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SLU to Celebrate Mass of the Holy Spirit; Jesuit Provincial to Mission President Feser

08/18/2025

Saint Louis University will gather as a community to celebrate the beginning of the new academic year with its traditional Mass of the Holy Spirit on Thursday, Aug. 21, at 11 a.m. in St. Francis Xavier College Church.

Worshippers take communion in a beautiful church with ornate architecture and striking stained glass windows.

Worshippers take communion during the 2024 Mass of the Holy Spirit on Aug. 22, 2024, in St. Francis Xavier College Church. Photo by Sarah Conroy.

This centuries-old Jesuit tradition — observed at Jesuit institutions worldwide since 1548 — calls upon the Holy Spirit to guide and bless the University’s mission for the year ahead.

As part of the liturgy, Very Rev. Thomas P. Greene, S.J., provincial superior of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province, will formally mission new SLU President Edward Feser, Ph.D., as “director of the work,” a Jesuit term for the person entrusted to lead a mission on behalf of the Society of Jesus. 

Fr. Greene will also preside over the Mass and deliver the homily. 

All members of the SLU community, from every faith tradition, are encouraged to participate. Classes on Thursday will be canceled from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. so students, faculty and staff can join in the celebration.

Faculty and staff are also invited to join the Campus Ministry Choir and Orchestra for the celebration. For more information, email Sue Chawszczewski, director of campus ministry, at susanne.chawszczewski@slu.edu.