So much has drastically changed this school year, whether it be in sports, clubs or activities. One of these changes was the way the Eucharist is celebrated at Xavier College Prep. 

The Celebration of the Eucharist is a way of commemorating God’s presence and His love for all. The celebration of  Mass helps God’s people to have Him present in the community. 

Xavier would celebrate Mass almost every month in person and in the gym, but this year so much has changed that the celebration of Mass had to be broadcasted electronically via zoom while most everyone watched in homerooms. 

Whether it was those who operated the technology or set up the gym, the choir group, altar servers or Eucharistic ministers, each group contributed greatly. 

Father Glenn, first- year chaplain at Xavier, said, “Having our all-school Masses together in this time of Covid is both a little strange, but also very encouraging! God continues to bless us, even during difficult times, and so it’s important for us to gather together as a community and give him thanks.”

 Father Glenn gave the Mass at the Chapel of Our Lady with the Eucharistic ministers by his side, each one of them prepared to go to classrooms to give the Body of Christ. The seniors who became Eucharistic ministers this year wore masks and stayed six feet apart while serving fellow students. 

“This year being a Eucharistic minister has definitely been different because we go to the classrooms to deliver the Body of Christ. I feel like being a Eucharistic minister during this pandemic and having to take the Body of Christ from the chapel to the classrooms really does help me acknowledge what it is that I am holding. I love being a Eucharistic minister because it gives me a chance to have a deeper encounter with Christ!” said Karen Medina, a senior Eucharistic minister. 

Kim Cavnar, the Director of Campus Ministry and the Eucharisitc Minister Director, was present to help and lead the Eucharistic ministers. Cavnar has been leading retreats for  years and has helped students at Xavier learn more about their faith. “Our goal is to gather our whole school community in prayer for our all-school Masses. To maintain social distancing health guidelines, it seemed best to have students gather in the homeroom, and to experience the Mass virtually but live and in real-time from the chapel with Fr. Glenn celebrating,” said Cavnar. 

Dr. Micheal Lueken, a senior theology teacher at Xavier, explained how this year’s first Mass celebration was something he really didn’t expect it to be. 

“I was so happy when I first heard that we were going to have the modified for Covid all-school Mass. Being in a homeroom is different from all of us gathering together in the gym but it was more than a zoom or meet. Jesus Christ is the reason for the school, and in the Eucharist we become what we consume: the Body of Christ,” said Lueken.

Xavier has celebrated two successful Masses in this format and hopes to do more with the next all-school Mass approaching. It was able to see how all the work of keeping everyone safe and healthy came along on the November 2 celebration.