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Spiritual Life on Campus

Elms College students have a multitude of options to expand their spiritual life. From service trips to community service and finding a place of worship, our Office of Campus Ministry can help you along your spiritual journey.

Dorothy Day Program

Since 2006, the Dorothy Day Program has been designed as a means for students to participate in community service projects affiliated with the Sisters of Saint Joseph.The program is named for Dorothy Day, a Catholic woman who served the poor by providing food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, and hospitality to all. In keeping with the charism of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of "uniting neighbor with neighbor and neighbor with God," the Dorothy Day Program provides service to the local community and promotes the mission of the college in educating creative, reflective, and principled learners who will carry on a legacy of service in the future.

Students arrive on campus a week before classes begin, live in the dorms, and work each weekday. At the completion of each day, the students reflect on their experience, both personally and collectively, formulating insight for themselves, and as a community.

Since its inception, the program has grown from five students to 57; from one site to five sites. Students have worked in cleaning and painting classrooms, weeding and landscaping property, readying a site for a new academic school year, assembling bookcases, desks, and tables, setting up a new playground, as well as performing a variety of other tasks.

On-campus Liturgy Schedule

We celebrate daily Mass in Our Lady's Chapel Monday through Thursday at 12:15 p.m. Saturday Masses are held in the Chapel at 6 p.m. There also are a number of Catholic churchs and other places of worship in our local community.

Soup and Substance

The Soup and Substance series is a monthly lunchtime meeting during which Elms College staff, students, and faculty are invited to share their spiritual journeys with their peers. This series, organized by Campus Ministry, has become a popular forum where the topics of faith and spirituality can be discussed in a safe, supportive, and receptive environment.

Fall 2012 Soup and Substance calendar

Tuesdays, 12:15 - 1:15 p.m.

September 25 - Nancy Farrell, Director of Marketing

October 23 - Suzanne Barenski, Ph.D., R.N., Assistant Director of RN Studies

November 27 - Jae Bergman, Transfer Counselor/Assistant Director of Admissions

Deanery Scholarship and Leadership Program

The Catholic Deanery Scholarship and Leadership Program at Elms College recognizes and rewards local students who have displayed outstanding commitment to learning and service in Catholic parishes of the Diocese of Springfield. Religious leaders nominate students to be Deanery scholar and leaders. Nominations are reviewed by a committee of Elms College admission officers, administrators, and faculty memebers.

Our Deanery scholar and leaders are a close-knit group of dedicated, caring individuals. In the Deanery Scholarship and Leadership Program, students flourish personally and as a group of committed leaders. They represent the immense potential that young people have to offer our Church and world.

The Deanery Scholarship and Leadership Program is a vibrant reminder of the historic ties between the Diocese of Springfield and the College of Our Lady of the Elms.

Community Service Opportunities

Elms College has relationships with and provides volunteer opportunities at a number of local non-profit agencies and organizations.