The DePaulia

Issue date: 6/5/09 Section: News

Photo by John DiMucci.

"Happy Birthday!" was among the cheers this past Sunday at Catholic Campus Ministry's annual Mass on the Grass, celebrating the Catholic feast day of Pentecost. "Pentecost is traditionally known as the 'birthday' of Christianity and a celebration of community that rises out of diversity," said Vincentian priest Father Chris Robinson, CM. "The fact that Pentecost overlapped with Mass on the Grass brought a unique theme that appeals to the DePaul spirit, at least as I experience it."

Catholic scripture explains Pentecost as the day they believe God sent the Holy Spirit to live among his people. According to Catholics, the Holy Spirit is on of the three "persons" of God in the Trinity.

Set in the quad, approximately 160 attendants took part in an hour-long open air Eucharistic celebration, with 100 chairs and an assortment of standers and groups spread out on blankets. Among those in attendance were representatives from Catholic Campus Ministry as well as DePaul's Hillel and United Muslims Moving Ahead (UMMA).

Robinson commented on the events diverse attendance saying, "I think that Mass on the Grass was symbolic of a few things. DePaul welcomes religious expression and supports communities of faith. Having our outdoor mass in such an open and relaxed space created a welcoming setting for everyone, including students who weren't Catholic."

In testimony to the diversity of the Catholic Church and the gift of speech given by the Spirit, the first reading, a selection from Acts of Apostles, was read in five different languages: French, Spanish, Hungarian, Arabic and English. Among the readers were Cody Meinhardt, Jesus Marquez, Rima Saigh, Dunja Antunovic, Philip Epse and Ellen Romer.

Robinson presided over the mass and in his homily addressed the reading from Acts in which the scripture says, "They heard them speaking in their language, and were confused." He went on to describe the immense value and difficulty of believing as a Catholic that God is not something "out there" but "in here," that God is present and serves the world through every person.

Taking this message of service and in remembering that Pentecost was St. Vincent de Paul's favorite feast day, seniors who are graduating this year and committing themselves to a year of service were called up and given a special medal to mark them on their journey as Vincentians. Among those recognized were Jackie Lorens, Nicole Jones, RJ Toledo, Mary Carlton, Keri Anderson, Kayde Claunch, Abby Smith and Lisa Rottler.

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