President Tania Tetlow asked those in attendance at the University Church to think about the meaning of the ceremony, both current and historic.

“This is bigger than this particular moment, than this particular community,” she said. “When we do the Mass of the Holy Spirit, we perform the rituals that people just like us— students, faculty, staff—have performed for almost 500 years, of opening the semester of a Jesuit university.”

Tetlow told the students that the community gathered there on Sunday would be there for them along their journeys—both for their successes and when they hit bumps in the road.

“What tonight is about is telling you, above all, that in that work, in those choices, in those decisions you make—that you are loved by God, no matter what, for who you are, and that you are loved by Fordham, no matter what, for who you are,” she said. “We will wait with bated breath and hope you make the right choices. But we will be there for you when you stumble, when you learn, when you find a new path and a new way. And we want you to keep coming back to this community as a source of strength and above all, as a source of love.”

I want to invite you to my favorite part of the academic year. For almost five centuries, since 1548 in Sicily, Jesuit universities have begun their fall semester with a Mass of the Holy Spirit. It is the moment we remind ourselves that the purpose of our work is so much bigger than the immediate tasks before us. And as we celebrate with 170 other Jesuit universities worldwide, we remember that we are part of an ancient and global tradition.

We have an exciting academic year ahead of us, and as I welcome you to campus—or back to campus—I invite you to two celebrations and hope you come to both. First, an interfaith prayer service at Lincoln Center on Wednesday, August 31, at 4:30 p.m. on the Plaza; and then the Mass of the Holy Spirit in the University Church at Rose Hill on Sunday, September 11, at 5 p.m. The University Choir will pull out all of the stops (that’s actually an organ metaphor, so it’s literally true here).

We are proudly a place of unabashed faith for people of every faith. We are a community that delights in the common themes of the world’s great religions—empathy and generosity, welcoming the stranger, celebrating fundamental human dignity. We do that not by diluting our different faiths into an ecumenical mush but by learning from each other’s rituals.

And for those of you not part of a religious tradition, or who have chosen otherwise, I hope you’ll come and be inspired by the rituals humankind have engaged in for millennia. We know that you come to many of the same values from a different source and appreciate your deep respect for what makes Fordham so special. We are grateful that, in an increasingly secular world, you connect with us as our full selves here, as people of goodwill of all faiths and none.

I hope to see you there, and to get to know you at the receptions thereafter.

All my best,

Tania Tetlow
President

New York City’s newly installed prelate, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, celebrated the Mass at the University Church. It was his second official visit to the Rose Hill campus since his elevation.

Archbishop Dolan referred to the University Church as the most venerable of chapels in the Bronx, and said that Fordham and the Archdiocese of New York have been “sacred allies” for 168 years.

Monsignor Joseph G. Quinn, J.D., J.C.L., the University’s new vice president for University mission and ministry, read to the packed congregation from the Gospel. He came to Fordham from the Diocese of Scranton, where he served with distinction in several parishes, and took his new position on July 31.

LINCOLN CENTER
DATE:    WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 14
TIME:     3 P.M.
PLACE: ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE CHURCH  (415 W. 59TH ST.)

ROSE HILL
DATE:    THURSDAY, SEPT. 15
TIME:     1 P.M.
PLACE:  UNIVERSITY CHURCH

MARYMOUNT
DATE:    WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 21
TIME:     3 P.M.
PLACE:  BUTLER CHAPEL