At the start of every school year Jesuit high schools and universities all over the world celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit, spiritually centering themselves to start the year off strong. Jesuit High School Sacramento celebrated its mass on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024.

Each year, a set of special rituals are performed during the Mass of the Holy Spirit. At the start of the gathering, School President Jayden Canio ’25 and Vice President Justin Paredes ’25 named every school in Jesuit’s West Province, praying for them. Then, each class president lit his class’s candle, as Jayden and Justin explained the meaning of each class color.

Community events at Jesuit are centered around traditions like these. Fr. Edwin B. Harris, S.J, who was the celebrant for the mass, believes that experiences like the Mass of the Holy Spirit help everyone set aside their differences and grow closer together.

“When we get to the big school masses, it really is an expression of our unity,” Fr. Harris said. “Hopefully, [school-wide masses] build the sense of community or the sense of brotherhood. Even though we’re not all Catholic, we’re not all Christian, but we do say that we want God to be part of the picture, no matter how we identify God in our lives.”

One part of the Mass that does change every year is the homily/reflection following the gospel. This year, President Mr. Chris Alling gave a reflection about his past as a basketball player, and how his coach instructed him to pass the ball and do nothing else. Mr. Alling explained that each of us have our own unique talents, and that we should trust the people around us and work with them using those talents. 

“I thought Mr. Alling’s reflection really captured the theme that sometimes you miss in the readings,” said Fr. Francis Stiegeler, S.J. “We all have talents, not in terms of money, but in terms of who we are: our personalities. We all have time. That’s a gift from God. Now we use it as our gift back to God. Whether it’s passing the ball or shooting the ball in basketball, or saying hi to someone who looks like they’re down, that’s the way we use time and talents and it starts with friendships.”

Although the mass kick-starts religious life for the school year, Associate Director of Campus Ministry Adam McGrew ’15 also views the service as a time to reflect about the coming year.

“It’s a good time to pause, and that may sound strange since we’re just starting the school year, but with a full week under our belt, [it’s] time to pause and really set some goals for what we want to accomplish, with love being at the center of those goals,” Mr. McGrew said. “Of course we want to be doing the best we can and be successful in all that we do, but it’s also important to ask why we are trying to do the best that we can and be successful in all we do.”

As Jesuit embarks on a new school year, it’s important for us all to remember what our unique talents are, and how we can use those to make our community a better place.