What do Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Alex Claydon ’08 and A.J. Piper ’08 all have in common?

If you answered church music, you are correct.

Fairfield University and Campus Ministry are making changes to harmonize students on campus with a bit of rockin’ melody at mass. “We are playing a mix of liturgical and secular songs, and as far as genres, we try to mix it up, so it changes from week to week,” said Claydon. “We do however have a pretty solid foundation of rock and folk for the mass. So far we have played songs by WILCO, Ray LaMontagne, Phish, The Beatles and a tune-off of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’s new record.”

Throughout history, church music was intended as an “evangelical tool” or a “reinforcement of faith,” according to a recent New York Times article . Today, the ever-evolving church music seems to cater to a younger generation so as to keep the belief alive and spreading.

With the rapid decline of students attending a weekly mass on campuses across the country, certain measures, like the upbeat music styles of Claydon and Piper, need to be taken to liven and awaken student’s beliefs said Father Walter J. Conlan S.J., the rector for the Jesuit community at Fairfield.

The Jesuits at Fairfield have been experimenting, with weekly masses in the dorms in hopes to have turnouts like Notre Dame, where the majority of students go to a dorm mass every night. If the students will not come to the chapel, Jesuits will go to the students, said Conlan.

Walking in step with the Jesuits to get the students involved, Campus ministry has drawn students out of the dorms and into the Egan Chapel by using publicity from the Mirror, Ham Channel, BCC, Campus Currents and town newspapers.

At the moment, the new music creations “are a work in progress,” said Carolyn Rusiackas, Associate University Chaplain.

“We are always open for suggestions,” she said.

Fairfield offers three separate masses on Sunday at 11 a.m., 4:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The 11 a.m welcomes the people of Fairfield town, while the other masses are directed towards the students, according to Rusiackas. This year the 11 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. masses bring in about 200-250 people each week while approximately 80 people show up for the 4:30 p.m. timeslot.

Even though Sunday offers three masses, students still do not attend. Amy Kelleher ’10 said, “I have so much work and not enough free time on a Sunday to be able to give up an hour of my time towards going to Church.”

Jill Piacquadio ’10, a regular Church-goer at home, doesn’t attend mass here.

“There are so many other things going on that I forget to make the effort to go,” she said.

Rusiackas said getting students involved and participating is what is really important. Campus Ministry is focused on “Looking to students to help (them) find the musical style that makes worship especially meaningful,” said Rusiackas.

A.J. Piper ’08 said, “If mass is to be anything meaningful it must appeal to the individual and the community, to people’s relationships with God and with each other.” The music that is now being played at church can be powerful for students said Piper.

However, how does Fairfield, a community so enriched with the Jesuit mission of “Developing the creative intellectual potential of its students and fostering in them ethical and religious values and a sense of social responsibility,” explain the waning attendance?

Father Rick Ryscavage, S.J. Director for the Center of Faith and Public Life said, we must remind ourselves that Fairfield is a community of young adults. The students, “when they finally leave their homes,” are going through a personal search that “most people go through naturally,” at this stage in life said Ryscavage. They have difficulty figuring out who they are, let alone what they believe.

Conlan said there are other activities like service projects, prayer and discussion groups on religious topics that clearly exemplify the strength of spirituality of the Jesuit community at Fairfield. After all, “Maybe it isn’t just church attendance that represents the spirituality and religiosity of students on campus,” said Conlan.

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