Flyers flooded the hallways of Detroit Cristo Rey last month with a simple but inviting phrase: “Come, let’s celebrate mass together!”
The flyers invited all Detroit Cristo Rey faculty and students to a mass at St. Anne, a local church.
The idea came from Luke Miller, a faculty member at Detroit Cristo Rey who runs Campus Ministry, which coordinates community service and Catholic spirituality.
“I wanted an opportunity for us to just come together as a school community and celebrate mass,” said Miller, head of Campus Ministry.
Miller is starting a monthly Detroit Cristo Rey family mass in which Cristo Rey members journey to local churches in Southwest Detroit and celebrate mass with the church’s parishioners.
“We are a school of the community,” said Miller. “It’s our place to go to the different churches in our community and make sure we celebrate with them, our community.”
The ultimate goal of the masses is to create community ties and relationships between Detroit Cristo Rey and the local neighborhood and to celebrate mass as a true family.
“I think that’s what we are called to do as Catholics and as a Catholic institution,” said Miller. “I think that’s our role in the community.”
On Jan. 29, the first Cristo Rey family mass was held at St. Anne, one of the oldest standing churches in the country. Cristo Rey students, families, teachers and staff celebrated the mass at noon with St. Anne’s regular parishioners, and gathered after mass for coffee and donuts.
“I thought it was lovely, and it was a very inspiring because we had members of the Cristo Rey family show up at every level,” said Joellyn Valgoi, Cristo Rey’s assistant principal. “It was very special.”
Most of the Cristo Rey group that attended mass felt a sense of community and valued learning about what was happening in the neighborhood.
Cynde Garza, mother of a Cristo Rey senior, said: “It makes us stronger as a whole knowing what our neighbors are up to and what the church is offering in services.”
Valgoi agreed. “I think that community is the basis from which we grow and thrive,” she said. “So I think having community strength beginning with our families, then our schools, then our neighborhood is the way that we become strong, and the way that we learn our culture, our faith, and how to work as one in the community. “
The family masses will continue until the end of the school year. They allow Cristo Rey to embrace the surrounding community while also creating a sense of family among students, parents, and parishioners alike. Cristo Rey hopes to hold the next mass on March 5 at St. Gabriel Church.
“So please,” Miller said, “come and join us.”
