Rev. Michael Cover, a professor in the theology department, began the Canterbury Fellowship through Campus Ministry in August as a resource for Anglican and Episcopalian students.
Cover said he was approached by students asking for an Episcopal chapel ever since he started working at Marquette four years ago. “It was persistent asking that led to the beginning of this. The idea was to have a place for Episcopal and Anglican students to come.”
The daily fellowship takes place in the Joan of Arc Chapel at 4:30 p.m. and seeks to include everyone interested, not just those of certain denominations.
“Jesuit colleagues have come to the service. Catholics and Protestants have come. It’s an ecumenical space. I didn’t want it to be a Eucharistic service,” Cover said. “It’s a service of the word to include everyone.”
The service is 25 to 30 minutes long and is centered around scripture and song.
“(The Canterbury Fellowship is) very much a ministry of presence … I often talk to my students about the Episcopal church, and I feel like the Anglican tradition has something to offer to compliment Jesuit spirituality,” Cover said.
Hannah Fouks, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, and Sebastian Becerra, a senior in the College of Communication, have attended the services intermittently because they are students of Cover, who encouraged them to attend.
“I think it’s a good time to take out of your day and just spend half an hour to reflect on why we’re here in college and refocus after a long day of classes. (The service has) a very somber, reflective attitude, so it allows you to have the same,” Fouks said.
The service is a new experience for those who aren’t Episcopalian, but it is definitely worth checking out, Becerra said.
“It’s very heavy on prayer and singing hymns, and I think it’s a great way to take a 30-minute break from your day and connect with God,” Becerra said.
Cover is also working with St. Mark’s Episcopal Church to get a ministry started at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In the future, he said he hopes for the community to grow and bond. For now, the focus is on holding the services daily and encouraging people to come.
“I’m very grateful to be able to use the beautiful space in Joan of Arc. I’m a guest in a Jesuit space. It’s a great sign of hospitality from the Jesuits. Not all Catholic universities are so open to other Christian denominations having ministries,” he said.
