Campus Involvement: The Liturgy at Fordham

My favorite activities on campus that I am involved in are Fordham's masses, held in the University Church at Rose Hill. The masses are primarily student run, and make up one part of Fordham's large and diverse Campus Ministry. Currently, I am an Altar Co-Chair on Fordham's Liturgy Board. This role gives me the opportunity to help run the masses at Fordham, train new campus ministers, and get involved with the many other interfaith and community service-based activities Fordham's Campus

Ministry has to offer. I have been involved with Fordham's liturgy since my freshman year, and it has been a very unique and rewarding campus experience for me.

Fordham's Liturgy celebrations are held in
the University Church on the Rose Hill campus

Fordham's liturgy offers masses every Saturday and Sunday, but some of the most exciting liturgy events are special masses that occur at different times during the semesters.  One exciting mass on Fordham's campus is the Mass of the Holy Spirit that occurs every September. This mass reminds students of Fordham's Jesuit values of education and service to others as the fall semester begins. Another one of the most popular liturgy events at Fordham's Rose Hill campus is the Gaudete Sunday mass to celebrate the holiday season. The mass is presided by the University's president, and is a great opportunity for Fordham students to gather together as a community near the end of the fall semester.

Although Fordham's liturgy is Catholic, students of all different faiths and beliefs enjoy attending the masses on campus. Since most Sunday masses and special masses are led by Jesuit priests and scholars, Fordham's liturgy has a very academic and practical tone that applies to students of all backgrounds. The inclusive environment of Fordham's liturgy is my favorite part about the masses on campus. The liturgy at Fordham welcomes and accepts every type of student, which makes mass at Fordham an event for all interested students to become involved in. 

A great outdoor view of the
University Church

The masses and liturgy at Fordham are only one part of Fordham's rich and diverse Campus Ministry! For more information about the liturgy as well as the wide variety of service projects, retreats, interfaith ministries, and other Campus Ministry opportunities, follow the link below!

http://www.fordham.edu/info/20094/campus_ministry

Ignatian Week 2015

“You may not have S.J. after your name, but Ignatius is still your father and you are still part of our family.” (President Fr. Joseph McShane)

Keating Hall decorated for Ignatian Week!

Before I came to Fordham University, I didn’t know anything about the Society of Jesus and I had never met a Jesuit priest. I chose Fordham because I knew I wanted to be involved in community service and an education that prepared me to serve others in whatever career I choose. Fordham has provided me with both these opportunities, but it has also gone so much deeper. St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, firmly believed in education as the best means to better serve others. Being an integral part of a Jesuit university doesn’t require any religion; it requires a willingness to search for truth and work for justice, while caring for and understanding others (including our Earth) and constantly bettering oneself. President Joseph McShane, S.J. always says students should graduate from Fordham feeling “bothered” by the world, with the skills and the heart to go out and change it. Each fall, Fordham celebrates Ignatian Week: a week full of activities for us to celebrate the Jesuit tradition of our school and to challenge our own individual lives by learning about and connecting through Ignatian spirituality. 

"Jesuit Storytelling" in the St. Ignatius of Loyola Room

Tuesday evening at the Rose Hill campus, I went to an event titled “Jesuit Storytelling: Three Generations of Jesuits Share Their Journeys”, pictured to the right. We learned about the best and most challenging parts of being a Jesuit from an 87-year-old biology PhD, a graduate professor of religious studies, and a 23-year-old Scholastic who will be graduating from Fordham this spring. Getting to know the Jesuits who live, work, and study at Fordham has been a crucial part to my understanding of being a member of the Jesuit family.

I also attended Wednesday’s dinner event titled “Finding God in Failure: Ignatian Spirituality for Our Dark Nights of the Soul.” College will probably introduce you to more failure than high school ever did, and so it was great for students and faculty alike to hear the presenters’ takes on how Ignatian Spirituality can inform your confidence in the face of failure. Tomorrow, I am really looking forward to attending the lunchtime conversation on “Global Justice and Solidarity.” If you're interested, check out this link to the full calendar of Ignatian Week 2015; these events are all examples of typical events put on by Fordham Campus Ministry.