SKIP TO PAGE CONTENT
University Mission and Ministry
Menu
ministry worship

Prayer and Worship

The University of the Incarnate Word offers a variety of worship opportunities, formal and informal, Catholic and Ecumenical, to provide a means for students to participate in prayer on campus. Opportunities are available daily, weekly, monthly, and through our special university-wide celebrations throughout the year. Many of these celebrations take place in Our Lady's Chapel (located on the first floor of the Administration Building) or in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word.

Worship Schedule:

Any schedule changes will be communicated most immediately through our Flocknote app, as well as through university communication and this webpage. Registration for Flocknote is free.

Daily Mass:

  • 12 p.m. (Our Lady's Chapel) Daily Mass is celebrated Monday - Thursday (except during holidays or breaks). In-person only.
    • No Daily Mass: September 4 (Labor Day), December 22-January 2, 2024 (UIW holiday closure), January 15 (MLK Day)
  • 12 p.m. (Mass at the Grotto) - First Wednesdays through May, weather permitting. Inclement weather location will be Our Lady's Chapel.

Stations of the Cross:

  • Time TBA. For those who cannot be present physically, we invite you to pray the following Scriptural Way of the Cross for Lent (pdf) prepared by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
    • There will be no Stations of the Cross prayed in person during Spring break.

Sunday Masses:

  • 11 a.m. (Our Lady's Chapel). Sunday morning Mass is celebrated year-round (except as indicated below). In-person and livestreamed. Please see our Events Registration Page to access our livestream for this Mass.
  • Second Sunday Mass at the Chapel of the Incarnate Word (CIW). In addition to the 11 a.m. Mass in Our Lady's Chapel, Mass is also celebrated each second Sunday at the Chapel of the Incarnate Word at 11 a.m. Learn more by visiting the Chapel of the Incarnate Word website.

Holy Day and Special Masses:

  • February 14, 2024: Ash Wednesday (see schedule of services)
  • March 24-31, 2024:  Holy Week (see schedule of services)
  • April 8, 2024:  Incarnate Word Day Mass | 12 p.m. (Our Lady's Chapel)
  • April 11, 2024: Taizé Prayer Service | 6:30 p.m. (St. Joseph Chapel / The Village at Incarnate Word)
  • May 10, 2024:  Baccalaureate Masses at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (both in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word)

Ecumenical and Interfaith Services:

Please consult our Ecumenical and Interfaith page for a list of services held on campus. 

Sacraments:

Reconciliation

By appointment with:

Additionally, a Catholic reconciliation service (with individual confession) is celebrated in the Fall semester, just before the season of Advent, as well as in the Spring semester during the season of Lent. 

  • March 20, 2024:  Catholic Reconciliation Service | 5:30 p.m. (Our Lady's Chapel)

Confirmation

The Sacrament of Confirmation for those wishing to complete their initiation into the Catholic Church is offered through a 7-month program beginning in September each year. For more information, please contact Beth Villarreal, Director of Campus Ministry villaret@uiwtx.edu - (210) 829-2736.

Liturgical Ministries:

The University of the Incarnate Word offers a variety of ways to become involved in the worship life of the campus. Whether you are a seasoned minister or new to ministry, training is provided each semester. We invite you to participate in any of the following ministries:

Altar Servers

Altar servers assist the priest at his direction in preparing various details of the liturgy. These may include carrying the cross in procession, assisting the presider with the Sacramentary, helping to prepare the altar table and vessels, lighting candles, preparing incense and other sacramentals.

Environment Team

Members of the environment team assist in preparing the chapel for the liturgical seasons - Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Ordinary Time.

Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion

Eucharistic Ministers assist in the distribution of the Body and Blood of Christ to the faithful during the Eucharistic celebrations.

Hospitality

Hospitality ministers welcome people as they arrive, hand out hymnals, take up the collection, and distribute the bulletin.

Lector (Reader)

Lectors proclaim Sacred Scripture - the Word of God - to the assembly. They may also assist in reading the Universal Prayer (Prayers of the Faithful) of the community.

Music Minister

The music ministry contributes to the worship life of the campus by offering a variety of musical styles - contemporary to traditional, vocal and instrumental - which prayerfully serve and enhance the sung prayer of our liturgies, both Catholic and ecumenical. Our choirs include students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community. Each choir rehearses weekly during the academic year in preparation for Sunday Masses and other liturgical services. Both choirs welcome instrumentalists. Those who serve in our cantor ministry participate regularly in the prayer life of the campus and are typically members of one of our choirs. Additional formation is provided for those interested in this ministry.

IJWTH (I Just Want to Help) Team

Unsure where you'd like to get involved? Join our IJWTH (I Just Want to Help) Team. We'll be in contact when we need specific help. Just respond to our communication, and we'll fill you in on all the details. Thanks in advance for your willingness to share your time and talents! For more information, please email: ministry@uiwtx.edu or call: (210) 829-3128.

St. Isidore Virtual Ministry

We look to St. Isidore of Seville, patron saint of the internet to guide us as we continue to serve our UIW community through virtual means when possible and appropriate. Our St. Isidore Virtual Ministry’s mission, using audio and visual technology, is to spiritually and pastorally support and lift up our UIW family near and far. Technology can be a gift in offering our loved ones an opportunity to join our university family on occasion. It can also lessen the distance which separates our many UIW campuses (including those abroad). And, it can keep us connected to our campus faith community when we must be separated due to illness. Below are short descriptions for some of the various opportunities to live out this unique ministry:

Livestream minister: Livestream ministers (our “A/V angels”) are responsible for working our streaming equipment and assist in keeping our campus community connected when we must be apart. They also assist in keeping our virtual services Livestreaming is available for our Sunday 11 a.m. Mass and other special services (as noted in our worship schedule).

St. Isidore Liturgical Minister: St. Isidore Liturgical Ministers lead prayer virtually by ministering as prayer leaders or readers.

Ps 98 Music Ministry: The Ps. 98 Music Ministry was an outgrowth of the COVID-19 pandemic when in-person worship and choir rehearsals were not possible. We learned we could still “Sing a new song” in a virtual space. This music ministry facilitates online sung and instrumental prayer when necessary.

For more information or to sign up, please contact:

Lena Gokelman, Director of Music Ministries and Coordinator of Liturgy
Carmen Aguilera, Liturgy and Music Assistant
Email: ministry@uiwtx.edu