Annual Worship Events
Loyola Campus Ministry hosts three large events each year that are central to the spiritual and communal life of our community. These events are rooted in history and have become important traditions at the evergreen campus.
Mass of the Holy Spirit
The Mass of the Holy Spirit is a celebratory welcome to the new school year and connects
Loyola to a tradition across Jesuit universities and institutions. We gather to call
on God’s Spirit for inspiration in the upcoming academic year. The entire University
community is invited to pray together, celebrate the Spirit and rededicate ourselves
to Loyola University Maryland’s mission and community. We celebrate our University’s
diversity, and, together, look forward to a year of learning, engagement and relationship.
Lessons and Carols
Lessons and Carols is an annual ecumenical service, rooted in the great English choral
tradition, that combines music and scripture readings of the Advent Christmas Season
in a beautiful candle-lit setting. The Loyola University Chapel Choir and guest artists,
under the direction of Laura McCormack, Associate Director of Campus Ministry, performs
seasonal music from a broad range of musical styles and traditions. During the service,
gifts are presented to representatives from local agencies to be distributed to children
in the Baltimore area as part of the "Presents for Christmas" service project co-sponsored
by Loyola’s Center for Community, Service, and Justice and Campus Ministry.
Hope and Renewal Prayer Service
Each year on the first Thursday in February, we begin our spring semester with an
Interfaith Hope and Renewal Prayer Service (H.A.R.P.S.) to serve as a blessing for
the Loyola community. H.A.R.P.S. recognizes the diversity and richness of various
faith traditions represented at Loyola and in our surrounding communities. We gather
in prayers, readings, reflections and blessings from various faith traditions to inspire
hope and renewal at this time of the year.