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Celebrate Spirit!
A Year of Radical Hospitality
This year University Ministry and the College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences have given Celebrate Spirit the theme of Radical Hospitality inspired by the charism and values of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and Society of Jesus.
Radical hospitality involves three steps – remembering, welcoming and belonging – that get to the root of membership as the practice of welcoming yourself and others by remembering that we belong to a global community and the totality of being.
Guest Speaker for Celebrate Spirit was Marilyn Lacey, RSM
Marilyn Lacey, a Sister of Mercy, is passionate about making the world a more welcoming place. She’s been working with displaced peoples, both in the United States and in refugee camps overseas, for decades. Although she holds a master’s degree in social welfare from UC Berkeley and a handful of honorary doctorates, she insists that the poor have been her best teachers. In 2001 Marilyn was personally honored by the Dalai Lama as an “unsung hero of compassion.” Marilyn is the founder and executive director of , spearheading innovative programs in Haiti and Africa to lift women and girls up from extreme poverty. Her memoir, was published by Ave Maria Press in 2009.
Our Celebrate Spirit Tradition
Celebrate Spirit! is the official welcoming event to the new school year and part of a long tradition dating from European universities in the Middle Ages. At the Celebrate Spirit! Mass, we call on God’s Spirit for inspiration and blessing as we begin a new academic year. Learn more about the tradition.
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Mass of the Holy Spirit tradition
Celebrate Spirit!, the official welcome to the new school year for Detroit Mercy 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 Detroit Mercy'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 .
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Class schedule change
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.
Service and Engagement On & Off Campus
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Institute of Leadership and Service: Community Engagement
For the opportunity to do real service visit Institute of Leadership and Service: Community Engagement -
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Service in the City
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
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Service Immersion Experiences
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
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Make a Donation - Live Out Radical Hospitality
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 Detroit Mercy 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."