One of Mayfield’s beloved back-to-school traditions is the Mass of the Holy Spirit where  the Mayfield community comes together to celebrate the diversity of our gifts. When it became clear that the Mayfield community  could not celebrate the beginning of a new school year in person, Campus Ministry Council had to find alternative ways, and they adapted the Mass of the Holy Spirit into a beautiful prayer service.

Riding the waves with grace, Campus Ministry went above and beyond to create an unforgettable prayer service. They started “Cor Unum,” or “One Heart,” a virtual chapel that allows girls to step back, pray, meditate, or share silence and pray for a cause. The work that went into a meaningful, devotional experience received praise from faculty and students. Students viewed the prayer service through Zoom in their advisories. 

The theme was “Celebrating Differences,” reflected through the petitions spoken in various languages such as Tagalog (Sophia Labrador ‘21), French (Ysabelle Magat ‘21), Arabic (Mia Maalouf ‘22), and Spanish (Citlali Ayala-Martinez ‘23), with English subtitles as translations. The Campus Ministry is traditionally blessed by receiving their lapel pins, committing to further incorporate spirituality into campus life. Towards the end of the prayer service, the faculty and staff were asked to bless the members as they continued to serve as disciples of Christ and surround the Mayfield family with faith and service.

Ale Casillas ‘21 gave a personal reflection, meditating on her experience as the daughter of immigrants as she volunteered at The Crittenton Center and spent time with women who had recently migrated to the United States.  Ale calls to have a school year full of compassion and growth: “Let us have an amazing year by embracing our courage, understanding, acceptance and love for one another… it will make a difference in the life of others, like those women made a difference in my life.”

Campus Ministry surprised students in their advisory at the end of the prayer service by singing “I’m Trading My Sorrows” song. The cubs were thrilled to get to experience the song once again as singing the song has been a tradition of Mayfield for years on the first day of school. 

Campus Ministry Council found ways to give back to the community while in quarantine, one of them being “Loaves and Fishes,” a weekly sack lunch program for Union Station Homeless Services.  On September 23, Mayfield families, faculty, and staff donated 368 sack lunches!  By the end of the month, an astounding 1,354 lunches were collected!

In a year met with unexpected change and insecurity, the Campus Ministry Team has been working hard to provide the Mayfield community with opportunities of worship and service as a virtual platform.  They strive to nurture the hearts of students and hope to encourage school wide participation in Campus Ministry activities and programs, even when apart.

Thank you to everyone for providing a smooth start to the 2020-2021 school year, and take a bow, Campus Ministry Council!