Mass of the Holy Spirit

By Alex Santana

The Catholic University of America held its annual Mass of the Holy Spirit on Thursday, August 30, 2018, in the Great Upper Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. This type of mass has been celebrated continuously since the University’s founding in 1887 by Pope Leo XIII and the Catholic bishops of the United States and as University President John Garvey noted “becomes routine” for members of the University community. But he made very clear that “there’s nothing routine about this year.” Rather than focusing on expectations or giving advice for the 2018-2019 academic school year, University Chaplain & Director of Campus Ministry Fr. Jude DeAngelo’s homily and President Garvey’s remarks instead focused on the “recriminations, excuses, statements, apologies and even the accusations of these past months, weeks and days” as Fr. Jude stated, referring to the recent revelations of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, especially the abuse of 1,000 innocent children in Pennsylvania. In his homily, Fr. Jude declared that “These brothers and sisters of ours are more than statistical headlines – they are children of God with stories the need to be told.”

Fr. Jude also spoke about not just the fact that innocent young children were abused at the hands of priests but asked what the Church is, or rather is not doing for the victims. Fr. Jude stated, “We are making the same mistakes many bishops made for decades and especially in 2002.” He went on to express that “we need to be Church and listen and minister to each and every abuse victim and their families. We must restore trust by embracing victims with humility, mercy, meekness and justice.” After saying the Church must “minister to all abuse victims and all the voiceless of our society, Fr. Jude stressed that “The Catholic Church must take the lead in this ministry and not wait for others to do it.”

President Garvey himself also made clear his view that “this crisis above all is a call to personal holiness — particularly for the Church’s leaders, who should set an example for their flock.” In his remarks, President Garvey also mentioned the fact that the mass was being held to invoke “the help and intercession of the Holy Spirit.”

He emphasized that “We should keep in mind that he is here; everywhere, bringing things to life. Our job is to pray to him.”

Fr. Jude ended his homily by expressing his belief that members of the University community and the whole Church should serve “the Crucified Christ – the victims of abuse, the victims of war and violence and the poor, the unborn and their mothers, the marginalized, the addicted and yes we must minister to criminals.” In his view, “Our hope cannot be in ideologies of left and right.”

Fr. Jude concluded with these words before asking for the Holy Spirit’s intercession, “We need the humility to confess our failures and minister to those whom we have ignored far too long. We need to ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We need to hope in Resurrection.”