1. Sister Martha Ann Kirk, Th.D.
University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, Texas
Sister Martha Ann Kirk, Th.D.
Project Summary
Theological Reflections
Our project, Worship Opening Hearts and Hands to Service is related to the biblical texts:
“Jesus took a towel and washed the feet
of his disciples. . .”
“Jesus took bread and said. . .
this is my body given for you. . .”
Students were hired to assist with worship planning and preparation and with eight supper Gatherings to integrate faith, service, and worship. The program was built around four biblical themes which connect worship with service: Feeding, Healing, Sheltering, and Reconciling.
To experience each of these themes, we had 1) a Gathering with prayer, song, information, and discussion around the table; 2) opportunities for community service based on each theme; 3) a follow- up Gathering to learn more and to integrate the experiences of service, faith, and worship with one’s purpose and meaning in life.
Like the disciples of Emmaus our eyes were opened in new ways to the presence of Christ in our world as we broke bread together. Our hearts burned within us as we heard speakers passionate about caring for the hungry, the sick, the broken, and the homeless. Students valued the Gatherings which included suppers. Round tables, a diversity of people at each table, and breaking bread together led to deeper insights than just lectures alone could have given.
We lived the university’s mission theme for the year, “A Place at the Table” as we welcomed Iranian refugee children to a Gathering on sheltering. At worship we sing, “All are welcome Let us build a place where love can dwell.” The Gathering challenged us to acknowledge innate prejudices and to do a better job welcoming Middle Eastern and other refugees in our city and our country.
Our dean of nursing explained that our state is the worst in the country in terms of providing health insurance for children. We need to be, not just the hands of Christ reaching out to children, but to be the prophetic voice of Christ challenging our structures to put children in the center. He called a little child the greatest.
As we prayed on Good Friday with Christ who is reconciling all people, we watched students dramatize Jesus’ suffering and death and Mary holding her dead son. Then with the assistance of some of our Arabic speaking students, we prayed with families who have dead sons and daughters by reading name after name of both Iraqis and U.S. people killed. God weeps with all who suffer.
We could hear Christ’s invitation to reconciliation as we listened to a woman whose father had been murdered and whose husband had been executed for another murder. Her forgiveness and reconciliation efforts led us to risk praying those dangerous words, “Forgive us our trespasses, AS we forgive ”
What We Have Learned
Both the numbers of people coming to our regular Catholic worship and ecumenical services have grown. Also we have added more types of prayer services on campus with student leadership. Yet we need much more education around the meaning and transforming power of worship.
To select appropriate music, design environments for the church, and prepare worship, people need education, regular prayer, time, networks of communication, and encouragement. We have tried to do too much too fast, but now we are learning.
While worship brings God’s comfort, it also brings God’s challenge to open our hearts to those in our own community and in the larger world. While we hope that people will “feel good” at our worship, we also hope that they will grow to think of others’ needs and not just their own.
Some of us went to take food to the disadvantaged and others to work with health promotion at a clinic in Mexico. Some of our nursing and education faculty spoke at our Gatherings about their projects reaching out to the many orphans and those who have AIDS in Zambia. In our chapel during Lent we had photos of God’s global family. We had some good experiences of local community service and reflections integrating them with faith, yet our university has a long way to go in making service an integral and joyous part of campus life. Our university theme for the coming year will be “vocation” and we hope to reflect more on the call to service in worship and in activities.