Pray with Campus Ministry


Gwynedd Mercy University’s Campus Ministry offers a variety of retreats and faith-sharing opportunities throughout the year to support the spiritual development of the entire GMercyU community.

Our goal is to help the GMercyU community pause to engage questions of significance and to pray and reflect on your personal experiences in the pursuit of lives of deep meaning. 

Observing Lent? Resources Below!

Roman Catholic Ash Wednesday Services

Mary, Mother of the Redeemer -- 6:30am, 9:00am, 12:10pm, 7:00pm
Saint Helena Church -- 7:00am, 9:00am, 12:15pm (Liturgy of the Word and Distribution of Ashes), 4:00pm (Liturgy of the Word and Distribution of Ashes), 7:00pm
Saint Alphonsus Church -- 6:30am, 9:00am, 12:00pm, 7:00pm
Saint Rose of Lima -- 8:30am, 4:00pm (Prayer Service with Distribution of Ashes); 7:30pm (click here for a livestream)
Sacred Heart Church -- 8:00am, 12:15pm, 7:00pm
Epiphany of our Lord Church -- 8:30am, 12:05pm, 7:00pm
Saint Joseph's Church -- 7:00pm
Saint Francis of Assisi Church -- 8:30am, 12:00pm, 7:00pm
For a directory of parishes and other times, please click here.
For parishes and services outside of PA, please click here

Ash Wednesday Services

Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church -- All day ("Drive-thru ashes")
Oak Lane Presbyterian Church -- 10:00am (No Ash Distribution)
Landsdale United Methodist Church -- 6:30pm (Virtual Ash Distribution)
Christ United Methodist Church -- 7:00pm (Pre-registration required)

Lenten Prayer Resources

  • Check out the "Seasons of Mercy" Lenten Reflection Series on the GMercyU Portal! Reflections will be posted semi-regularly throughout the season of Lent from faculty, staff, and students. 
  • Connect with Mercy Lenten Blog Series -- Subscribe to the Sisters of Mercy of the America's blog, "Connect with Mercy," to follow along as bloggers reflect on Lent in 2021.
  • Saint Rose of Lima Lenten series on Racism -- Reflect with parishioners at St. Rose of Lima parish on Open Wide our Hearts, a letter written by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that addresses the issue of racism. Meetings will take place through Zoom March 2, 9, 16, and 23 at 7:00pm. Contact Jane Selner at jselner@srol.org or 215-699-4617 for more information and/or to sign up.
  • CRS Rice Bowl @ GMercyU -- CRS Rice Bowl has been a Lenten tradition for US Catholics since the 1970s. GMercyU has set up a virtual donation page for your Rice Bowl contributions this year. Please click here to access it! You can also access CRS Rice Bowl prayer resources by clicking here.
  • Pope Francis' Lenten Message 2021
  • Busted Halo's "Fast. Pray. Give." Lenten Calendar -- Click here to access Busted Halo's Lenten calendar. New reflections are added each day of Lent. 
  • For more resources, please see "Digital Spiritual Resources" further down on this page.

Retreats

First Year Retreat

First year students are invited to participate in our first annual First Year Retreat! This on-campus experience will help first year students (transfers and freshman) start their journey at GMercyU on the right foot. You can register here (Microsoft Forms) or find us on GriffinEngage under, "Campus Ministry." ! For more information, contact Jeff Wallace at wallace.j@gmercyu.edu. 

Breakthrough Retreat

Griffins are invited to "break through" the murky, mundane mayhem of every day and come away for an awesome weekend retreat sponsored by Campus Ministry. The retreat is planned and facilitated by students and designed for you to reflect on your life amongst old and new friends. There will be time for individual reflection, group conversations, fun community building activities, and opportunities for free time. 

Check back here for more information about the Breakthrough Retreat!

Liturgy and Worship

Our vision of Campus Ministry calls us to celebrate the Catholic/Christian faith of our sponsors, the Sisters of Mercy, and to encourage others to live their faith more fully. Our desire is that people who engage our liturgy and worship experiences – especially over time – will seek an active and meaningful relationship with God, giving witness to Gospel values and the charism of Mercy.

To facilitate this relationship, we offer a variety of Catholic, ecumenical and interfaith prayer experiences throughout the year. 

On-campus prayer opportunities

In-person, on-campus prayer services will be held throughout the year on a variety of different topics. These opportunities will be livestreamed through social media -OR- YouTube. Please follow our Instagram (@gmercyuministry) or our Facebook Page (Gwynedd Mercy University Campus Ministry) for the date, time, and location of each prayer! Contact Jeff Wallace (wallace.j@gmercyu.edu) with any questions or comments. 

Mass on Mondays

We are pleased to be able to offer Mass at 11:30 a.m. in Chapel (Campbell Hall) on Mondays when school is in session. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Monday Masses will be suspended for Fall 2020. We hope to have masses Spring 2021! Please keep scrolling to find or "digital spiritual resources" bank with a variety of different Catholic masses in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that are livestreamed.

Special Celebrations

Following are some of the special celebrations that are held annually*.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of these special celebrations may be changed. Please check back here for more information!

