations, LAWA offers youth scholarship programs and workshops to Latino high school students who might not see college as a possibility.
The initiatives with Belmont Abbey College aim to close Latino academic achievement gaps, improve Latino high school graduation rates and increase the number of Latino students who pursue and complete post-secondary study in Gaston County. These efforts are crucial, as the majority of LAWA scholarship recipients are first-generation college students.
“At Belmont Abbey, we’re excited about the opportunity to positively impact our local Latino community by providing them with a liberal arts education that prepares them – mind, body and spirit – to pursue the good for themselves and their communities,” said Martin Aucoin, vice provost and dean of admissions at Belmont Abbey College. “We welcome the talents of everyone, from any background and tradition, who is committed to fostering the development of the whole person and contributing to the mission of the college.”
The initiative with LAWA aligns with Belmont Abbey’s aim to offer an environment where students can work toward their full potential.
LAWA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization serving Mecklenburg and adjacent counties. The organization’s mission is to advance the education and quality of life of Latinos in the Charlotte region through scholarships and academic and cultural programs. It is online at www.lawanc.org.
— Belmont Abbey College
Churches host Rorate Masses in honor of Our Lady
Several churches recently offered special liturgies called “Rorate Masses,” a Votive Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary during Advent.
This is an ancient Mass in the Extraordinary Form (Latin) offered by candlelight before dawn to symbolize the coming of the Light of the world, Jesus Christ.
The name “Rorate” comes from the first word of the Introit (entrance antiphon) taken from Isaiah 45:8: “Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum, aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem” (“Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior.”).
Rorate Masses were offered at St. Ann and St. Thomas Aquinas churches in Charlotte, St. Mark Church in Huntersville, Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon, and St. Elizabeth Church in Boone.
A Rorate Mass will also be offered at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, at St. Margaret Mary Church in Swannanoa. The church is located at 102 Andrews Place in Swannanoa. All are welcome to attend.
— Photos by SueAnn Howell, Amber Mellon, Amy Burger, Paul Johnson, Markus Kuncoro and Mike FitzGerald