Come Holy Spirit, Come Greet your Neighbor

Loyola Marymount University will celebrate its annual Mass of the Holy Spirit on Sept. 8, 2026, at 12:05 p.m.in Sacred Heart Chapel, marking the beginning of the academic year and inviting the university community to worship together.

The prayer at the beginning of the academic year is also a reflection for the work of the university itself: for teachers and students as they enter classrooms and laboratories, for scholars pursuing new questions, for artists and creators imagining new possibilities.

This gathering will take place in the newly transformed Sacred Heart Chapel. "After more than a year of repairs both inside and out, Sacred Heart Chapel is once again poised to welcome new and returning Lions to join in praying for the Holy Spirit to bless our community with wisdom as we begin a new academic year," said John Sebastian, senior vice president and chief mission officer.

This year's celebration will also mark a significant moment in the life of the LMU Jesuit Community: During the Mass, José Ignacio Badenes, S.J., will be formally installed as rector of the LMU Jesuit Community, marking the next chapter for the community.

As rector, Badenes serves as the religious superior of the Jesuit Community at LMU. Badenes' came to LMU in 1996 as a professor of Spanish and, except for visiting professorships and sabbaticals, has called LMU home ever since. Most recently, he served as vice provost for Academic Integration and Engagement and senior international officer.

While the LMU community leans into the Holy Spirit for a time to pause and reflect on the year ahead, it will reaffirm its commitment to the charism of the Jesuits, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange and the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary.

It is a fitting prayer for a university beginning anew: Come, Holy Spirit, Come Greet your Neighbor! RSVP today.