Liturgical Ministries

We encourage students, faculty and staff to get involved in our liturgical celebrations as singers, musicians, lectures, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and leaders of prayer. Interested? Contact Jeff Wallace, director of Campus Ministry, at wallace.j@gmercyu.edu or 215-641-5590.

Prayer Intentions

  • You are welcome to write your prayer intentions in our book outside of Chapel in Campbell Hall.
  • To request the prayers of the University community in the event of the death of a close relative of a Gwynedd Mercy University faculty member, staff member, or student, please contact Jeff Wallace, Director of Campus Ministry, at 215-641-5590.  When possible, please obtain permission from the bereaved individual, and include as much information about funeral arrangements as possible.
  • Beautiful Gwynedd Mercy University Mass Cards are available to bring to a wake or funeral, or to send to someone in need of healing; names of all those being remembered in prayer are listed outside of Chapel.  Contact Jane Coughlin in Institutional Advancement, Coughlin.j@gmercy.edu or 215-641-5590 ext. 21177.

Digital Spiritual Resources

Foster your spirituality from home with these helpful resources. Have any additions? Email wallace.j@gmercyu.edu. 

Livestreamed Catholic Masses

Livestreamed Christian Services

Livestreamed Shabbat Services

Podcasts with a Spiritual Focus

Listen or subscribe to these podcasts wherever you listen to podcasts (I.e. Spotify, Apple Podcast app, etc.)

Jesuitical - Each episode brings some of the top (and maybe more obscure) Catholic news of the week and an interview with a guest who offers a unique perspective on world events, culture or faith. At the end of the show, Zac, Ashley and Olga invite the listener into their faith lives by sharing their consolations and desolations from the week  

Tablet Magazine Presents Unorthodox - Unorthodox is a smart, fresh, fun weekly take on Jewish news and culture hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz

The Muslim Life Hackers - Muslim Life Hackers brings you life hacks to help YOU live better, achieve more, and thrive in this world (& the hereafter in sha Allah). They take on relevant topics and invite a variety of guests to share their insights on our podcast show. You can catch the latest episode by subscribing to our email list below.

Pray-As-You-Go - Pray-As-You-Go is a daily prayer session, designed to go with you wherever you go, to help you pray whenever you find time, but particularly while traveling to and from work, study, etc.

Meditation Oasis - Meditation Oasis features guided meditations, instructions for meditation, and music for meditation

The Liturgists - The Liturgists Podcast is a genre-bending, chart-topping exploration of the most interesting and pressing topics of our time through the lenses of art, science, and faith.

On Being with Krista Tippett - A Peabody Award-winning public radio show and podcast. What does it mean to be human? How do we want to live? And who will we be to each other? Each week a new discovery about the immensity of our lives.

Becoming Wise - Depth and discovery in the time it takes to make a cup of tea. Reset your day. Replenish your sense of yourself and the world.

The Deep Spirituality Podcast - Listen to episodes of Deep Spirituality on your favorite podcast app. These interactive and engaging podcast episodes are meant to inspire you to go deeper in your relationship with God by providing candid discussions on spiritual topics and compelling scriptures from the Bible.

Homilies by Richard Rohr, OFM 

Smart Phone Apps with a Spiritual Focus

Download these apps in the App Store (Apple) or Google Play (Android)

  • Mercy Prayerbook -- Morning and Evening Prayer of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas (iPhone only).
  • Hallow -- A Catholic meditation app to help you find peace and grow in your spiritual journey.
  • Calm -- Calm is a meditation, sleep and relaxation app edicated to introducing our world-wide community to the amazing benefits of mindfulness.
  • The Book of Common Prayer (Apple iPhone or Android Phones) -- Common Prayer helps today’s diverse church pray together across traditions and denominations with morning, midday, and evening prayers for every day of the year.
  • Reimagining the Examen (Applie iPhone or Android Phones) -- Reimagining the Examen is a fresh and customized prayer experience inspired by St. Ignatius’s Examen, a practice that helps you review your day with God.
  • More coming soon!

Spiritual Social Media Resources

  • Sisters of Mercy on Instagram (@mercysisters) - The Sisters of Mercy are posting weekly prayers during Lent.
  • GMercyU Campus Ministry on Instagram (@gmercyuministry)
  • United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Instagram (@usccb)
  • Pope Francis on Instagram (@franciscus)
  • Archbishop of Philadelphia Nelson Perez on Instagram (@archbishopperez)
  • America Media on Instagram (@americamedia)
  • Practical Muslim on Instagram (@practicalmuslim)
  • Unorthodox Podcast on Instagram (@unorthodoxpodcast)
  • Black Liturgies on Instagram (@blackliturgies)
  • The Nap Ministry on Instagram (@thenapministry)
  • Fr. James Martin, SJ Facebook Page -  Fr. James Martin, SJ is hosting daily faith sharing live on his Facebook page. He is a Jesuit priest who has written a variety of books, including Building a Bridge, Between Heaven and Mirth, Jesus: A Pilgrimage, and My Life with the Saints

Spiritual Web Resources

Commitment to Interfaith

Gwynedd Mercy University respects the faith traditions of all of our students. Explore this list of local places of worship to see where you can participate in your own faith tradition (coming soon).