Celebrate Spirit!
All are welcome!
Celebrate Spirit is a university-wide celebration that welcomes our entire community of students, staff, faculty, and administrators. The celebration includes a Catholic Mass, and individuals from all faith traditions are warmly invited to participate or observe in a manner that feels comfortable to them.
Faith in Action
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026
11:30 a.m. Mass of the Holy Spirit
Michael & Gail Whitty Student Fitness Center
1 p.m. Lunch and Reception
Fountain Lounge and Terrace
Please wear red, orange or yellow. All are Welcome.
Hosted by University Ministry & Mission Integration.
Theme Introduction: Faith In Action
Celebrate Spirit 2026 invites the Detroit Mercy community to reflect on "Faith In Action" as this academic year's theme as a part of our Sus. Amid global and personal challenges and uncertainty, we are reminded that hope is not just a feeling but a daily practice -- nurtured through community and grounded in discernment.
Inspired by the Jubilee Year of Hope and the Season of Creation, this year's theme honors our Jesuit, Mercy and Catholic values by encouraging care for one another, our common home and a commitment to truth and justice. In a world shaped by information and disinformation, hope is sustained through connection, courage and intentional living. As Titans, we echo our city's motto, Speramus Meliora -- we hope for better things -- by choosing to live and give hope together.
Guest Speaker for Celebrate Spirit:听Most Rev. Gabriele Giordano Caccia, STD, JCL
His Excellency, Most Reverend Gabriele Giordano Caccia was born on February 24, 1958, in Milan, Italy. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Milan on June 11, 1983, and served in parish ministry as Assistant Parish Priest until 1986.
He was then sent to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome, where he completed advanced studies in theology and canon law, earning a Doctorate in Theology and a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 1991, he officially entered the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See and received his first assignment at the Apostolic Nunciature in Tanzania.
In 1993, he was appointed Secretary to the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State at the Vatican, and in 2002 he was named Assessor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, one of the principal coordinating offices of the Roman Curia.
On July 16, 2009, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon and Titular Archbishop of Sepino and ordained him a bishop on September 12, 2009, in St. Peter’s Basilica. In 2017, Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines.
On November 16, 2019, Archbishop Caccia was appointed Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York, representing the Holy See before the international community on matters concerning peace, human dignity, religious freedom, development, and global solidarity.
On March 7, 2026, Pope Leo XIV appointed Archbishop Caccia Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America.
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Class Schedule Change
Revised Class Schedule for Celebrate Spirit!
Thursday, September 17, 2026
In order for everyone to participate in the activities planned for Celebrate Spirit! the class schedule on Thursday, September 17, 2026 will be adjusted to create a free period from 11:20 am-2:00 pm. Afternoon classes starting at 2:00 pm and after will meet at the regularly scheduled time. We look forward to your participation at the event.
Faculty that normally teach their classes on Thursday need to adjust their plan of instruction and inform their students of the changed schedule for this ONE day only. Most class periods in the morning will change from 75-minute to 50-minute periods or as noted below for those classes that are not normally 75 minutes. ALL classroom assignments REMAIN THE SAME as the normal class time.
Morning Classes that normally meet
8:00-11:50 will meet 8:00-11:20
8:30-9:45 will meet 8:30-9:20
8:30-10:20 will meet 8:30-10:20
8:30-11:10 will meet 8:30-10:20
9:00-9:50 will meet 8:30-9:20
9:00-11:30 will meet 8:30-10:20
9:00-11:55 will meet 8:30-10:30
9:55-11:10 will meet 9:30-10:20
9:55-11:45 will meet 9:30-10:20
9:55-12:35 will meet 9:30-11:20
10:00-10:50 will meet 9:30-10:20
10:00-12:30 will meet 9:30-11:20
11:20-12:35 will meet 10:30-11:20
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Make a donation to support the works of 黄瓜视频's Core Values
The core values are rooted in the Mercy and Jesuit traditions of our sponsors. Please support the many works of the Detroit Mercy community on and off our campuses.
From Catherine McAuley, Sisters of Mercy foundress, we hear, "Mercy, the principal path pointed out by Jesus Christ to those who are desirous of following Him, has in all ages of the Church excited the faithful in a particular manner to instruct and comfort the sick and dying poor, as in them they regarded the person of our Divine Master."
St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus/The Jesuits, said, "Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give, and not to count the cost, to fight, and not to heed the wounds, to toil, and not to seek for rest, to labor, and not to ask for reward, except that of knowing that we are doing your will."
