Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg is mourning the death of Catherine Carnes, a freshman from Monkton. Carnes collapsed on campus Sept. 1 while playing volleyball with fellow students and was rushed to Gettysburg Hospital, where she was declared dead.
According to a university spokesperson, Carnes was a graduate of the McDonogh School. She had joined the Mount equestrian team, and was planning a Labor Day weekend whitewater rafting trip with the Outdoor Adventure Club.
The university plans to plan a tree on campus in her honor, with a plaque reading, “To see with our hearts and not with our eyes is where the truth lies.” It was Carnes’ e-mail signature.
“As the entire Mount community deals with this loss, I ask that we come together in prayer and in support of each other,” said Thomas H. Powell, president of Mount St. Mary’s. “It is in times of unspeakable tragedy that we learn to use the language of faith to sustain us.”