At Mount Carmel High School, when the whole student body gathers together for mass, something that not every other school in the world gets to experience; the community and brotherhood of MC.
Boys from all different grades, lifestyles, and beliefs sit side by side to pray, reflect, and be a part of something special. All-school masses are not just tradition, but they are a part of who we are as a community. MC is a Catholic school with over 125 years of history. We have celebrated mass in a number of ways, including livestreams during the pandemic and holding it on the football field in 2020.
These masses are not held just because we have always done it but because of their importance in celebrating our faith, unity, and values. All-school masses help build community, deepen our prayer, and keep us connected to the Catholic Church and Carmelite roots.
All-school masses bring the whole school together as one community. Even though we come from many different religions and backgrounds, mass alerts us to sit together, pray together, and share something meaningful.
“Even though many students and teachers at MC are not Catholic, all-school masses help enhance, and reflect the community that we are,” says Fr. Jim Lewis, O. Carm, who works as a school counselor at MC.
They are a special time for everyone at the school to be together, pray, and care for one another.
Mr. John Stimler said, “Mass is a part of the rhythm of who we are as a Catholic in Carmelite school,” says Mr. John Stimler, Theology teacher and Director of Mission and Ministry at MC. “When we go to mass, we are joining people all over the world in prayer, and being a part of something bigger than just our school.”
It is one way the school shows that we care about each other and want to grow together. Schoolwide mass helps us feel like a big family, brought together by prayer. Masses help us grow in our prayer life and remind us of what really is important.
Mr. Stimler compared prayer at school to breathing. “Just like breathing happens all the time without us thinking, prayer should be a natural part of each day at Mount Carmel as a Catholic and especially caramel at school.”
Mass gives us a big moment to breathe deeply and connect with God. It teaches us to calm down, listen, and grow spiritually. Even though not everyone understands all of the parts of mass, it is still a moment to pause and be in the moment. They help us breathe spiritually and keep prayer present in school life.
All-school masses help connect us to something that is held in very high regard at MC, which is our connection to the Catholic Church and Carmelite tradition.
When we celebrate mass together, we are not just doing something in the gym for ourselves. We are joining the Catholics from all over the world in prayer.
Fr. Jim shared how the Carmelites have always played a great role in MC history. From when he was a student to now, the Carmelite spirit has stayed strong through the shared worship. “To celebrate what has gone before us is a connection to our roots,” he says, “to what has brought us to this moment.”
Even though he is the only priest working at MC, other Carmelites still come to celebrate mass during the year, showing how connected they are to the school.
Our all-school masses keep us tied to this rich tradition and shows us that we are a part of something special that started way before our time. Mass helps us carry the Catholic and Carmelite traditions forward.
All-school mass is more than just a school event, as they are powerful expressions of who we are as a Catholic Carmelite community. They bring us together, grow our spiritual lives with God, and connect us to something special.
“It is like a cucumber becoming a pickle, the more we are surrounded by prayer and community, the more we are changed by it,” says Mr. Stimler. “Little by little, they get changed and they get changed and they get changed, so that by the time they’re seniors and they’re walking out of here, they have become the pickle because of the environment that’s surrounded them.”
This shows how regular prayer and being together as one at mass slowly shapes students over time.
So the next time we go to mass as a school, just remember that it is not only about showing up, as it is also about growing together as a school. This is the kind of culture we all want to be apart of.
As Father Jim says, “The prayerful expression of being together, working together, and caring about each other is crucial.”
