Traditions

The CCVI Spirit Award recognizes a member of the faculty, administration, or staff who has demonstrated outstanding service to the University or the broader civic community the spirit of the founders, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.

The CCVI* Spirit Award recognizes a member of the faculty, administration, or staff who has demonstrated in service to the University and/or to the broader civic community, the spirit of the founders, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. The mission of the University flows directly from this spirit.

One award is given each year. All members of the campus community, lay and religious, part-time and full-time, are eligible. Selection of the honoree is made by a committee of faculty, administrators, and persons chosen for the award in past years.

In celebration of Incarnate Word Day, held annually in relation to the Feast of the Annunciation, the honoree is presented with an attractive piece of sculpture signifying the award. At the end of the award-year, the sculpture is passed on to the next nominee. The University also donates $500 to some ministry of the Congregation in honor of the nominee who determines the beneficiary. The nominee's name is placed on a permanent plaque displayed in the Administration Building.

Faculty, administration, staff, and students are invited to submit one or more nominations. Nominations made in previous years for persons who were not selected will be reconsidered each year. If in any year the Selection Committee determines that no suitable candidate has been proposed, the award will not be given out that year.

All nominations should be addressed to the Chair of the Committee, CCVI Spirit Award and be dropped in campus mail.

^{*CCVI is an acronym for Congregatio Sororum Caritatis a Verbo Incarnato, the Latin name for the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, who sponsor the university.}                 

Dia de los Muertos is a day to celebrate and remember those who have gone on. The University holds an All Souls' Day Mass at the Our Lady's Chapel. A memorial altar is set up to honor those who are gone.

Each year, the University sets aside a week for special celebrations of the mission. Incarnate Word Week falls in March during the week of the Feast of the Annunciation which is the major feast of the Congregation of Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word as well as of the University.

Incarnate Word Day celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation, Mary's "Yes" to God's call. At the Annunciation, an angel sent by God brought the message to Mary that God was asking her to be the Mother of Jesus, the Son of God. When Mary accepted God's offer, the Word (God) became one of us. God became "incarnate," with a body like ours; hence the name Incarnate Word. Because of His resurrection, the Incarnate Word continues to dwell among us.

The program for the week varies. A special liturgy is always part of the week as is the awarding of the CCVI Spirit Award to a member of the faculty, staff, or administration. The CCVI Spirit Award was inaugurated in 1993 to recognize a member of the faculty, administration, or staff who has demonstrated in service to the University and/or to the broader civic community, the spirit of the founders, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. The mission of the University flows directly from this spirit.

The Sisters' Story: Our UIW Story

The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word founded this university and gave it the mission of service to others.

The Sisters originally came to San Antonio in 1869. They came from France in response to a request from the Catholic Bishop of Texas, Claude M. Dubuis, to care for those stricken by a cholera epidemic by establishing the city's first hospital, Santa Rosa Infirmary.

Shortly thereafter, they were asked to meet another critical need - founding an orphanage. Taking care of children led them to open elementary and high schools, the first in San Antonio and other cities in Texas, then in Louisiana, Illinois, and Missouri, and eventually in Mexico. In recent years, they established schools, hospitals, and other service centers in Peru and Zambia.

The Road to Founding a University

To train teachers for the schools and nurses for the Santa Rosa Hospital, the Sisters added college courses to the curriculum of College and Academy of Incarnate Word.

In 1881 the Sisters obtained a charter to operate schools and to confer baccalaureate degrees, and in 1957 a Board of Trustees was formed to govern Incarnate Word College, which in 1996 was recognized as a university.

The Mission

The Sisters and all who have joined them in their schools, hospitals, and the university carry out God's work recognizing everyone served the presence of God dwelling among us - the Word made incarnate.

Click here to learn more about the University Mission and Ministry.

UIW hold weekly and special occasion masses at the Chapel of the Incarnate Word, St. Joseph's Chapel, and Our Lady's Chapel.

Mass of the Holy Spirit

The entire University of the Incarnate Word community of faculty, students, administrators, and staff celebrates the Mass of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the Fall Semester. Our purpose is to prayerfully invoke the aide of the Holy Spirit upon our efforts as we begin each new academic year. This tradition has its origins in the great Catholic universities of Europe dating back to medieval times. In this, we recognize the need for divine assistance and confidently call upon the Lord to send us the Spirit of Wisdom to infuse our educational work with the fire of love. “Come, Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth!”

