Mount
Mass of the Holy Spirit
Coincides with Founder’s Birthday
Mount St.
Mary’s College and Seminary celebrated
two momentous occasions on Friday, August
24. The Mount community ushered in
the academic year with its annual Mass of
the Holy Spirit, which also coincided with
the 237th birthday of Mount St.
Mary’s founder, Bishop John DuBois.
New and returning Mount students joined
faculty, staff, administration and members
of the Mount’s Board of Trustees in the
Chapel of Immaculate Conception to hear
College Chaplain and Director of Campus
Ministry Rev. Raymond Harris preach on the
theme “God will do great things for
us.”
Father
Harris addressed the crowd of over 500 by
welcoming them to the Mount, its people
and its history. “That Mount St.
Mary’s is a Catholic institution is more
than just a historical fact; it is a
living reality,” Father Harris said in
his homily. “This means that the
profession of faith that serves as the
foundation of our community must continue
to be practiced in our life as a
community.”
Beginning
his second year as college chaplain,
Father Harris addressed all constituents
of the Mount community individually in his
remarks. “Our desire to promote
scholarship conveys a sense of knowing
that all wisdom comes from God,” he
said. “Our desire to glorify God through
athletic activity conveys an understanding
that our bodies are temples of the Holy
Spirit. Our desire to foster relationships
with others acknowledges that every person
is created in the image and likeness of
God. Faith is a divine gift that helps us
to entrust our lives to the providence of
God. It gives us a framework for living in
fellowship with each other.”
Father
Harris also addressed the Mount’s role
in the outside community and, ultimately,
in the greater world. “From the youngest
freshman to the oldest alumnus, we are
having an impact upon Emmitsburg and
beyond - touching people in ways beyond
our imagining.”
The Mass
of the Holy Spirit is a traditional
school-year-opening activity at Mount St.
Mary’s and for many Catholic colleges
around the country. This year, the Mount
welcomed over 350 freshmen, one of the
largest first-year class among four-year
colleges in the region.
Mount St.
Mary’s, founded in 1808 by French émigré
priest Fr. John DuBois, is the oldest
independent Catholic college, and the
second-oldest seminary in the United
States. For a schedule of masses
open to the public please contact the
Mount’s office of campus ministry at
301-447-5223.