OLLU will celebrate Spirit Day and the 100th anniversary of Sacred Heart Chapel on Friday.
Classes will be dismissed at 10:45 a.m. to allow all to attend the celebration. Classes will resume at 1:45 p.m.
Students, faculty and staff will assemble for a Spirit Day Mass in Sacred Heart Chapel at 11 a.m.
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller will be the principal celebrant for the Mass, and will provide a special blessing in recognition of the chapel’s centennial celebration. Employees celebrating 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service to OLLU will be recognized during the Mass.
Following the Mass there will be a reception in Chapel Auditorium sponsored by the Student Government Association.
Save the Date: OLLU will celebrate Spirit Day and the 100th anniversary of Sacred Heart Chapel on Friday, Sept. 8.
Students, faculty and staff will assemble for a Spirit Day Mass in Sacred Heart Chapel at 11 a.m.
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller will be the principal celebrant for the Mass, and will provide a special blessing in recognition of the chapel’s centennial celebration.
During the celebration, employees who are celebrating 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service to the university in 2023 will be recognized with service awards.
Following the Mass there will be a reception in Chapel Auditorium sponsored by the Student Government Association.
More than 40 students participated in the 2nd Annual Spirit Day activities at OLLU-Houston on Oct. 8. This year’s focus was, “Healthy Students Succeed: Connecting Mind, Body & Soul.”
The event featured a short program, lunch and a series of workshops centering around spiritual, mental, and physical health. The program included a personal reflection on international social injustices from Marriage & Family Therapy student Mahzad Mohajer. The third-year student, who still has relatives in Iran, talked about the challenges women and girls are facing in Iran for not wearing head coverings.
“Women are being persecuted and it’s been going on for years, but now there is an international spotlight,” said Mohajer. “When women suffer and are mistreated it impacts the world.” Following her comments, she led the attendees in a moment of silence as an expression of solidarity for women in Iran.
As part of the Spirit Day activities, students were encouraged to spend time in the Refuge Room (Prayer Room) for reflection and spiritual connection, where they also received rosary bead bracelets, copies of the mission statement and Providence Prayers provided by the Office of Mission and Ministry. Dr. Jacqueline Coppock, Executive Director of the Wellness Center, facilitated a workshop on connection and reflection through journaling. Students also participated in a relaxation exercise where they painted the “Wings Up” logo on canvases prepared by Loren Johnson. Finally, several students engaged in personal protection strategies during a self-defense class led by Stephen Loredo.
“Engaging the total student is one way we can support the student’s journey,” said Gloria Goode, Student Success Coordinator at the Houston campus. “Helping them connect with providence and taking care of their minds and bodies allows them to be better students.” The event was sponsored by the Student Government Association.
The Houston campus continues its series of seven Student Success workshops planned for Fall 2022. Topics emphasize student writing, advising and preparing for next semester during a “Get It Done” activity, career planning and preparation, leadership development, protecting one’s online identity, and navigating financial resources to support academic learning. For more information about the Student Success workshops, contact Gloria Goode (ggoode@ollusa.edu, 346-342-1271).
The OLLU community is invited to join in the Spirit Day celebration:
Spirit Day Mass Wednesday 11 a.m. Sacred Heart Chapel
During Spirit Day, OLLU will join more than 200 Catholic universities across the nation in celebrating the tradition of calling on the Holy Spirit to bless the academic year.
In addition, faculty and staff who are celebrating 10 years or more of service to the university will be recognized. Collectively, the honorees have contributed 360 years of service to OLLU and its students.
Spirit Day T-shirts are still available for purchase for $15 in the Elliott House during regular business hours. Cash or card is accepted.
The roots of Spirit Day extend to the mid-16th Century when Jesuit educational communities first gathered in Mass to anchor the year ahead in the recognition that the work of faith and intellect are inherently intertwined.
Catholic universities across the centuries and in different cultural contexts have placed their own stamp on this tradition.
Spirit Day is not only a time to ask for the Holy Spirit’s blessing of the university. It is a reminder of the community’s call to bless the Holy Spirit with their lives.
This year’s Spirit Day offers a moment to reflect on what it means to “live the legacy” of OLLU. It moves OLLU to prayerful reflection and invites the community to rededicate themselves to a life of trust in the abundance of Providence as they seek to meet the moment and the needs of the world.
As such, Spirit Day’s Mass of the Holy Spirit is also a time in which the community pauses as an institution to honor and to give thanks to those who have served the OLLU community for 10 years or more. This year’s 28 faculty and staff honorees have tenures at OLLU ranging from 10 to 35 years, with a total of 525 years.
To purchase a 2021 Spirit Day T-shirt, visit https://bit.ly/get2021spiritdayshirts or look for University Ministry in the Renaissance Parlor during lunch and in the Mall Area on Spirit Day.
The OLLU community is invited to take part in the combined Spirit Day/Convocation event set for Wednesday, Sept. 1, which will be the kick-off to a series of campus events designed to increase connection and communication. The second event, a University Update, will take place on Sept. 8. It will be followed by a series of Campus Conversations throughout September and October.
Spirit Day/Convocation will be held at 11 a.m. in the Mall area. A live stream for Houston and RGV campuses and online students will be available on the University Ministry Facebookpage.
Spirit Day/Convocation will include some traditional elements of both events, including the Spirit Day Mass, the recognition of service award recipients and addresses from the presidents of Faculty Assembly, Staff Senate (formerly Staff Advisory) and Student Government Association. It will be followed by a free hamburger lunch.
During the Spirit Day Mass on Sept. 1 at 11 a.m. in the Mall Area, employees eligible for Service Awards will be recognized. The listing below includes names and years of service of full-time employees whom Human Resources records show as being eligible to receive a Service Award.
Employees must have completed full-time service in increments of five years beginning with the 10-year mark and continuing in 2021 to be eligible to receive the Service Award.
Staff and Faculty members who believe they are eligible to receive a Service Award for full-time service years at OLLU, but do not see their name on the list, should contact Human Resources as soon as possible via email at hrteam@ollusa.edu.
Spirit Day T-shirts are available for $15 from University Ministry. Staff members will be in the cafeteria during lunchtime each weekday until Spirit Day selling shirts, answering questions and raffling prizes. Shirts also can be purchased in the Elliott House each weekday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or online through this link: https://bit.ly/get2021spiritdayshirts.
This year Spirit Day and Convocation are going to be combined into one event held on Sept. 1 beginning at 11 a.m. in the Mall Area. There will be the traditional Mass of the Holy Spirit followed by service awards for employees and the traditional Convocation addresses. The theme for this year is “Living The Legacy,” and CDP Superior General Sister Pearl Cesar will be a keynote speaker.
The Office of the President will be providing lunch, but you must RSVP for the meal. To reserve your free burger meal, you must submit your RSVP by Aug. 27 at noon. Use this link to submit your RSVP: https://forms.office.com/r/iURhrQjAdv
Spirit Day T-shirts are available for $15 from University Ministry. Staff members will be in the cafeteria during lunchtime each weekday until Spirit Day selling shirts, answering questions and raffling prizes. Shirts also can be purchased in the Elliott House each weekday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or online through this link: https://bit.ly/get2021spiritdayshirts.
