Gabriela Engholm ‘27
Every Sunday night at 9pm, Gordon students stream into a dark chapel lit only by a dim projector and small LED candles lining the pews. It’s the same sanctuary students and faculty gather to worship in on weekdays, but there is also something profoundly different. Perhaps it is the darkness that welcomes everyone as they are, because in the dark they are all but silhouettes. Or perhaps it is the sense that every student is there because they want to be; despite the late hour and the cold telling them to stay at home, these students chose to gather and worship. Whatever the reason, this student-led worship service has been impacting students for forty years.
In 1985, a group of students began gathering on Sundays at 10pm to worship by (real!) candlelight in Gillies. The purpose was simply to host a space for fellow students to worship freely and comfortably. They did this by calling back to the catacombs (underground cemeteries) of Ancient Rome. An underground grave may seem like a strange ambience to foster, but early Christians had a fond relationship with the catacombs. Believers would honor their brothers and sisters who were buried in the Catacombs by worshipping alongside them, filled with the hope of the resurrection.
After switching to fake candles, migrating to the AJ Gordon Memorial Chapel, and being adopted by the Chapel worship cabinet, Catacombs looks a little different. However, over the decades, Catacombs has maintained the heart of its mission statement to “create the setting and opportunity for the Gordon community to come together weekly in corporate and individual worship of the Lord through music, prayer, and scripture.” Under the current leadership of Eliza Weigelt (‘25) and Sefora Morales (‘27), Catacombs has grown in its mission by incorporating a greater diversity of worship traditions into its musical repertoire. Through this, the co-leaders hope to develop a more full expression of the body of Christ. Catacombs services involve various genres of worship music and have involved more languages (predominantly Spanish) within that.
Sunday night is a unique time to worship for students. Co-leader Eliza Weigelt calls it “a bridge between the end of one week and the beginning of the next,” where students can meditate on the previous week and recenter themselves for the next. The dimly-lit chapel is a space for students to cast their burdens on the Lord, seeing no one but hearing the voices of their brothers and sisters around them. Even though faces are hidden in darkness, there is a distinct awareness of community as believers lift their voices in unified worship to God.
The Catacombs band—fondly referred to as the Cats—takes great joy in guiding their peers in worship. Fueled by prayer, the typical format of a Catacombs service consists of 7 songs, 2 scripture readings, a time of reflection, and ends with the Doxology sung a cappella. The Doxology in particular is a staple of Catacombs, and it is always beautiful to hear voices filling the space of the chapel, echoing praise to the Lord. The service typically takes worshippers through a pattern of Creation, Fall, and Redemption, starting and ending with joy. After the service ends, students are encouraged to “Go in peace,” a blessing for the week to come. The consistency, community, and peace that Catacombs provides makes it an integral piece of the Gordon experience.
See you Sunday 
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