U students welcomed back with Mass on the Grass

Intermountain Catholic

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Parishioners bless the Newman Center leadership team during the Aug. 28 Mass on the Grass. See photo album on our Facebook page. IC photo/Marie Mischel

SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of people gathered on the University of Utah’s President Circle Aug. 28 for the annual Mass on the Grass, which not only welcomes students back for the start of the school year but also celebrates the Mass of the Holy Spirit.

In the opening prayer, Dominican Father Peter Do, associate pastor of the Saint Catherine Siena/Catholic Newman Center, asked that those gathered be used by God "to help the university in its ultimate aim: truth. As Catholic Christians, we believe that truth is ultimately one because all that exists has as its source the one creator God. Just as the truth is one, so we, as the human race, should be one in God’s spirit. We begin our celebration of the sacred mysteries with the recognition that this ideal is not yet proved and the Kingdom of God is yet to come. We recognize our own sinfulness as part of our disunity."

Dominican Father Carl Schlichte, the homilist, noted that the beginning of the academic year is full of hope, dreams and challenges for those in all stages of life. "But regardless of what this year brings, or if this year looks much like last year and the year before, we can take something from this evening’s Scriptures," Fr. Schlichte said. "Like Jeremiah, let yourself be duped by God. Let the one who loves you more than anyone surprise you at what you are able to do and to accomplish when you are submissive to the Holy Spirit of God. Do not hold that desire for greatness or holiness inside. Rather, let that flame explode and give you the energy to meet all the work and challenges that are before you. As St. Paul urges, do not hold anything back in this venture. Put all of yourself – heart, mind and spirit – to the challenges that are presented to you. Work with abandon, like King David dancing before the Ark of the Covenant. In this way, each of us can be holy and pleasing to God, using our gifts, our talents and our opportunities is a way that we can worship faithfully our God each day. And, as Saint Paul says, do not be conformed to this age, to what the university, what your family, or even you yourself expect from you. Rather, seek only to know what God expects of you and strive for that. Finally, learn from Simon Peter and do not get in the Lord’s way. Step aside and let God take the lead in the dance that is your life."

After the homily, this year’s Newman Center student interns and campus leadership team were commissioned and blessed. For additional photos check out our facebook page.