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Mass of the Holy Spirit Today (September 2)

From Scott A. Chadwick, PhD, vice president for academic affairs

Welcome back to campus and the new academic year.  This year promises to be an exciting and significant year for Canisius.  Kicking off the start of the Celebration of Spirit, we will celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit today at 1:15 p.m.  This Mass has been a traditional way for Catholic schools to start the academic year since medieval times.

Continuing our tradition of inclusion, all faculty, staff and students are encouraged to participate.  Freshmen, residence hall floors and student clubs have been personally invited to participate in the Mass.  There will be a trumpeter’s call to order for students in the residence halls at 12:30 p.m.  Faculty will gather in the Old Main Faculty Lounge to don regalia, and then process onto the Quad to arrive in front of Christ the King Chapel by 12:55 p.m.  At 1 p.m., Rev. John Bucki, S.J., Katie Eldredge (president of the Undergraduate Student Association), and I will say a few words to our new students and others in attendance.  Then, we will process to the Montante Cultural Center (MCC), led by a bagpiper and faculty members.  Faculty and staff will line the entryway to MCC to honor and greet the students. In the event of rain, faculty will gather in the rear of MCC to process into the facility.

I personally invite you to participate in this event.  It is crucial for our students to see and know that faculty and staff will join them in celebrating the start of the new academic year.  It is also important for the campus community to come together and celebrate as part of our enduring campus culture.

Any faculty member in need of regalia should contact Michael Raham, manager of the Canisius Bookstore, at rahamm@canisius.edu or Ext. 2336 as soon as possible.  He will arrange for regalia to be rented for you.

Classes that meet from 1 – 2:15 p.m. are to be cancelled unless in the judgment of the teacher it would create an exceptional burden for the particular class.  Professors whose classes overlap or extend beyond the time period are encouraged to make it possible for students to participate in the Mass, and should use their own discretion with regard to holding the class.  In any case, please advise your students in advance whether your class is a special case and needs to meet during the Mass of the Holy Spirit.

After the Mass, all are welcome to a barbecue in the Quad.  The barbecue is sponsored by the Campus Programming and Leadership Development Office, the Student Programming Board, the Office of Alumni Relations, and the offices of each of our vice presidents.

I look forward to seeing you this afternoon.

Submitted by:  Scott A. Chadwick, PhD, Vice President for Academic Affairs

Griff Guide to Teaching Online

Teaching an online, hybrid, or blended course this coming Fall?  The updated Griff Guide to Teaching Online is now posted here (Adobe Acrobat PDF).

Submitted by:  Leah MacVie, instructional designer, ITS