Program of Liberal Studies (PLS) professors and students gathered together on the evening of November 9 to celebrate All Souls Mass.
An annual tradition, the Mass commemorates the PLS students and faculty who have passed away. The tradition demonstrates the special sense of community within the Program of Liberal Studies major—which, in the words of one student, “consists in a concern not just for the material being studied but also for the people within the major.”
After the homily, the names of both deceased graduates of the Program and deceased faculty members and their family members were read.
PLS major Nicholas Brandt described the tradition’s impact on the attendees.
“During the Prayers of the Faithful, Professors Reydams-Schils and Bordogna read a list of the dearly departed in the program,” he said. “We all realized that we were very much a part of a long-standing tradition, and that many great men and women had passed before us to give us the education we know and value so dearly.”
PLS student Raquel Falk echoed Brandt’s sentiments. “We are [a] small group but our sense of community is apparent,” she said. “I felt the strong sense of community when we read the names of all the deceased community members. It was moving.”
The Prayers of the Faithful is not the only unique tradition of the Program of Liberal Studies’ All Souls Mass. Another is that PLS Professor Polzonetti and his “Music as a Liberal Art” class arrange and perform the music for the mass. This year the musical arrangement consisted of beautiful Gregorian chant, music that the students are studying in the tutorial.
“Professor Polzonetti’s choir did a wonderful job with their musical arrangements, and Fr. Nicholas Ayo gave a wonderful homily in which he spoke about the universal reality of death. He even quoted a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins to illustrate his beautifully made point. Only at a PLS mass could [one] expect the whole crowd to follow along with Hopkins’ ‘Spring and Fall,’” said Brandt.
Professors Reydams-Schils, PLS department chair, said, “The mass is a testament to the unique community that we have.”
Held in Alumni Hall Chapel, the Mass was followed by a community dinner in the Oak Room of South Dining Hall.
Lauren Rasch is a senior in the Program, and can be contacted at lrasch@nd.edu for peace, love, etc.