As the world frantically rushes to prepare for Christmas, the Catholic Church encourages people to slow down and reflect during this Advent season. SLUH helped by giving students Tuesday off for the Immaculate Conception and providing individuals with the opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. 

Catholics celebrate the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8. The Immaculate Conception is one of ten Holy Days of Obligation, which means Catholics are obligated to attend Mass on that day. 

“We as Catholics believe that Jesus gave his mother, Mary, to be our spiritual mother,” said Fr. Joseph Hill, S.J. “We believe that she cares for us, protects us, and if we go to her with our needs she will intercede for us, and the Immaculate Conception is the perfect day to turn to Mary, and ask for her intercession.”

“We as Catholics believe that Jesus gave his mother, Mary, to be our spiritual mother. We believe that she cares for us, protects us, and if we go to her with our needs she will intercede for us, and the Immaculate Conception is the perfect day to turn to Mary, and ask for her intercession.”

Fr. Joseph Hill, S.J.

In previous years, SLUH would hold an all school Mass during the school day to celebrate a Holy Day of Obligation.

“Given some of the challenges that we have with the pandemic and all of the other pieces I think it is important to be constantly reframing where our gratitude lies and provide students with a day where they can reflect and pray,” said SLUH principal Fr. Ian Gibbons S.J.

One solution that the administration looked into was holding a hybrid Mass where all of the in-person students would attend a live Mass while the virtual students would attend via livestream.  

“We certainly looked at the possibility of having like the Mass of the Holy Spirit,  or a number of different Masses for that day. We also looked at the context of Advent confessions and our needs for scheduling those,” said Gibbons. “We have to balance this against our personal and the greater good.”  

However, the administration wanted to encourage all students to attend in-person Mass and they believed that the best solution was to give students and faculty the day off. 

The Advent season is another honored tradition of Catholics. While the secular world is busy rushing around during the Christmas season, preparing for the arrival of Santa Claus, the Catholic Church encourages its members to do the opposite, to slow down, and prepare their hearts, and selves, for the arrival of Christ. 

“We are encouraged to simplify our lives, we are encouraged to slow down,” said Gibbons. “Advent really is a vigil for Christmas and Christmas time, an opportunity to reflect, to get some different perspective by stepping back from the frantic world that we have.” 

To help students embrace the Advent season and prepare them for the coming Christmas season, SLUH is providing the opportunity for every student to receive the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) this week.

“We want to set deliberate times for students to receive the sacrament of confession,” said Gibbons. “Not everybody gets to go on a retreat that has a reconciliation opportunity, not everybody has the opportunity to be at penance services for their parishes, especially during this pandemic so the opportunity to offer them is a big commitment for us this year.” 

 Even in the midst of a global pandemic, SLUH realized the need to offer the sacraments to the student body and provide them with a chance to seek healing and forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation. 

“We are all asked to receive confession once a year, to receive communion at least once a year, and to be able to (receive the Eucharist), we must be in good graces (in a state of grace i.e., not have knowledge of committing a mortal sin), so we must receive the sacrament of confession,” said Gibbons. 

At some point this week, students will head to the chapel, during their theology class, and have the opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. SLUH has enlisted the assistance of multiple Jesuit and diocesan priests, many of whom are SLUH alums, to help hear confessions. 

“Advent can be a truly transformative time,” said Hill. “I encourage all students to do something extra, perhaps read the daily readings, or attend Eucharistic adoration once a week. Really do something to help prepare your hearts for the coming of Christ.”