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Week Ninety-Nine - Bellarmine Chapel

7:00 Sunday evening mass, Bellarmine Chapel or Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish, if you will.  Bellarmine Chapel is located at the center of the campus of Xavier University.  The spiritual heart of the university, Bellarmine Chapel has always been best associated with XU, but Bellarmine is also a Jesuit parish in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, drawing over 700 families from neighborhoods scattered throughout Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. 

When classes are in session at Xavier, Campus Ministry offers two additional masses for the students on Sunday (as well as one additional each weekday).  One of the Sunday masses, a ten o'clock evening mass, is quite the place to be.  Students know to arrive well in advance of ten o'clock if they even want a chance at a seat - this gig is SRO every Sunday.  They also know better than to show up in sweats and a t-shirt.  A few years ago, a group of Xavier students wrote and performed "Xavier:  The Musical," a series of skits satirizing all that is Xavier.  One of the skits, "10 p.m. Mass," pretty much summarizes the Sunday night liturgy:  

See?  You have to hand it to the kids though.  Here are college students, out on their own, willingly, eagerly, going to mass.  And mind you, this is a mass that often runs close to an hour and twenty minutes in length.  You can thank the always-charismatic president of Xavier, Father Michael Graham, the usual celebrant for the ten o'clock, for that.   

The 7:00 evening mass is a little different than what the ten o'clock mass brings in but not by much.  When the entire clan visited this weekend, we found a well-dressed albeit casual congregation.  An interesting group to be sure, and I mean that in the most positive of terms.  There were families and singles, children and seniors, empty-nesters and, as always, students.  More importantly, however, there were the earth mothers, the movers and shakers, those individuals who really want to make a difference in their community.  You can just tell who they are, but I also know because I recognized a few of those in attendance, and they are, in fact, "making a difference."

To be a parishioner of Bellarmine is to possess a certain attitude that says "I care," "I care about what happens both within these church walls and outside of these church walls."  These people clearly love their parish and, quite frankly, love being Catholic.  The enthusiasm is palpable.  They are happy to be at mass, at Bellarmine, a fact most evident in their spoken and sung participation in the mass.  Bellarmine isn't a big place, so that alone may contribute to the excellent acoustics, but, either way, the volume generated is impressive and powerful.  It was awkward not knowing most of the selected songs for the evening because I may have literally been the only one not singing.

Oh, of course, there are a few items in my "dislike" column.  Still not too big on the touch-feely stuff, and you can be sure there's a lot of that going on here, including the dreaded  "Take a moment and greet those around you."  I was reluctantly impressed when the woman in front of me remembered my name at the sign of peace.  I was disappointed to receive a standard issue wafer of communion in my hand.  Years ago, Bellarmine always shared an actual loaf of bread at the eucharist.  There is no crucifix.  There used to be a crucifix.  Now, a giant plus-sign stands behind the altar, an apparent move by the always-welcoming Bellarmine community to remain . . . well, welcoming to all.  Personally, I don't get it.  

My biggest problem with Bellarmine is the actual physical church and the inevitable "M" word.  Built in 1962, it's a modern one.  Ugh.  There's virtually nothing attractive about the interior, although renovations completed a few years ago did add a nice welcoming area.  The exterior is a hoot.  The roof in the form of a hyperbolic paraboloid is kind of retro-cool, if only for the stories of students over the years riding their bikes on the roof.  Ah, youth . . .    

The Jesuits always have a certain appeal, and maybe that's part of the draw here, but Bellarmine is a vibrant, youthful, active community - always has been, always will be - that pulls in a certain demographic in terms of attitude and commitment.  I feel slightly past my prime to fully share in their enthusiasm for outreach, but I can still admire it.  Of course, for this old gray mare, Bellarmine holds a special place in my heart.  After graduating from Xavier myself, it was a no-brainer to register as a parishioner at Bellarmine.  Along with My Husband the Heathen, Bellarmine was the site of our wedding and then, the baptism of our first child who is now a young adult . . . and a student at Xavier.    

ATTENDANCE:  Full

DURATION:  One hour