2021 Christmas Night Mass and Saint Ignatius House Trick Art Stairs Blessing Ceremony

At 8 p.m. on the 24th (Friday) last week, Father Song Bong-mo’s officiating ceremony at Saint Ignatius House was consecrated to the Lord’s Christmas Night Mass. The evening mass was attended by a total of 92 people, including President Sim Jong-hyeok, Executive Director Cho In-young, President of the Jesuit Community Father Woo Jae-myong, Father Kim Min-hoe, Dean of the Campus Ministry Kim Sang-yong, and the Jesuit Priests’ Association.

During the ceremony, Father Song said, “We have been deeply impacted by Covid-19, but looking at what finally overthrew Goliath, it was not a victor stronger and bigger than Goliath himself, but rather a boy conceived by faith. Just like David, what is important in times of pain and tribulation is the recovery of our faith.” He added, “In this mass, we gather our hands to recover our faith.”

President Sim said, “A true image of Christmas for me is that of Jesus reaching out to the darkest and most difficult places with a seed of hope and life.” He added, “My hope is that you may welcome Christmas with conviction that the Lord will revive life and sow new hope in the darkest and most torment-ridden places in this painful time dictated by the era of Covid-19.”

Prior to the Christmas Mass, the Blessing Ceremony for the Trick Art Stairs at Saint Ignatius House was held. Trick art is an art technique that expresses a picture three-dimensionally and realistically using light reflection, refraction, shading, and perspective. The “Albatross Bird,” a symbol of Sogang University, was drawn on the stairs of Saint Ignatius House using this art technique. This work was produced thanks to the alumni donations made by Executive Vice President of Research & External Affairs Kim Soon-kee and Kim Yeong-cheol (Business Administration, ’70) in their yearning to provide a meaningful landmark space for Sogang students.

Meanwhile, this Christmas Night Mass was the first face-to-face High Mass to be held by Campus Ministry Affairs since the start of the pandemic. The number of attendees in the cathedral was limited to 99, and registrations were accepted beforehand in order to abide by the quarantine guidelines.

▲ Photo taken in front of the albatross taking flight at Saint Ignatius House with (from left to right) Executive Vice President Kim Soon-kee of Research & External Affairs, President Sim Jong-hyeok, Executive Vice President Song Tai-kyong of Academic Affairs, and Dean of Campus Ministry Affairs Kim Sang-yong