BY JOANNA BRADY (’08)
As the melodious bells resonate in the night sky surrounding the Loras College campus, students stream through the double doors of Christ the King Chapel for the 8 p.m. Sunday night Mass; whispering warm and excited words of welcoming as the community gathers for worship. “When you walk into Sunday night Mass at Loras, you walk into a community of faith and support,” shared Megan Meyer (’07) (Bolingbrook, Ill.), a Loras December graduate.
In the last five years, participation in Sunday Eucharist has risen over 400%. “I think that it is easier for students to become involved in campus ministry and worship now. The same students used to do the same things at almost every Mass. Now we have so many students participating in ministries that we hardly have enough spots for everyone,” stated Meyer.
Two large purple banners on either side of the altar in Christ the King Chapel challenge all who enter with the words, “Who are you becoming?” on one and “The best version of yourself!” on the other. The Rev. John Haugen, dean of campus spiritual life, feels students are answering that call. “They are hungry for more than pious sentiments and want to be challenged in preaching, even if it means hearing some things they would rather not hear.”
“College students like anybody are busy, so if they are going to take the time to do this it needs to be worthwhile. So with that in mind, I tend to look at planning Mass as if this may be the only one they may go to. Each Mass could be a Christmas or an Easter. The quality and the reverence should be as good as it can be at that time,” said Haugen.
The Worship Team, a group of 12-15 Loras students, takes a more active role in planning the Masses. The students, along with Haugen, prepare Masses one month in advance and the music is chosen based on the liturgy for that weekend. “When there is a conscious effort to put these things together, the message is much stronger because people have tried to tie the introduction with the intentions and the music. Students feel great ownership for the worship that goes on here,” said Haugen.
Sunday night worship at Loras tries to be faithful to the tradition of the Church by offering a variety of styles of worship and devotional experiences, from lively music during the beginning of the year and during Easter season to Eucharistic Adoration in St. Joseph’s Chapel or the singing of Gregorian chant Mass propers during Lent.
It can be rather easy to see why the students keep coming back, even though there are 13 other churches in Dubuque. It is all about community and Loras students take pride in the faith community they have formed. As expressed by Meyer, “I know that it will be very difficult to find anything that will compare to the family I have in Sunday worship at Loras.”
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