Archbishop Miller greets Swiss exchange student Mathias Blarer after a Mass for the Catholic colleges at St. Mark’s Parish at UBC. (Sammy Tong photos)
A Jesuit tradition in academic institutions around the globe is to begin the year with the Mass of the Holy Spirit.
Dating back to 1568 and now adopted by many Catholic schools and universities, the Mass is a time when students, faculty and staff and their families gather together to give thanks to God for the gifts of creation and salvation and seek the guidance and blessing of the Holy Spirit during the coming academic year.
On Sunday, Sept. 30, in St. Mark’s Chapel on the campus of the University of British Columbia, academia of St. Mark’s College, Corpus Christi College and UBC gathered together with Archbishop Michael Miller to celebrate the Mass that marks the beginning of the school year.
In his homily, the archbishop noted that the Catholic colleges are recording their highest ever enrolment.
One
of the beautiful things about the parish of St. Mark’s is the great diversity
of ages and cultures. We saw the future of our Church and Catholic education –
the little ones who added their own commentary to the joyous occasion, while many
young children, silent during the Mass, came forward for a blessing.
Graduate students from African nations were there, as well as students gathered from the university residences and a young exchange student from Switzerland. All found their way to the chapel on a dark rainy night.
The music was upbeat and joyous, traditional as well as contemporary.
The
most profound parts of the Mass were the many long periods of silence, the community
all still in prayer, even the smallest cherubs.
This is a parish community that loves to come together as a global village, celebrating, visiting, and sharing stories over steaming mugs of coffee, while also gathering as a family before the Triune God.
This is a place where someone who is single might be holding a squirmy infant so the mother can safely drink her coffee. It is a place where those with cars offer rides to those without; a place where college and university students find a “family” and someone to share their ups and downs. It is where faculty, staff, and students all meet side by side (and sometimes you will be surprised to find out who is who!) It is a place where you can come by yourself and leave with the beginning of friendships.
We
celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit this night, but this is a place where the
Holy Spirit has already come to dwell in our midst and as academia we have
dedicated another year to God.
Judith
L. Watt is a member of St. Mark’s Parish and a UBC student.
*To hear Archbishop Miller’s homily click here.