About Continuing the Heritage

Continuing the Heritage Day of Service (CTH) is a University-wide service project that takes place at the beginning of the fall semester. Continuing the Heritage is a proud partnership between the Office of Mission and Rector, the Office of Community Engagement and the Marianist Leadership Program.

Over 400 St. Mary’s volunteers come together to contribute more than 2,000 hours of community service to kick off the academic year.

  • Fall 2026 Event Information

    Saturday, Aug. 22
    8 a.m. to Noon
    Starting location: Flex Field at St. Mary’s

    Online volunteer registration is now open on Givepulse.

    Register

    Continuing the Heritage is a proud partnership between the Office of Mission and Rector, the Office of Community Engagement and the Marianist Leadership Program.

    For more information, contact the Office of Community Engagement at engagement@stmarytx.edu.

10,000 Service Hours for Pope Leo XIV Initiative

During the 2026-2027 academic year, St. Mary’s University, along with all other Catholic universities in the country, is dedicating service hours to Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope. We, as a Catholic and Marianist University, are committed to completing 10,000 service hours throughout the year, with a special emphasis on Continuing the Heritage.

Join us in answering this call to service by participating in Continuing the Heritage and helping us reach our goal of 10,000 service hours through ongoing programming with the Office of Community Engagement.

How CTH Changes Lives

A female works hard to fix a table for the community during Coninueing the Heritage

Students, faculty, staff and alumni volunteer for community projects around San Antonio. They lend their time and talent to paint houses for the elderly in the St. Mary’s neighborhood area, work in community gardens, serve food to the homeless at Haven for Hope, paint playgrounds at Head Start locations, remove graffiti and more.

Since 2003, nearly 8,000 volunteers have offered approximately 42,000 hours to organizations providing much-needed service throughout San Antonio.

Previous partners have included Catholic Charities, Family Service Neighborhood Place, Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Guadalupe Home, Guadalupe Community Center, Roots of Change Community Garden, Roy Maas Youth Alternatives, San Antonio Food Bank, the St. Mary’s Legal and Social Justice Center, CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital and many more.

Photos

A group of volunteers smile as they prepare to serve the community.
Students volunteer to help out the community during continuing the heritage.
Students show their Rattler Pride by holding up the Fangs Out hand guesture.
Rattler Man and a St. Mary's student hold their hands up making the "Fangs Out" guesture.
Three female students hold out their Continuing the Heritage stickers
RattlerMan and a female student stand back to back confidently as they prepare to help the community for Continuing the Heritage
A female works hard to fix a table for the community during Continuing the Heritage
Students paint the sides of a room during Continuing the Heritage
Students tend to plants for the community during Coninueing the Heritage
Continuing the Heritage 2022
Students work together to help out the community by restoring a classroom.
Continuing the Heritage 2022
Continuing the Heritage 2022
Students help with food packaging during Fall 2019 Continuing the Heritage.
Continuing the Heritage 2022
Students work in a garden during Continuing the Heritage 2021
Students help build a house for Continuing the Heritage
T-Shirts are handed out during Continuing the Heritage
Students gather during the Continuing the Heritage opening ceremony in the Flex Field.
Students participate in Continuing the Heritage in a previous year.
A student at St. Mary's tends to crops.
Continuing the Heritage volunteers gather for a group picture.
A student helps with yard work during Fall 2019 Continuing the Heritage.
Students help with graffiti abatement during Fall 2019 Continuing the Heritage.
Continuing the Heritage volunteers work to clean up a garden.
Students pose after graffiti cleanup during Continuing the Heritage
Two students holding gardening equipment.
Students paint a house as part of the Continuing the Heritage Day of Service event
Continuing the Heritage
Continuing the Heritage
Continuing the Heritage
Washing the sidewalks during Continuing the Heritage
Students work together during Continuing the Heritage
Students work together building a table for the community during Continuing the Heritage
Students paint the sides of a room during Continuing the Heritage
Students help tend to gardens during Continuing the Heritage
Students pray together in the field during Continuing the Heritage
Students sort out donations for the community during Continuing the Heritage
Continuing the Heritage painting the curb.
Students help plant a community garden
Volunteers hand out t-shirts.
Students volunteer to help out the community during continuing the heritage.
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