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Mass of the Holy Spirit tradition
Celebrate Spirit! is a University-wide celebration and the official welcome to the new academic year for the entire Detroit Mercy community of faculty, staff and students. It is part of a long tradition of celebrating with a Catholic Mass of the Holy Spirit at the start of the academic year, dating from the founding of the great European universities in the Middle Ages. We call on God's Spirit for inspiration at this festive gathering of the entire University community to rededicate ourselves to Detroit Mercy's mission and values, to renew friendships and to welcome new members. Individuals from all faith traditions are warmly invited to participate or observe in a manner that feels comfortable to them.
Eucharistic Liturgy (the Mass)
Every Mass follows the same general form, and the Mass of the Holy Spirit is no exception. We gather to listen to some portion of the sacred story handed on in the gospels and other sacred writings. Then we bring forward bread and wine, symbols of our gifts received and shared with all in need. The priest, an ordained representative of the entire church community, prays over and shares those gifts in a holy communion with God and with one another. In the "missa," or "sending," at the end of the mass, the people disperse to their ordinary lives strengthened for the task of carrying what they have heard and shared to the rest of the world.
Procession
A procession is symbolic movement through time and space. Our processional banners carry medallions of major world religions and the core values of the University:
- the Star of David (Judaism)
- the cross (Christianity)
- and the Star and Crescent (Islam) represent the three sister-communities who trace the origins of their faith to Abraham
- The Yin-yang symbol (Confucianism)
- the Dharma Wheel (Buddhism)
- and the Om (Hinduism) represent the great religions of the East
All faiths recognize the reality of the transcendent and attempt to engage believers with Ultimate Reality. The medallions are a sign of welcome to every expression of Spirit in this celebration as we move together through this coming academic year.
黄瓜视频 Core Values
- Educating the Whole Person
- Cultivating a Diverse Community
- Embodying Mercy and Compassion
- Fostering Faith and Justice
- Serving and Leading in Detroit
Liturgy of the Word
The Liturgy of the Word is a time of listening to some portion of the Bible, reflecting on it through prayer, song, and preaching, and then offering prayer for the needs of the church, the world and the local community.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
The word "Eucharist" comes from the Greek word for "thanksgiving." The gathered community first brings forward bread, the staff of life, and wine, a festive drink. We place these symbols of our life and joy into the hands of the priest, a chosen representative of this community and of the larger Church. He calls down the power of the Holy Spirit over the gifts, recalling the story of Jesus' own gift to us and asking that God transform them. Then with Jesus and the community he gives thanks to God. Our great "Amen" at the end is the sign of our acceptance of all that we have said and done together.
Communion Rite
In the communion rite believers share the consecrated bread and wine which makes Christ present within each of us and all of us together. Through this communion we become Christ's living Body present in time and space. Before we approach the holy table, we pray together as brothers and sisters and offer one another a sign of the peace we hope to realize in this communion.
Service and Engagement On & Off Campus
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2024 Radical Hospitality
2024: A Year of Radical Hospitality
This year University Ministry and the College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences have given Celebrate Spirit the theme of Radical Hospitality inspired by the charism and values of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and Society of Jesus.
Radical hospitality involves three steps – remembering, welcoming and belonging – that get to the root of membership as the practice of welcoming yourself and others by remembering that we belong to a global community and the totality of being.
Guest Speaker for Celebrate Spirit was Marilyn Lacey, RSM
Marilyn Lacey, a Sister of Mercy, is passionate about making the world a more welcoming place. She’s been working with displaced peoples, both in the United States and in refugee camps overseas, for decades. Although she holds a master’s degree in social welfare from UC Berkeley and a handful of honorary doctorates, she insists that the poor have been her best teachers. In 2001 Marilyn was personally honored by the Dalai Lama as an “unsung hero of compassion.” Marilyn is the founder and executive director of , spearheading innovative programs in Haiti and Africa to lift women and girls up from extreme poverty. Her memoir, , was published by Ave Maria Press in 2009. Our Celebrate Spirit Tradition
Celebrate Spirit! is the official welcoming event to the new school year and part of a long tradition dating from European universities in the Middle Ages. At the Celebrate Spirit! Mass, we call on God’s Spirit for inspiration and blessing as we begin a new academic year. Learn more about the tradition.
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Institute of Leadership and Service: Community Engagement
For the opportunity to do real service visit Institute of Leadership and Service: Community Engagement -
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Service in the City
Whether it's for one afternoon, one week, or all semester, University Ministry's Service in the City provides students an opportunity to engage with our local community. For information on tutoring program and service days visit Service in the City
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Service Immersion Experiences
Service immersion opportunities and trips are key experiences of a transformative Jesuit and Mercy education, rooted in service and social justice. For more information visit Service Immersion Experiences