Mission
Inspire & Ignite Blog

VENI SANCTE SPIRITUS

Eric Ramirez, SJ
It was a brisk Friday morning today, but all of the RJ community gathered on McNicholas Green under the shadow of the Steele Center and in the resolute gaze of St. John Francis Regis to celebrate our annual Mass of the Holy Spirit. 

Since 1548 at the Jesuit School in Messina in Italy, the Society of Jesus has invoked the Holy Spirit at the beginning of our academic year. Regis Jesuit joined in spiritual with bonds with schools all over the world in this shared practice. We were fortunate enough this year to be able to have Bishop Jorge Rodriguez come and lead our celebration with us this year.
It was a brisk Friday morning today, but all of the RJ community gathered on McNicholas Green under the shadow of the Steele Center and in the resolute gaze of St. John Francis Regis to celebrate our annual Mass of the Holy Spirit.

Since 1548 at the Jesuit School in Messina in Italy, the Society of Jesus has invoked the Holy Spirit at the beginning of our academic year. Regis Jesuit joined in spiritual with bonds with schools all over the world in this shared practice. We were fortunate enough this year to be able to have Bishop Jorge Rodriguez come and lead our celebration with us this year.

After the Mass, I began my 2RW class dipping into my student’s experience of our liturgy this morning. After the typical statements such as “it’s my favorite Mass of the year,” “I like how everyone wears red and white,” I moved forward asking the boys what were their takeaways. They all commented from Bishop Rodriguez’s homily. I’d like to share of two of those takeaways.

One student picked up on the invitation to “not be a photocopy.” Bishop Rodriguez had quoted Venerable Carlos Cutis, a young Italian who lived a holy life and passed away from leukemia at the age of 15. Cutis famously said everyone is born an original but slowly they become just photocopies of each other. My student said it was very true and related how it was sad that some give away their individuality and said how he liked that Regis Jesuit allows each person to develop and engage in their own particular interests.

Several students commented on Bishop Rodriguez’s use of the image of the driving wind that’s found in the reading from Pentecost. The bishop compared the driving wind in scripture to Hurricane Dorian and how powerful the winds were to destroy. He said he hoped the students would engage that same power and go out serving others. Like the boys, I was really moved by that image as well.

If the Spirit wants to turn me into a driving wind, I am ready. I am ready to be there with others in their pain and discomfort, ready to share a laugh, ready to point out an injustice when it’s staring us in the face, ready to help in continuing to transform our societal landscape into places where we can flourish together as brothers and sisters. I think Regis Jesuit’s mission is very similar to that in wanting to form our students into becoming Men and Women with and for Others.

The Mass of the Holy Spirit is a once-a-year event. The Spirit doesn’t just come and go. Even when we aren’t sitting on the field or surrounded by red and white banners or singing together as a community each wearing Pentecost colors, I feel one can easily see the Spirit of God is a driving wind at Regis Jesuit.

__________

Eric Ramirez, SJ teaches theology and is the boys pastoral director. He has served at Regis Jesuit since 2015.
Back

Regis Jesuit High School

Regis Jesuit High School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school-administered programs.
Regis Jesuit®, the Crest and RJ logos are federally registered trademarks owned by Regis Jesuit High School. All rights reserved.