The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

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My Year End Gift to Mater Dolorosa

“Such a special place for me. If you are having a hard time figuring-out what God’s plan is for you, spend a weekend         here and hear Him speak to you…”  A Retreatant

Please Scroll down to make your year end gift to Mater Dolorosa.

In the book of Hosea, God invites us “to come to the desert to pray and He will speak to our hearts.”  In the stillness of the sacred grounds of Mater Dolorosa, spirits are nourished with the solitude of silence, meditation and prayer.  For people of faith, like you and me, a weekend retreat is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

This past year more than 2,000 men and women experienced a renewal of their faith, the love of God and hope in their lives at their weekend retreat.  Many of them were able to attend because of your generous gifts.

We want to thank you and express our gratitude for your continued loyal support of the Passionist mission and ministry that enables us to offer weekend retreats and special programs to so many men and women year after year. You are a special member of the Mater Dolorosa family.

It is through your spirit of generosity that we welcome all who wish to hear the message of the Passion. That is why I humbly ask you to consider making a special year-end gift today of $25, $50, $100, $500, $1,000 or whatever you can give.  You can take comfort in knowing that your gift has helped to transform the life of someone who is in need of God’s special grace.

The Passionist Community, the staff and the Board of Directors who work to serve you, our Mater Dolorosa Family, join me in thanking you for your generous support and love.

May your family be filled with joy and love during the beautiful seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  You remain in our prayers.

P.S.  For tax purposes, year-end donations must be received in the Retreat Center Office, postmarked, or made online no later than December 31, 2016. 

All Souls Prayer

All Souls' Day

Remembering Your Loved Ones

maryIn a few weeks the Church will celebrate the Feast of All Souls on November 2. On the Feast of All Souls we remember all those who have gone before us into life after this life on earth. They are our parents or grandparents, friends, co-workers, mentors, siblings, or even in some cases, our children or grandchildren. We have precious memories of them while they were still with us, whether we knew them for a long time or only briefly.

I say “have” and not “had” because our faith tells us that in Jesus Christ, not even death has the power to cut us off from our loved ones! It has become more and more clear to me that God is, above all, a God of relationships. Even the fact that God has been revealed to us as One God but also as Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is an indication of the relational nature of God.

We remember our loved ones, give thanks for the gifts they are to us and ask them to pray for us in heaven. The Passoonists invite you to join us in prayerful remembrance of these wonderful people. Your prayers will be united with ours by offering a special All Souls’ Day Mass for those who have passed away. Throughout the month of November, we continue our prayer for those who have been recommended to us.

To enroll your deceased loved ones in our special Masses and prayers, click on the donate now button. We will include them in our prayers throughout the month of November. We are truly honored to pray for the needs of our friends.

We Passionists vow to “keep alive the memory of the Passion” and seek to help people develop their relationship with God. Your support helps us continue that ministry in our preaching and service to God’s people.

Thank you for being in a relationship with us and our mission. God truly blesses us in knowing you and in being given the opportunity to remember in prayer those you love.

Fr-Mike-for-emailWith gratitude to God, I remain, in Christ,

Sincerely yours,
fr-mike-higgins-sig
Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P.
Spiritual Director

During this time of sacred remembrance,
we bring before God the names of our
loved ones who have passed from this
life. We acknowledge our enduring
love; we express our hope that they be
eternally blessed, and we share our
desire to be reunited with them in the
everlasting glory made possible through
the Resurrection of Christ Jesus.

Prayer for All Souls

Loving God, we remember now in
prayer our dearly departed. May they
rest in peace with you and experience
the eternal joy of heaven. Heal our grief,
merciful Lord, strengthen our hope
that we, too, will one day share in the
resurrection of your Son who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

Christmas

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.

Isaiah 9:5 (nab)

For me, the best part of decorating a Christmas tree is putting on the ornaments. Every family, it seems, has ornaments we cannot envision not being on the tree. They may have been passed down to us through several generations, or they may signify certain events in the life of our particular family. These ornaments are special to us, and we make sure they are in a prominent place on the tree.

Every year, we send you two Christmas tree ornaments. The one you keep has a prayer which recalls the true meaning of Christmas. The other ornament has space for a name and prayer intentions. Each ornament we receive from benefactors, like you, is a reminder of the intentions we pray for during the Christmas season. Our Christmas trees will be covered in ornaments, and we hope that this Christmas your name and intentions will be hanging on one of our Christmas trees.

We Passionists take a vow to promote the memory of the Passion of Jesus. That emphasis on the Passion does not prevent us from celebrating the joy of Christmas, as we remember the birth of Jesus and the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation! We strive to proclaim the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ to as many people as we can. Your help is more than just decoration on the “tree,” so to speak, of our mission. Your generosity contributes to the life of that “tree!”

When you send us your Christmas ornament to put on our Christmas trees, consider sending us a donation as well. Any amount helps us to continue our ministry as Passionists. We ask you to give what you can.

Regardless of the amount you give, your name will also be included in our Christmas prayers.

You are certainly a gift to us Passionists. Our prayer for you is that your Christmas may be filled with the joy and peace that the child Jesus came to bring to the whole world. We pray for you daily.

May the Birth of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, be Always in our hearts!

