Our Customs and Practices
Being at Home in the Campus Parish
Welcome
We want you to feel at home when you come to Mass on Campus. The Mass is what unites Catholics around the world. When I was traveling in Asia, although I didn't understand Japanese, Thai or Chinese, I still recognized the celebration and knew what was going on. Yet when I travel around I still notice small differences. Knowing some of these small differences ahead of time can make things easier when we arrive.
Major Celebrations
We celebrate both the church calendar and school calendar. Although we aren't in session for Christmas and Easter, we find ways to celebrate. We have holy day masses and special celebrations for the holy seasons of Advent and Easter.
School Celebrations:
"Welcoming" Dirt Sunday
As the school year begins we form a new community. We do this symbolically by inviting all people to bring a bit of soil from home to place in a bowl. It represents how, together, we become rich soil for one another to grow. We keep this soil and use the it all year for our incense bowl. At the end of the semester we ask you bring take some of this 'holy ground,' and throw it back at home. It represents our gifts going out to the world.
Mass of the Holy Spirit (Newman Mass September 19 2010)
Usually around the second week of school we have the Mass of the Holy Spirit. It's the tradtional Mass around the country that opens the school year. We pray to open ourselves to God's Spirit and be strengthened for the year. A blessing is given to students individually at the end. We ask people to wear Red to the Mass.
Mass in Remembrance of the Dead
November is the month when Catholics remember their beloved dead. We begin the month by Mass in Remembrance of the dead. During the latter part of October members are asked to write the names of their beloved dead in our Book of Remembrance. For this special Mass we build a shrine (in the Mexican Custom) and people bring pictures of those who have died and place them on the shrine altar. The Book of Remembrance is placed on the table. We offer incense to pray for them. Of course your pictures are returned to you.
Name Tags at Mass
Many people are surprized when they arrive that they are offered a name tag. We are a community which changes by 25% each year. People graduate and move on, new students arrive and some people finally decide to join in their junior or senior year. We believe in a God who calls us by name and believe we should to that too. We have name tags to put on when you arrive and then you leave them for the next week.
Welcome
We want you to feel at home when you come to Mass on Campus. The Mass is what unites Catholics around the world. When I was traveling in Asia, although I didn't understand Japanese, Thai or Chinese, I still recognized the celebration and knew what was going on. Yet when I travel around I still notice small differences. Knowing some of these small differences ahead of time can make things easier when we arrive.
Major Celebrations
We celebrate both the church calendar and school calendar. Although we aren't in session for Christmas and Easter, we find ways to celebrate. We have holy day masses and special celebrations for the holy seasons of Advent and Easter.
School Celebrations:
"Welcoming" Dirt Sunday
As the school year begins we form a new community. We do this symbolically by inviting all people to bring a bit of soil from home to place in a bowl. It represents how, together, we become rich soil for one another to grow. We keep this soil and use the it all year for our incense bowl. At the end of the semester we ask you bring take some of this 'holy ground,' and throw it back at home. It represents our gifts going out to the world.
Mass of the Holy Spirit (Newman Mass September 19 2010)
Usually around the second week of school we have the Mass of the Holy Spirit. It's the tradtional Mass around the country that opens the school year. We pray to open ourselves to God's Spirit and be strengthened for the year. A blessing is given to students individually at the end. We ask people to wear Red to the Mass.
Mass in Remembrance of the Dead
November is the month when Catholics remember their beloved dead. We begin the month by Mass in Remembrance of the dead. During the latter part of October members are asked to write the names of their beloved dead in our Book of Remembrance. For this special Mass we build a shrine (in the Mexican Custom) and people bring pictures of those who have died and place them on the shrine altar. The Book of Remembrance is placed on the table. We offer incense to pray for them. Of course your pictures are returned to you.
Name Tags at Mass
Many people are surprized when they arrive that they are offered a name tag. We are a community which changes by 25% each year. People graduate and move on, new students arrive and some people finally decide to join in their junior or senior year. We believe in a God who calls us by name and believe we should to that too. We have name tags to put on when you arrive and then you leave them for the next week.