Apr. 11, 2012; Holy Cross House
Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame
Today, our Provincial Administration announced that I will become the Religious Superior at Holy Cross House beginning July 1, 2023. I am delighted to be part of our medical facility and retirement center. It is home to 45 Holy Cross Religious. The house also plays an important role for other Holy Cross priests and brothers who are ill throughout the United States.
In 1976, while in college, I served there as an orderly. I witnessed in the beginning of my religious life the care we have for our older and ill religious. I am humbled to be part of the healing mission of Holy Cross House. I am grateful to the Congregation of Holy Cross to serve in this new position.
For people who share a bright light of leadership in the Church. May they focus their light on relieving poverty, hunger, and homelessness for the survival of our families.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who shiver under bushel baskets and who hide their lives in fear. May we realize our lives are true gifts from the joy and light of Jesus Christ.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who stumble in the dark of loneliness, depression, and destructive addictions. May they spark an inner light of compassion and self-care.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who face the dark times of unemployment, cancer detection, and physical hardships. May we shed light on restoring dignity and healing to all people.
We pray to the Lord.
For people lost in the dark shadows of war. May we bring supplies for survival and negations for peace along all the perimeters of despair and violence.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who have lost family businesses, farmlands, water-rights, and employment. May dark greed not overwhelm our livelihoods. May our futures reside in the light of concern for the basics of life and family survival.
We pray to the Lord.
For people lost in the past. May the dark memories of abuse, neglect, grief, and inner hatred not destroy the beauty of our gifts or our children’s futures.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. May our loved ones find the light and joy of heaven.
For people who struggle to be Church leaders. May our trailblazers surrender to God’s compassion in times of division and uncertainty.
We pray to the Lord.
For people threatened by the violence of grief. May those who have lost employment, family relationships, and even courage, discover the healing presence of Jesus Christ.
We pray to the Lord.
For people tethered to past accomplishments so to make their appearance shine falsely bright. May Christ cut our ties to pride and selfishness.
We pray to the Lord.
For people living under the siege of war, mass shootings, and utter violence and chaos. May we work diligently for justice across every nation under heaven.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who will never believe their own worth. May we surrender to the beauty of life even when the shroud of depression and mental illness covers our perspectives, decisions, and our faith.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who have lost the security of home. May we build a network of hope for those who survive outside with not only boards and nails but with lives of courage.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who hang their heads in shame. May they finally stand on solid ground of love and forgiveness where they will inherit inner joy.
We pray to the Lord.
For our loved ones who have died. May our beloved find home and eternal gladness in the face of Jesus Christ. May we rejoice with them here on earth.
For people striving to follow Christ in unity. May the Holy Spirit lead us in harmony no matter the spiritual cost.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who hear the call to leave everything and follow unknown paths. May Christ Jesus lead us all to surrender our hearts to love under heaven.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who live in tangled nets of selfishness and hopelessness. May Christ’s voice free us to walk on shores of love and vibrant hope.
We pray to the Lord.
For people netted in fear and self-doubt and who keep the risk of faith at bay. May Christ call us all to discipleship of courageous action.
We pray to the Lord.
For people lost upon landscapes of mistrust and hardship where their hearts remain baron and anxious. May Christ speak hope in every despairing life.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who have burned their feet upon the shores of hatred and greed. May Christ carry us along the paths of respect for all humanity.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who carry personal burdens and family secrets. May Christ unleash mercy upon those who needlessly bear on their shoulders the burdens of the world.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who long to reach the eternal shore. May Christ lead our beloved dead safely home to the promises of heaven.
For the health and wellbeing of Francis, our Pope, and all who shepherd us toward honesty and integrity. May we not stumble on false pride and entitlement.
We pray to the Lord.
For a loving remembrance of our common baptism. May we learn with childlike awe to claim our authority of faith from the healing voice of God. May our waters of baptism break into new life of healing and hope for all people on earth.
We pray to the Lord.
For a vital listening to God’s voice in days of thunderous echoes of hatred and violence. May our hearts be attuned to the subtle sounds of love upon the earth.
We pray to the Lord.
For nations plagued with uprisings, conflicts, and wars. May God’s authority of peace be entrusted to us in liberating our people from corruption.
We pray to the Lord.
For people blanketed in self-doubt and mental fatigue. May we warm those suffering from emotional disorders with words of hope and actions of friendship.
We pray to the Lord.
For children pushed into corners of neglect and abuse. May the true authority of love shelter the most vulnerable in our world. May the next generation find within us a desire for peace and security.
We pray to the Lord.
For our elderly ambushed by loneliness and insufficient healthcare. May we open our eyes to those who weep in the nighttime. May the Holy Spirit reveal hope to all marginalized people.
We pray to the Lord.
For people shivering in grief. May those who have lost love on earth find hope in the promise of heaven for their families and friends who have died.
Broken But Not Divided 