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.

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