Serving as an opportunity to look back at the past and reflect on Creighton University’s mission and values as well as to look forward to future aspirations, Founders Week incorporates a variety of events to celebrate what the school has become, including various awards ceremonies, the Alpha Sigma Nu induction and a donor scholarship luncheon this past week.

One university-wide event that has always been an important part of the celebration is the Founders Week Mass, held in St. John’s church on Wednesday. Founders Week mass shines a different light on the ceremony than a usual mass, as it offers an opportunity to honor those who have impacted Creighton and have formed it to what it is today.

Director of Public Relations Deborah Daley said the mass “reaffirms our connection with the living tradition of the Catholic Church.”

Charles Austerbury, a professor in the Biology department, also provided his stance on what Founders Week means to him as well.

“The Jesuits care for the whole person, encompassing spiritual and physical health and growth as well as academic and professional success,” Austerbury said. “I think that was the vision of the university’s founders.  To me, the Mass is a chance to reflect and give thanks to God for that vision. It’s a chance to affirm that we should measure success in terms of positive impact on the lives of others, and that successful lives are wonderfully diverse in their expressions because each person is unique.”

This tradition of honoring those who have come before us has been around for a while, but the exact date that the Mass started is unknown. David Scholl, the coordinator of liturgical ministry, still has a worship guide from the Founders Week Mass held in 1987, so it’s been a Creighton tradition for a while.

A way to stay grounded in our heritage, Scholl sees the observance of Founders Week as a testament to the fact that Creighton is more than just who is here today; rather, we have a responsibility to the generations that came before us and to those that will succeed us.  The mass is certainty an important part of the honor given to St. Ignatius and the Jesuit influence that embodies Creighton as a whole.

Creighton is truly something special and it would not be what it is today without those who have come before us. Take a moment this week to remember those who have formed Creighton into a community that many have come to love and cherish.