Mass for beginners

I don't really know what to expect as I walk towards the Duke Chapel for Sunday evening mass. I had never been to mass before, and had texted my friend Dani earlier for backup. She had mentioned going to church one Sunday last semester, and I figured it was worth a shot.

My "any chance you're going to church tonight?" is met with a surprising "yep and I'm serving communion." She tells me to meet her ten minutes early in the foyer of the Chapel. After a frantic afterthought ("wait what time does it start?") I was all set for my very first mass.

Dani finds me in the foyer and we start to walk through the chapel. "Holy water," she says, as I peer into the bowl we've stopped in front of. Father Joe Vetter, director of the Newman Catholic Student Center, and Father John McDonagh, associate director, stand in the center aisle greeting the many students now funneling into the Chapel.

After some welcoming handshakes, we arrive at Dani's pew of choice and she gives me the abridged introduction to mass: "There's a lot of standing and then sitting, and at the end everyone goes up to get communion." What is communion, you ask? As simply as I can explain here, it is the bread and wine that Catholics believe is the body of Christ.

Although I can't take communion since I'm not Catholic, Dani says I can still get a blessing, and shows me how to cross my arms across my chest so whoever giving it would know.

As I'm practicing the alien gesture, wondering if anyone else here has to give the same move, the service starts. First, Father Joe tells us to introduce ourselves to everyone around us, and I silently thank him for easing my way into mass.

There's a lot of singing: happy and catchy songs that everyone but me seems to know. Of course no one knows (or cares) that I don't know the words. I also notice Dani hitting high notes that I never anticipated, another of many things I am learning about her tonight.

Students read selected Bible verses at the podium, we sing some more, and Father Joe begins to give homily. He opens with an honest and sobering discussion of the current economic situation, reminding us that in difficult times our faith can keep us grounded. He speaks about why he enjoys working at a university, how universities influence the larger culture and the vast potential that students have.

Walking back to my seat, I feel overwhelmed by the welcoming atmosphere of this service. It's fine that I'm here and not a Catholic, maybe a little unusual, but perfectly acceptable. I look back at Dani, giving out communion to other students, and feel fortunate to see her in this element-her element-understanding that this Sunday service is an important part of her life.

As we walk out of the Chapel, I ask Dani why she goes to mass every week. She tells me she used to go with her family, and that she just kept going when she got to Duke. I don't ask how religious she is-it really doesn't matter, this service is about more than faith, it's about community.

There's something comforting about going to a service where everyone around you knows the same songs that you know, the same ones you've always sang, no matter where you come from.

When I was at the Freeman Center for Shabbat last month, a similar sentiment was expressed when someone asked what it was that kept people coming back to the service. "It just feels like home," said one student, articulating what I imagine brought Dani to the Chapel week after week.

The hour-long Sunday evening service is a nice end to the weekend, a peaceful break before the start of a new week. As we say our goodbyes, Dani tells me I really got the hang of all the standing up and sitting down. I tell her, luckily, that one's pretty standard across the board.

Stephanie Butnick is a Trinity senior. Her column runs every other Wednesday.