If you’ve attended Mass at Fairfield University’s Egan Chapel in recent weeks, you may have noticed a large crowd. The chapel currently hosts two Sunday Masses and Campus Ministry is now considering adding a third due to increased attendance at services this semester.
“Buzzing. Encouraging. Full-of-life. Awe-inspiring. Prayerful. Full-to-overflowing. Abundantly-blessed.” That’s how Fairfield Campus Minister for Liturgy Valerie Kisselback described the scene at recent on-campus Mass services.
Kisselback noted that on Sept. 8, one of the first Sunday nights of the semester, the 7:30 p.m. Mass had so many attendees that staff and volunteers needed to search around the building for additional chairs. Even then, some students were left standing as they listened to the service.
“A few volunteers assisted Fr. Savard in finding every available chair in the building and sending them up the elevator from Campus Ministry,” Kisselback says of that night. “It was still standing-room only.”
Now nearly two months later in the semester, the scene at Sunday Mass is still very similar to what students saw during that first week. A recent opinion article published in The Mirror describes people standing in the aisles for the entire hour-long Mass.
This past Sunday was no different. Jacqueline Brussel ‘25 attended the 7:30 p.m Mass on Nov. 3 and reported a nearly full house even upon her early arrival to the chapel.
“Mass was very crowded and there were many people standing in the back,” Brussel said. “I got to mass at 7:20 and almost all of the chairs were full.”
Kisselback attributes this increase in attendance to students’ rising faith- especially post-pandemic -and to the increase in admissions at Fairfield.
“As the number of admitted students has increased over the past several years, there has been a need to accommodate more people in classrooms, residence halls and all of our facilities across campus,” Kisselback said. “What we are seeing in the chapel is certainly a reflection of this reality as well. There are more people on campus!”
Currently, Egan Chapel holds Mass at two times on Sundays: 11:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Although some current Stags may not remember, Kisselback noted that “there were three Masses in the past.” Before the Covid-19 pandemic, there was Sunday Mass at 11:00 a.m, 5:00 p.m and 9:00 p.m. The schedule was changed to its current version in the Spring of 2022.
According to Kisselback, Campus Ministry has seen a record-breaking number of over 500 attendees at each 7:30 p.m. Mass this semester. Last year, the average attendance was just 250 at the same Mass time.
“In my two years at Fairfield, I have only seen these numbers on special occasions like Alumni-Family Weekend and Ash Wednesday,” Kisselback said.
With this increase in attendance at Mass, there’s talk of once again holding three Masses each Sunday. At this point in the semester, Fr. John Savard ‘78, Fr. Paul Rourke and Kisselback are collectively “taking a ‘wait and see’ approach” to the question of whether or not to add an additional Mass each week.
Part of their decision-making process involves gathering thoughts and opinions from Fairfield students. Campus Ministry has created a survey for students to provide input on an additional Mass time, which can be accessed through scanning the QR code.
In the meantime, Campus Ministry says that students can partake in an array of opportunities to explore their faith. There are ongoing service opportunities, an upcoming immersion trip and weekly reflection groups. Interested students can find more information on the Campus Ministry website.
As for Sunday night Masses, Kisselback encourages students to keep showing up, despite the lack of space: “Please, come in! We can’t guarantee you a seat, but we can be certain that Christ is present and wants to be with you in whatever you are experiencing in life.”
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