How Faith Brought Graduates To Georgetown
On August 26th, 750 seats in Gaston Hall were filled, as people observed a yearly Georgetown tradition take place: the Mass of the Holy Spirit. This tradition, dating back 400 years among Jesuit academic institutions, including Georgetown, gives students, faculty, and other members a chance to gather and seek guidance as they prepare for the new school year.
The Liturgical Procession, a communal ritual often presented at the beginning of worship, began with an academic procession, where students walked down to the altar, carrying their academic banners, while faculty, senior administrators, and Campus Ministry staff followed behind them.
Mass’s student music ministers began their service singing “Ad Majorem Dei Glorium,” meaning “for the greater glory of God.” This is a festive piece sung in many university celebrations, following the Responsorial Psalm from Psalm 104 to offer praise and thanks to God for the gift of creation.
“I really enjoyed the music and the student ministry sang so beautifully,” Paula Alduncin, MS in Communications, Culture, and Technology, C’27, said. For many new and returning students, especially Paula Alduncin, Mass was a relieving moment to see a welcoming community united in worship.
“Thanking God as a collective for a good start to the new year is really refreshing, and it gives a sense of community with the religion I grew up with,” Alduncin said.
Alduncin’s Catholic faith stems from her parents, who both attended Catholic schools growing up and went to Mass every Sunday. For her, connecting faith with her education and professional goals at Georgetown is something she is grateful for.
“My whole life, I went to Mass every Sunday, and now even almost every day. I’m just extremely grateful, as I knew I would feel fulfilled academically but spiritually as well,” Alduncin said.
The Campus Ministry holds a variety of chapels in the Georgetown Campus to host Mass for students, including the Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart and Sr. Thea Bowman Chapel on the First Floor of Copley Hall.
For students, faculty, or others who want to follow in Georgetown’s Catholic and Jesuit traditions, there is a weekly calendar providing times of weekend and weekday Mass services. Sunday Mass runs at times 11 am and even hosts evening services from 6 pm, 8 pm, and 10 pm, while weekday services from Monday to Friday have Mass at 12:10 pm and 9 pm for students only. All Mass services are held at the Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart.
“As there are many chapels on campus, I have felt more at ease navigating and adapting to the university,” Alduncin concluded.
The Campus Ministry also offers other religious services and gatherings for the Roman Catholic, Protestant Christian, Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox Christian and Dharmic (Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Sikh), alongside guided Christian contemplative meditation services. These services and meditation sessions are also shown in the Campus Ministry calendar for students to check out.
Georgetown is filled with students with many different beliefs, cultures and experiences. The core value of Interreligious Understanding reflects a strong commitment to being in community and understanding with others with various religious backgrounds and experiences. This also shines upon the Campus Ministry’s purpose to equip and guide students to go forth with deeper meaning, belonging and purpose.