Celebrate Spirit!
Sustaining a Spirit of Hope
Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025
11:30 a.m. Mass of the Holy Spirit
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, University Libraries, College of Business Administration and the Student Success Center.
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Class Schedule Change
Revised Class Schedule for Celebrate Spirit!
Thursday, September 11, 2025
In order for everyone to participate in the activities planned for Celebrate Spirit! the class schedule on Thursday, September 11, 2025 will be adjusted to create a free period from 11:20 a.m. - 2 pm. Afternoon classes starting at 2 p.m. 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 during normal class time.
Morning Classes that normally meet
8:00-8:50 will meet 8:00-8:25
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
9:30-12:00 will meet 9:30-11:20
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
11:00-12:15 will meet 10:30-11:20 (ALCP 1010/5101 will resume at 2:00 PM)
11:20-12:35 will meet 10:30-11:20
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2025 Sustaining a Spirit of Hope
Guest Speaker for Celebrate Spirit: Karl J. Kiser, S.J.
Fr. Karl Kiser was appointed provincial of the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus by Superior General Arturo Sosa, S.J., effective June 14, 2021. Fr. Kiser was born May 29, 1962, and raised in Menominee, Mich. He attended Marinette Catholic Central High School in nearby Marinette, Wis. After earning a B.A. in Political Science from Michigan State University in 1986, he entered the former Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus on Aug. 30, 1986, at Loyola House in Berkley.
During his regency, Fr. Kiser taught at Colegio Cristo Rey in Tacna, Peru, and worked with Fe y Alegria in Lima (1990-1993), where he learned to speak Spanish. He studied theology at Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass. (1993-1997), Comillas University in Madrid, Spain and University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Ill. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1997, at Gesu Parish in University Heights, Ohio.
After ordination, Fr. Kiser was superior of Loyola House, the Jesuit novitiate in Berkley (1998-2002), and served at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy (U of D Jesuit). He worked in campus ministry for one year (2001-2002) before becoming president of the school (2002-2016).
During his 14 years as president, Fr. Kiser was known as an excellent fundraiser with $16 million raised for a STEM center addition to the high school (completed after he began his next mission). While at U of D Jesuit, he accompanied several groups of students and medical professionals to Sociedad Amigo de los Niños in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He regularly presided and preached at local parishes including Holy Name Catholic Church in Birmingham and the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak.
From 2016 until his appointment as provincial, Fr. Kiser was the pastor of Gesu Parish in University Heights, Ohio.
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Make a donation to support the works of UDM'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!, the official welcome to the new school year for Detroit Mercy faculty, staff and students, is part of a long tradition of celebrating the 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.
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.
University of Detroit Mercy 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 Mercy Beyond Borders, spearheading innovative programs in Haiti and Africa to lift women and girls up from extreme poverty. Her memoir, "This Flowing Toward Me: A Story of God Arriving in Strangers," 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 -
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