WHEELING, WV, Sept. 23, 2009 — Joining other Jesuit colleges in a back-to-school tradition, Wheeling Jesuit University marks the beginning of the 2009-2010 academic year with the annual celebration of Mass of the Holy Spirit at 11:15 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 24, in the Chapel of Mary and Joseph. The Mass is open to the public.

"After the dust clears from the start of a new academic year, it's good to take a moment to gather together as a community to reflect on what we're about, and to pray for guidance, clarity and strength," said Jamey Brogan, director of Campus Ministry. "The Mass of the Holy Spirit is a joyful celebration, when we give thanks for the many gifts God has given us as individuals and as a university."

The principal celebrant is the Rev. Christopher Fronk, S.J. who is currently serving Catholics at St. Bernard Parish in Pittsburgh, Pa. Fronk previously served as rector and director of Campus Ministry at the university 2005 - 2008.

Con-celebrants for the Mass of the Holy Spirit are the Rev. Dan Pisano of nearby St. Michael Parish and the Very Rev. Brian O’Donnell S.J., current rector of the Jesuit community at the university.

The Chapel Choir and Chamber Singers, consisting of student instrumentalists and singers, will provide the music for the occasion and is under the direction of Robert Troeger, director of Music Ministry and Fine Arts instructor.

For hundreds of years, Catholic universities have carried out this tradition honoring the Holy Spirit as the seat of wisdom. As the newest of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, Wheeling Jesuit continues the vision of its founder, St. Ignatius of Loyola, who believed in educating the whole person, body, mind and spirit while seeking God in all things.

The Society of Jesus is one of the largest men's religious orders in the Roman Catholic Church, and was founded in 1540. St. Ignatius Loyola, a Basque nobleman and soldier, authored the Spiritual Exercises, a retreat that is used all over the world. Today, more than 20,000 Jesuits serve the Church in 112 nations on six continents.