Boston College will be adding a new component to the traditional Catholic liturgy that has annually begun the school year. In addition to the Mass of the Holy Spirit, there will be a multi-faith celebration, "Inviting the Spirit of Wisdom." Both ceremonies will be held on Tuesday in O'Neill Plaza, with the liturgy beginning at noon and the multi-faith celebration at 5:15 p.m.
The service, which was organized by Campus Ministry and the Interfaith Initiative, includes prayers from faiths such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Baha'i, as well as non-denominational readings. Musical groups will also be performing, including the Hebrew College Cantorial Choir, the Turkish Islamic group DUNYA, and the contemporary gospel group The Donnell Patterson Ensemble, representing Judaism, Islam, and Christianity in song.
Rev. Howard McLendon, director of Campus Ministry, said the ceremony will allow for greater inclusion in the University's opening spiritual exercises for those who are not Catholic. "It is the Jesuit tradition to start each year with the Mass of the Holy Spirit, which is of course a Catholic Mass. Approximately 40 percent of our student population reported being something other than Catholic, so this year we are offering an interfaith opportunity to students, faculty, and staff seeking the deity's blessing in the beginning of the year in our academic pursuit," he said.
The idea for the new multi-faith opening service originated last year, and was approved in the spring. Ruth Langer, a professor of theology who formally proposed the idea, said it was one way in which they were seeking to show hospitality to other religious traditions. She said that while all students are welcome at the Mass of the Holy Spirit, in accordance with Catholic teachings, non-Catholic members cannot participate fully in the Mass by receiving communion. "A Catholic Mass by definition excludes those who are not Catholic from its central element," Langer said.
When the Mass of the Holy Spirit was moved to noon on a class day, as opposed to a Sunday liturgy, it presented the opportunity to have a corresponding service for members of other faiths of the BC community. John McDargh, an associate professor in the theology department who helped organize the ceremony, said that the service was meant to complement, not compete with, the Mass of the Holy Spirit.
"The Interfaith Initiative has been talking with Campus Ministry and other parts of the University about how to promote serious interfaith dialogue among our undergraduates," McDargh said. "We realized how one way that can be promoted is that all students, regardless of their tradition, feel welcome, and that their tradition and values get celebrated. One way to do this is by including as part of our opening ceremony of the year a recognition of other spiritual paths as an important part of the BC community,"
Although the ceremony originated to serve non-Catholic members of the community, it is not meant to exclude Catholic members from participating. "We don't want it to be everybody but the Catholics," said Tokufumi Noda, A&S '09. Noda, who was involved in organizing the event, said that Catholics will be included as well. The invocation for the service will be given by Rev. James Erps, director of Campus Ministry, and a benediction will be given by Rev. Joseph Appleyard, S.J., vice president for University Mission and Ministry, as representatives of the Catholic faith.
Students from various campus groups, such as Hillel and the Muslim Student Association, will also be participating in the ceremony. The service will begin with a procession, similar to that of the Mass of the Holy Spirit, with banners representing some of the religions found on the BC campus. Behind the Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, and Baha'i flags, a student, faculty member, and, in some cases, a clergy member will proceed as representatives of the religion.
Refreshments will follow the service, although not the Ramadan dinner, which had originally been planned. The dinner, which would have broken the daily fast that Muslims observe during the month of Ramadan, was canceled due to the length of time between the end of the formal service at 6:30 p.m. and sunset at 7:15 p.m., which is when the fast is broken. Langer said that if Ramadan coincided with the opening spiritual exercises again next year, they would try to arrange the start of the ceremony so that a dinner for Ramadan could follow the service.
The multi-faith service provides a medium for worship, as well as an opportunity to learn about different religions. These faiths may be explored more fully in a series of services similar to those organized by the Interfaith Initiative last year, which will be held by student faith groups designed to explain each part of the service for people who may not be familiar with the religion. The Interfaith Initiative will also hold a half-day retreat on Columbus Day, when students are invited to share their faith experiences, as well as a weekend retreat in February.
While religious and faith groups on campus were invited to have booths in the Dustbowl on Student Activities Day, some freshmen may already be well-versed in the groups that are present on campus. During every orientation session, there was a parallel meeting to the opening Mass, which gave information about the multi-faith options on campus. Langer said the meeting, which was sponsored by the Interfaith Initiative, was well-received by both parents and students.
"For people who aren't Catholic there is a desire to let them know that there are people who support them in their faith group on campus, and that spirituality is still a very central aspect of campus life no matter what faith you are," Noda said.
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