The town of Framingham is a widely diverse town. Framingham State University is evidence of diversity that is seen through Framingham. But this concept of diversity spans more than just race and gender; it also includes religion. Despite Framingham being a big town, Framingham State University is a small public University compared to many colleges in Massachusetts. Some are big, some are private, some are religious.
I am a devout Roman Catholic and am proud to admit that I do not go to a Catholic or Christian University. I consider myself to be fortunate that I can meet people from so many cultures, including different religions. However, our Catholic Mass numbers run pretty low. Part of this may be because it is also a heavy commuter school. In addition, I am sure that some are residents who go home on the weekends, and celebrate the Mass there. Or finally, they are just unaware that our campus even offers Mass (for the record, it is Sunday's at 8 PM in the Heinemen Ecumenical Center behind McCarthy).
Yet, that does not stop the two to five active church members from returning each week to participate in the Mass. In some ways, it is somewhat neat to have such a small group of members attend because it makes it a more personal Mass. However, we still would like to try to get the Church filled with more followers of Christ.
The lack of members does not mean lack of luster in the Homily or shorten the time we spend each week praying and reflecting on the readings. We still spend about an hour each week, but are able to have a much more personal Mass.
Religion does not play a big role at the University. Though there are a couple religious groups, Catholicism does not seem to present itself as a majority religion. I am currently in the process of re-establishing the Catholic Newman Club on campus. And one of my first main goals will be to promote the celebration of the Mass on campus.
We are a small University and so is the number of our active members at church. All things considered, however, I would not trade going to that Mass every week for a Mass that was rushed and popular. Every once in a, great while, I get to meet someone new or see a different face. A nice refresher to realize that there are still many Catholic University students who have yet to return to the Mass.
My curiosity is by far peaked at what the numbers of Mass attendance is at other, small, state school's. Yet, I know God has a plan to see our Mass members multiply and flourish, potentially just like those school's.
