This week’s Ash Wednesday Mass kicked off the Lenten season for the SLUH community. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, the school celebrated Mass with the entire student body in the Commons. 

“Having everyone together in that very beautiful space is something that I have deeply missed since the beginning of the pandemic,” said principal Fr. Ian Gibbons, SJ. “Being in the Commons compared to the Field House makes the entire liturgy feel more sacred and respected.” 

In order to comply with the social distancing regulations during the pandemic, all-school Masses have been held in the Field House. 

“It is very difficult for us to make the Field House feel any less like a gym, whereas in the Commons it is a place where you already eat there and we are just sharing a meal in the Eucharist,” explained Campus Minister Fr. Matt Stewart, SJ.

The Commons offered a more reverent setting for Mass to take place. Being in a respectful and more church-like environment can also make the students feel more engaged, so the campus ministers believed that having Ash Wednesday Mass be the first one there was fitting. 

“We have a beautiful stage in the Commons and a wonderful stained glass window behind the altar,” said Stewart. “This just gives a more respectful space of worship.”

The Mass required several different people to help set it up. Campus Ministry played a large role in organizing the Mass, with the help of all four pastoral teams. 

“Us in Campus Ministry had to do a lot of work with the pastoral teams on finding kids to do the readings, write the petitions, serve, and carry up the gifts,” said Stewart. 

Campus minister Brian Gilmore and school counselor Walt Kempf, along with the choir, helped orchestrate the music for the liturgy.

“The choir was extraordinary,” noted Gibbons. “You want to keep it simple and reverent but also beautiful at the same time and they did a great job with the music.”

In an effort to make the Mass more reverent, Campus Minister Simionie Anzalone and members of the junior pastoral team struck a chime while students processed from their homerooms into the Commons. 

“I loved the somber entrance into the Commons,” said Stewart. “The Junior Pastoral Team did a great job ringing the bell. It’s so different from how we would normally walk into the Field House and start a big chant or everyone is talking, and it’s so much more powerful to enter in silence.” 

Members of the senior class distributed the ashes and Communion. Although these seniors have been distributing the Eucharist at different Masses all year, this was a new experience for them to be able to also do the ashes. 

This year, SLUH is encouraging students to create some sort of Lenten commitment for the next 40 days. Campus Ministry has opened up and is encouraging students to attend daily Mass, go to confession, adoration, and stations of the cross and are providing these as options during or before the school day for students to engage in their faith. They wanted to bring these in so that students could fulfill their Lenten commitment or just attend one of these options during the school day, without having to make any additional effort outside of school. 

Despite offering several options for students to engage in their faith during the time of Lent, Campus Ministry has made one thing mandatory for students to participate in. For the entire day on every Tuesday during Lent, the Campus Ministry office will be entirely free of all electronic devices. 

“In Campus Ministry, we are going to be doing No Tech Tuesdays,” said Stewart. “Get out a board game, play cards, talk to each other, we don’t really care, we just want to be entirely unplugged for the day.” 

To get students into the season, Gibbons has made up a fun challenge that involves risk and reward. Outside the main office he has placed a dish of bean boozled candy. A student could get a nice tasting popcorn jelly bean, or you might end up with a rotten egg flavored bean. 

“My Bean-boozled game is a great activity that combines thinking about what you should do for Lent with an activity that is fun, but also a little disgusting,” said Gibbons.

Students and faculty who participate in the game fill out a card of their Lenten commitment and all will be posted on a bull item board outside the office to remind the community that we are all in Lent together.