Carlow University provides Catholics and non-Catholics with opportunities for on-campus worship. With the Eucharist as the center of our Catholic faith, the Blessed Sacrament is always on in McAuley Chapel on the fifth floor of the University Commons. The chapel is accessible 24/7 with your ID card. All are invited to spend some quiet time in prayer or to add your personal intentions to the Book of Community Prayer that is beside the Tabernacle. 

Opportunities for Catholics include:

A priest with outstretched hands is bent over a table with a woman in front of him inside McCauley Chapel.
  • Weekly Mass celebrated at 6 p.m. Sundays, when the University is in session, and 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays in McAuley Chapel. All are welcome to attend daily Mass at the Sister of Mercy Convent Sundays at 9:30 a.m. 
  • Eucharistic Adoration is available 1 p.m. Thursdays (immediately after Mass) until 2 p.m.
  • Reconciliation or Confession is available by appointment. 
  • Baptism and Confirmation are part of the Sacraments of Initiation for people who would like to formally prepare for full reception in the Catholic Church. We work with St. Paul Cathedral Parish to prepare students for reception at Easter Vigil Mass. Contact Campus Ministry if  you would like more information about the RCIA (Rite for Christian Initiation of Adults) process. Weekly meetings begin in September.

Interfaith prayer opportunities

All are welcome to worship with Catholics or in their own faith traditions. 

  • Interfaith Prayer Room — All are welcome to pray in the McAuley Chapel; however, some may be more comfortable in the Interfaith Prayer Room, located on a quiet hallway on the fifth floor of University Commons. The room is divided with a solid blue rug for your shoes, and an open space for you to pray. The room is oriented toward Mecca for our Muslim community members, but there is adequate space for individuals of any tradition. You’ll find a basket and shelves for your prayer rugs and a variety of holy books for prayer and study. Please leave the room unlocked and tidy when you are finished.
  • Monthly Praise and Worship Services — Services are held in McAuley Chapel once a month at 8 p.m. Wednesdays. All are invited. Bring your instrument and share your talents. The Carlow University Portal will list specific dates.
  • Pray the Rosary Join us in McAuley Chapel at 12:30 p.m. Fridays for the Rosary. This is a communal prayer where we reflect on various events in the life of Jesus Christ and ask the first apostle, His mother Mary, to intercede.
  • Faith Community Directory Oakland has many churches, synagogues and houses of worship. Come by the Office of Campus Ministry to pick up a directory of over 30 faith communities in the Greater Oakland area. You can also find the most updated information at www.carlow.edu/campusministry. 
  • Book of Prayer One of the ways we live out the Spiritual Works of Mercy is by praying for each other. Inside McAuley Chapel, there is a Book of Prayer. This is held with reverence because it includes prayers and intentions of all members of the Carlow community. We invite you to write your prayers anonymously or to list your name. Individuals pray for the intentions written in the book each day.

Carlow University Campus Ministry has an active chapter of  the Interfaith Youth Core with student leaders trained at the Interfaith Leadership Institute. 

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