This year Mayfield is trying something new with a different location for mass. Typically, Mass is held in the gym but Mayfield is hoping to explore different locations to hold masses at Mayfield this year. Mayfield’s most recent Mass was held outside on Pergola lawn which is a location being considered as a more frequent place to hold mass. In light of experimenting with how to hold Mass at Mayfield, the Mayfield Crier staff asked students and staff about their opinion on having mass outside. The results were mixed.
The reasoning behind the change in mass locations has deep spiritual meaning. Ms. Gonzales, Director of Campus Ministry, hopes that the new Mass Setting will create a distinct and Holy place for mass. She explains that “the spiritual goal we are trying to achieve with hosting mass outside is to create a more sacred space and an environment where the students can be more engaged in the worship life of the school so that they may encounter God.” Some students agree with Ms. Gonzales and are happy with the new setting of mass outside. Sophomore Debbie Fuentes says, “the outside setting helps me feel more present during mass and focus more on the Homily and prayers” her reasoning was that, “being closer to nature helps me escape the everyday thoughts involving school and leaves me with a peaceful feeling.” Sofia Hernandez, a sophomore at Mayfield, supports this idea and added, “I like having mass outside because it makes everything look pretty which adds to the peacefulness of it and helps me focus.”
Although many share this opinion, some students also consider the cons of having the mass outside, mainly with the weather in mind. As the seasons change it is also getting colder and a couple students were concerned that standing outside in the cold would make them more susceptible to catching illnesses. Sophomore Madison Gil also presented the idea that being outside in the cold can affect engagement in the mass. She said, “In the right weather I would have enjoyed it but it was hard for me to focus because it was really cold.”
The purpose of mass is to not only come together as a community to worship but also to open our hearts and minds to God. To make mass more spiritually effective and to support the comfort of the community, having masses outside more frequently should be considered. With taking the weather into consideration upon organization, Mass on Pergola lawn could become a holy place for all of Mayfield to gather together as a community.
