Weinberg sophomore Robin Shannon actually is excited about doing her homework this weekend. For her Introduction to Christianity class, she’ll do something that thousands of Catholics will choose to do this weekend: attend an Easter Vigil.
“I’ve never been to a Catholic Mass before, and I think it’ll be fun since everyone will be all dressed up,” said Shannon. “It’s key timing to visit a church for the first time since Easter is the core of the Christian faith.”
Even without the assignment, the week of Passover and Easter means that both Evanston residents and Northwestern students will put aside time to celebrate their core religious beliefs.
Brad Zinn, the college pastor at Evanston Vineyard Christian Fellowship, said Easter also gives students a chance to explore new religious options in Evanston.
“We will have a definite increase of college-aged students at our Sunday service,” Zinn said. “For Christians, it’s the biggest day of the year, because we celebrate the Resurrection, which is the foundation of Christian faith. It’s also a day for people who are curious to check things out.”
Weinberg junior Molly Newland said she might try a new option for Easter.
“I go to Mass a lot more when I’m at home,” Newland said. “Since Easter is an important holiday, I may go to (Sheil Catholic Center), but I’d like to try a Mass in Chicago.”
Teresa Corcoran, office manager of Sheil, said the center expects a large crowd for the holiday. About 1,000 students will visit the center over Easter weekend, which is nearly twice as many as an average Sunday, Corcoran said.
University Chaplain Timothy Stevens said there will be several events on campus to celebrate Easter, including the Good Friday “Stations of the Cross” procession today and an Easter sunrise service at 6 a.m. on Clark Beach.
The Good Friday procession begins at 10 a.m. at Alice Millar Chapel.
Stevens estimated that Alice Millar, which draws 100 to 200 people to regular services, will be full on Easter Sunday with more than 600 students and Evanston residents.
Many Christian students will celebrate Easter at campus and community services, but most Jewish students who stayed on campus observed Passover with friends and other students in private residences.
“We’ll visit the synagogue for the high holidays like Yom Kippur, but Seder is more often celebrated in students’ apartments or by enjoying the NU community,” said Rabbi Dov Hillel Klein, director of Tannenbaum Chabad House.
Approximately 150 Jewish students participated in four Seders across campus April 7 and 8.
While the public celebration of the holidays is a once-a-year event for some, other students say they’ll strive to celebrate the core of their faith year-round.
“I plan to carry on my normal activities this weekend,” said Weinberg senior Charley Ding. “I’ll go to church in the morning, and spend some personal time with God in the afternoon.”