Welcome Mass

UIW welcomes new and returning students to the new school year by inviting students and their families to the first mass of the academic school year at Our Lady's Chapel.

The Welcome Mass is held the Sunday before the fall semester starts.

Baccalaureate Mass

The Baccalaureate Mass occurs the day before the Graduation Commencement Ceremony. The Baccalaureate Mass is for all students. Tickets are not required for admission. The Baccalaureate Mass is held in the Alice P. McDermott Convocation Center at the University of the Incarnate Word. The Baccalaureate Mass is held alongside both fall and spring graduations.

If you have any questions about the Baccalaureate Mass, please contact Campus Ministry at ministry@uiwtx.edu or (210) 829-3128.

Hispanic Heritage Month Mass

During the month of September, the UIW community celebrates Hispanic heritage. To begin the celebration, UIW holds a mass in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Taizé Prayer Services at UIW

Taizé prayer services are held at UIW for anyone who wishes to participate in Our Lady's Chapel, located on the first floor of the Administration Building.

History of Taizé

During World War II, a young Roger Louis Schütz-Marsauche offered shelter and hospitality within the small village of Taizé, France to refugees fleeing the war-torn area. This simple act of kindness led to the founding of the ecumenical, monastic community known as "Taizé." The Taizé Community's primary vocation has long been known to be a bridge for communion among all peoples, with its specific focus on reconciliation - not only among divided Christians, but more importantly, among humanity - reflecting God's presence and love among the poor and most vulnerable, the dying, the imprisoned, and the spirituality and emotionally wounded.

Today, thousands of pilgrims (most especially, young adults) come from all over the world to experience and participate in the contemplative prayer of Taizé, which includes the singing of repetitive scriptural chants, silence, and reflections. Through this manner of prayer, communal gathering and dialogue, pilgrims are invited to a deeper communion with God and to be a leaven of peace and reconciliation for the world.

The Mission Continues Award is a series of five annual awards given to faculty members who demonstrate in an outstanding manner one of the five mission values - education, truth, faith, service, innovation.

The Mission Continues Faculty Awards Program

The Mission Continues Faculty Awards Program is a series of five annual awards. The awards are named for Sisters who represent the congregational heritage of living the Mission values through teaching, scholarship, and community service. The awards recognize faculty for their commitment to promoting the Mission and supporting the ministry of the University of the Incarnate Word in an outstanding manner.

Mission Values

The faculty members nominated for these awards will demonstrate in an outstanding manner one of the five mission values specified below:

• Education: The faculty member engages students in the learning process.
• Truth: The faculty member searches for and seeks truth in scholarship and in the classroom.
• Faith: The faculty member is committed to educational excellence in the context of faith and fosters the values of the University.
• Service: The faculty member embraces a global perspective and emphasizes social justice.
• Innovation: the faculty member is open to thoughtful innovation which serves material and spiritual need.

Attributes/Characteristics of Nominees

A person nominated for one of the five Mission Continues Faculty Awards will exhibit the following attributes/characteristics:

1. Has genuine love for UIW and its Mission
2. Inspires/motivates students to embody the Mission
3. Exemplifies in a special way the core value of ____ in the classroom/school/community.
4. Articulates the Mission to students.
5. Empowers students.
6. Is a true teacher.
7. Is open to students’ and colleagues’ ideas/suggestions
8. Respects all others, mindful of their inherent dignity
9. Inspires trust in students and peers
10. Possesses imagination/vision in curriculum development and scholarship
11. Is willing to grow/take risks in his/her profession
12. Has worked for UIW for 2 or more years
13. Has contributed to the development of his/her department or school.

To make a nomination, please download and submit the following form to Sr. Walter Maher in AD 151.

Celebration

The Celebration for these five awards typically occurs during the Spring semester. Public Relations will photograph the recipients, and copies of these photos will be placed in an archival scrapbook and in faculty files of the school they represent. Annually, one plaque will display the names of the five winners and the five values. At the top of the award plaque will be the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word logo and the UIW logo will be displayed near the bottom of the plaque. Recipients will receive a certificate and a door plaque to symbolize the honor.