樱桃视频

Celebrate Spirit!, the official welcome to the new school year for 樱桃视频 faculty, staff and students, is part of a long tradition dating from the founding of the great European universities in the Middle Ages. These institutions would celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit at the start of a new school year. Following this tradition we call on God's Spirit for inspiration as we begin a new academic year. This festive event gathers the entire University community together to rededicate ourselves to 樱桃视频's mission, to renew friendships, and to welcome new members.

Eucharistic Liturgy (the Mass)

Every Mass follows the same general form, and the Mass of the Holy Spirit is no exception. We gather to listen to some portion of the sacred story handed on in the gospels and other sacred writings. Then we bring forward bread and wine, symbols of our gifts received and shared with all in need. The priest, an ordained representative of the entire church community, prays over and shares those gifts in a holy communion with God and with one another. In the "missa," or "sending," at the end of the mass, the people disperse to their ordinary lives strengthened for the task of carrying what they have heard and shared to the rest of the world.

Procession

A procession is symbolic movement through time and space. Our processional banners carry medallions of major world religions:

• the Star of David (Judaism),
• the cross (Christianity),
• and the Star and Crescent (Islam) represent the three sister-communities who trace the origins of their faith to Abraham.
• The Yin-yang symbol (Confucianism),
• the Dharma Wheel (Buddhism),
• and the Om (Hinduism) represent the great religions of the East.

All faiths recognize the reality of the transcendent and attempt to engage believers with Ultimate Reality. The medallions are a sign of welcome to every expression of Spirit in this celebration as we move together through this coming academic year.

Liturgy of the Word

The Liturgy of the Word is a time of listening to some portion of the Bible, reflecting on it through prayer, song, and preaching, and then offering prayer for the needs of the church, the world and the local community.

Liturgy of the Eucharist

The word "Eucharist" comes from the Greek word for "thanksgiving." The gathered community first brings forward bread, the staff of life, and wine, a festive drink. We place these symbols of our life and joy into the hands of the priest, a chosen representative of this community and of the larger Church. He calls down the power of the Holy Spirit over the gifts, recalling the story of Jesus' own gift to us and asking that God transform them. Then with Jesus and the community he gives thanks to God. Our great "Amen" at the end is the sign of our acceptance of all that we have said and done together.

Communion Rite

In the communion rite believers share the consecrated bread and wine which makes Christ present within each of us and all of us together. Through this communion we become Christ's living Body present in time and space. Before we approach the holy table, we pray together as brothers and sisters and offer one another a sign of the peace we hope to realize in this communion.

Interested in more information on the Mass?

If you would like to learn more about the liturgy and its historical origins, or about the meaning of the Eucharist (communion), check out these web sites:

• A short article from the Microsoft Encarta encyclopedia, by Joseph Powers, S.J.
• , with many links about the mass
• An official church text: the section of .

Revised Class Schedule for Celebrate Spirit!

In order for everyone to participate in the activities planned for Celebrate Spirit! the class schedule may be adjusted to create a free period from 11:20 am-2:00 pm.  Afternoon classes starting at 2:00 pm and after will meet at the regularly scheduled time.  We look forward to your participation at the event.

Faculty that normally teach their classes on Thursday need to adjust their plan of instruction and inform their students of the changed schedule for this ONE day only.  Most class periods in the morning will change from 75-minute to 50-minute periods or as noted below for those classes that are not normally 75 minutes.  ALL classroom assignments REMAIN THE SAME as the normal class time.

Whether it's for one afternoon, one week, or all semester, University Ministry's Service in the City provides students an opportunity to engage with our local community. For information on tutoring program and service days visit Service in the City

Service immersion opportunities and trips are key experiences of a transformative Jesuit and Mercy education, rooted in service and social justice. For more information visit Service Immersion Experiences

Living out radical hospitality is a value of both our Mercy and Jesuit founders:

From Catherine McAuley, Sisters of Mercy foundress, we learn to reach out to others, especially when they are lonely or sad. Our greatest gifts is to welcome another and to share a love that warms their hearts. May our doors always be open to those who come looking for a place to call home (and to making 樱桃视频 their home). For none comes without a gift, and no guest leaves without a blessing, in Mercy's name.

James Keenan, SJ, says, "Letting ourselves receive hospitality, as much as give it, is a way to encounter Christ in others" and "We are invited to find Christ not only in the face of the stranger but also in the hospitality that the stranger extends to us."