May 21, 2015

TRADITIONS: A lasting spirit

From left: Megan Landry ’15, Brigid Garrity ’15, — From left: Will Cavedon ’16, Megan Landry ’15, Brigid Garrity ’15, Kate Williams ’17, and Sabrina Guilbeault ’18

It’s known as the “Last Chance Mass.” Celebrated on Sunday at 10:30 p.m. in St. Dominic Chapel, it’s the final Mass of the weekend, and the best attended.

There’s a special feeling at the Last Chance Mass, which for students marks the end of one busy week and the pause before another. The lights are kept low. Folk music is performed. Students enjoy fellowship and food at the end of the hour at the Post-Mass Bash in the Campus Ministry Center.

The Mass is an opportunity for all students to gather as a community. Even non-Catholics and non-Christians feel welcome.

“At no time is our family more itself than when we come together to worship,” said College Chaplain Rev. James Cuddy, O.P. ’98. “We pray with each other and for each other. We beg for God’s blessings, his mercy, his guidance, and his consolation.”

The chapel is packed with students. The lights are dimmed and acoustic music is played, making it a relaxing way to end one week and start the next.” —Katcy Stephan ’16 in a blog, “The Freshman 15: 15 Things About PC You Should Get Excited About”

Saadia Ahmad ’14, a Muslim, was a regular at the 10:30 Mass, which fell between the final two of her five daily Islamic prayers.

“Very often, the themes of the homilies that spoke to the human experience and God’s outreach towards us, coupled with moving music and praying with members of my Providence community, complemented my own Islamic prayers and enhanced my faith and spirituality as a Muslim in a way not possible were I limited to the experiences of just a single faith tradition,” said Ahmad.

Michael Hagan ’15 (Gaithersberg, Md.) said, “Worship at St. Dominic Chapel is an integral part of life as a Friar. It’s where community becomes communion. I am not alone in believing that St. Dominic’s is the hearth at the center of this campus we call home.”