Mass of the Holy Spirit Marks Opening of Jesuit Academic Year

Since 1548, Jesuit colleges and universities have marked the beginning of their academic year with a unique tradition.

At the Mass of the Holy Spirit, faculty, staff and students at Jesuit institutions pause in gratitude for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and recommit themselves to their work and to the Jesuit core values that guide it. In welcoming the more than 150 attendees, University President Sandra Cassady, Ph.D., said the Mass of the Holy Spirit is a chance at the beginning of the academic year to remember the shared purpose of the University community.

“Our Mass reminds us that we are all called by the one spirit to share the very work of God; to shape our future, to renew the face of our Earth, and to heal its many communities,” she said. “We celebrate our common call and purpose.”

 In the U.S., Jesuit colleges and universities celebrate their Mass of the Holy Spirit around the same time, according to the Rev. Stephen Hess, S.J., vice president of mission and ministry, who celebrated the Mass. Like the musical and vocal ensemble providing accompaniment during the outdoor Mass in the shadow of the campus bell tower, Fr. Hess said the University is made up of a lot of different people — people from different backgrounds, with different experiences of the world, and with unique talents. The Holy Spirit, he said, animates those different people in the mission of educating students, who will in turn make the world a better place.

“We do that as one community,” he said in his homily. “And so today, my friends, let us celebrate who we are, what God has given us, and how we've been called to use those gifts in our world.”

Signifying that shared mission, representatives from faculty, staff and student leadership signed a book of commitment as part of the Mass.