Fr-Mike-for-email

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph,

Yours in the Holy Family,
fr-mike-higgins-sig-white
Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P.
Spiritual Director

P.S. Please join us daily in prayer:
https://passionist.org/category/daily-reflections

Christmas Card

GOOD NEWS OF JOY

Our Savior is Born!

May His coming bring you peace and blessings this Christmas.

This Spiritual Bouquet is a
Christmas Gift to You.
You and Your Loved Ones
will be remembered
in a Special Christmas
Novena of Masses
offered by the
Priests and Brothers
of the Passionist Community.

Merry Christmas

All Souls' Day

Remembering Your Loved Ones

mary-brightThe Church will celebrate the Feast of All Souls on November 2. On the Feast of All Souls we remember all those who have gone before us into life after this life on earth. They are our parents or grandparents, friends, co-workers, mentors, siblings, or even in some cases, our children or grandchildren. We have precious memories of them while they were still with us, whether we knew them for a long time or only briefly.

I say “have” and not “had” because our faith tells us that in Jesus Christ, not even death has the power to cut us off from our loved ones! It has become more and more clear to me that God is, above all, a God of relationships. Even the fact that God has been revealed to us as One God but also as Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is an indication of the relational nature of God.

We remember our loved ones, give thanks for the gifts they are to us and ask them to pray for us in heaven. The Passonists invite you to join us in prayerful remembrance of these wonderful people. Your prayers will be united with ours by offering a special All Souls’ Day Mass for those who have passed away. Throughout the month of November, we continue our prayer for those who have been recommended to us.

To enroll your deceased loved ones in our special Masses and prayers, click here. We will include them in our prayers throughout the month of November. We are truly honored to pray for the needs of our friends.

We Passionists vow to “keep alive the memory of the Passion” and seek to help people develop their relationship with God. Your support helps us continue that ministry in our preaching and service to God’s people.

Thank you for being in a relationship with us and our mission. God truly blesses us in knowing you and in being given the opportunity to remember in prayer those you love.

Fr-Mike-for-emailWith gratitude to God, I remain, in Christ,

Sincerely yours,
fr-mike-higgins-sig
Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P.
Spiritual Director

During this time of sacred remembrance,
we bring before God the names of our
loved ones who have passed from this
life. We acknowledge our enduring
love; we express our hope that they be
eternally blessed, and we share our
desire to be reunited with them in the
everlasting glory made possible through
the Resurrection of Christ Jesus.

Prayer for All Souls

Loving God, we remember now in
prayer our dearly departed. May they
rest in peace with you and experience
the eternal joy of heaven. Heal our grief,
merciful Lord, strengthen our hope
that we, too, will one day share in the
resurrection of your Son who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

September Benefactors

May You Find Comfort and Assurance

We continue to be blessed as we celebrate this Jubilee Year of Mercy, under the grace-filled leadership of Pope Francis. Formed by our faith and Pope Francis’ encouragement, we each are challenged to live out the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.

One of the Spiritual Works of Mercy that is central to our Passionist Family is the call to “pray for the living and the dead”. Among the many scriptural foundations for this special work of mercy are the words of St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone…” (1 Timothy 2:1, NABRE). These words both support and challenge us to be intercessors, to lift up all people to God – both living and dead, especially those most in need of our prayer!

I invite you to join us in this spiritual work of mercy, this “prayer for the living and the dead and share with us your various intentions. Perhaps a relative is celebrating a birthday or is sick and in special need of healing. Perhaps your prayer request centers on gratitude to God for your experience of His merciful love, or perhaps you join us in praying for peace and justice in our world. In this mailing you’ll find a reply form to list your intentions which you can then return to us for inclusion in our daily community prayer.

Also included is a Passionist Spiritual Gift folder, which is an excellent way of communicating to your family and friends your prayerful support. As you use this card and your intentions are shared with us, we’ll add the intentions to our prayer lists – and then make sure replacement cards are sent to you for your continued use. We appreciate the sacrificial donation you send along with your prayer intentions. It expresses your generous support of our community’s prayer ministry and all our Passionist ministries of preaching and spiritual direction. Thank you!

May God bless us all as this Jubilee Year of Mercy continues to transform
our lives! We Passionists join with you in living out the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, beginning with our families and communities and reaching out to our brothers and sisters worldwide. As we Passionists pray each day: “May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts!”

Fr-Mike-for-emailUnited with you in prayer, in Jesus Crucified,

fr-mike-higgins-sig-white

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P.
Spiritual Director

“O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.”

~ PSALM 63:1-3 (NRSV)

The Passionists

Every day the Passionists prayerfully remember all who have been enrolled in their Spiritual Enrollment Program. Individuals enrolled in this program are remembered daily in the prayers of the Passionist Community.

Paul Daneo, Founder of the Passionists, felt called as a young man in 1720 to establish a religious community that would tell the world about the Passion of Jesus Christ. After many trials, Paul received the Church’s blessing to gather companions in northern Italy and begin this work. He was later canonized in 1867 and became the first of many Passionists honored by the Church for their outstanding holiness of life.

As the Passionists, we are known to be Preachers of the Passion of Jesus. Our monasteries are houses of prayer. Our distinctive mission is carried on through spiritual retreat centers, the labor of missionaries and pastors, and in service to those who share the Passion of Christ because of illness, injustice, or poverty.