Uncategorized
All Occasion Cards are Available
Dear Passionist Family,
When I think of St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionists, I think of a person with an open heart.
As a young man, he felt called to dedicate his life to God. He tried many things in answering that call, until he was inspired to gather companions to promote the memory of the Passion of Jesus Christ.
I imagine that when Paul looked at the world of his time, it was very much akin to the scene in the Gospels when Jesus looked at the crowds and felt for them, for they were lost and abandoned, like “sheep without a shepherd.” For Paul, the people were in such a state because they had forgotten how much God loved them, and the way to remind them was to proclaim the Passion of Jesus Christ as the most profound sign of God’s love for the world.
We Passionists strive to continue that mission today, as there are many who have forgotten that God loves them. There are many who carry their own crosses in their lives.
We have cards available that you can use to share this message of God’s love. They cover a variety of occasions and give you an opportunity to share your care for somebody in need of comfort. As you use the cards for your loved one, please send us the names of the people you want to be remembered in our daily prayers.
Your support helps us Passionists continue our life and mission in the years ahead. Please consider including a donation when you send the names to be remembered in our prayers. We thank you for being a part of our mission of proclaiming the Passion of Jesus and bringing hope to the crucified of today.
May God continue to bless you and those you love. We ask that you continue to pray for us as we pray for you.
In Jesus Crucified,
Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P.
Spiritual Director
Chapter Newsletter – May 31, 2023
In this issue
- VIDEO: Our Provincial Chapter is Here!
- A Deeper Integration of Charism
- VIDEO: The Passionist Way with Paul Wadell
- What Does it Mean to be Anti-Racist
- A Moment of Synodality
- Join Us for our Final Walk with Us Thursday
- Prayer for the 36th Provincial Chapter
Our Passionist Family: The Call of the Charism
Our Passionist Charism knows no bounds, calls us to remember our interconnectedness and compels us beyond our comfort zones to seek justice with love.
Visit the Chapter Website
A Deeper Integration of Charism
By Phil Paxton, CP
Early in our Chapter preparation process, Fr. Jim Strommer, C.P., shared with us the consideration of our upcoming Chapter as a “formation” Chapter. It would not be a Chapter along the lines of Chapters in the past where decisions were made that were to be implemented by leadership. At the same time, it would not be the same as the last Chapter, where visioning was the driving force and action steps were discussed and considered.
No, this Chapter would hopefully lead us into a deeper integration of our Passionist Charism, our identity as a Passionist Family and our awareness of important issues such as care for our common home, cultural and racial diversity and equity, migration and the plight of millions of migrants and shared leadership, all within the context of Synodality.
Now what I just wrote can seem like a mouthful of buzzwords and trendy jargon. But these terms speak to us about the situations of real people, including ourselves. It is important for me to realize that formation is not divorced from visioning, nor is it isolated from making important decisions. Formation informs how we look at the world and what is going on in our times. It informs our vision and our discernment. Formation informs not only the decisions we may make, but how they are made, and with whom.
If I am honest with myself, I know that I am not perfectly formed. A Chapter meeting, no matter how profound and meaningful it may be, will not complete my formation, but I hope it will help me, and help us, to continue to grow.
I hope to continue to grow in understanding what it means to be Passionist. I hope to continue to be open to learning from my brother and sister Passionists, both vowed and lay. I hope to be open to learning from the people with whom I work, and those whom I am called to serve. And I hope to be open to learn from any source of education and formation that may come my way. I do not believe I am unique in this. My apologies if this all sounds trite and obvious.
May our Chapter help keep us on the path where the Holy Spirit is leading us.
The Passionist Way with Paul Wadell
Paul Wadell give the history and evolution of The Passionist Way.
What Does it Mean to be Anti-Racist
Compiled from an Article by Anna North June 3, 2020, VOX and Ibram X. Kendi TED Talk
Remember Amy Cooper, a white woman, who called the police on Christian Cooper, a black man who was bird watching in New York’s Central Park, because he asked her to put her dog on a leash. He videoed her saying “I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.” The video went viral.
When she made a public apology, she began by saying “I’m not a racist.” Maybe that’s likely what most of us would say, especially if we have just done something racist.
Ibram X. Kendi, Director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University, wrote a book entitled “How to Be an Anti-racist,” published in 2019. In it he states, “The opposite of ‘racist’ isn’t ‘not racist,’” he writes. “It is ‘antiracist.’”
The term itself has come to be used to describe what it means to actively fight against racism rather than passively claim to be non-racist. Anti-racism involves taking stock of and eradicating policies that are racist, that have racist outcomes and making sure that ultimately, we’re working towards a much more egalitarian, emancipatory society.
A Moment of Synodality
By Bob Choiniere, Chapter Facilitator
In just a few weeks, members of the Passionist Family will meet in Sierra Madre, California for the 36th Provincial Chapter meeting. Those gathered at the Chapter will engage in critical conversations about our charism, the call of the gospel and the signs of our times and the way we are being called to stand with the crucified in our world. But these conversations will not begin at the Chapter meeting. In fact, they have been occurring for many months. The Chapter will be the culminating moment of a much larger conversation that has been unfolding in the province for the past few years. Most recently, each Thursday this Spring, members of the Passionist Family have come together to listen and engage one another around future leaderships, migration, diversity, the environment and our Passionist Way.
Tomorrow, Thursday, June 1 (12:00 p.m. PT, 2:00 p.m. CT, 3:00 p.m. ET), we will take a moment to savor and gather the graces of all of these conversations and together discern what the Holy Spirit might be calling us to as we move ever closer to Chapter.
The meeting on June 1 will be a time to name what continues to resonate with you as you reflect on the Thursday conversations and to name the way that the Holy Spirit might be calling us to respond as a community of faith. In a word, it will be a moment of Synodality. We believe that the Holy Spirit resides in the hearts of every member of the Passionist Family. When we come together to listen and reflect, we participate in a collaborative effort to articulate the Holy Spirit’s call. Every person, every prophetic voice, every listening ear is needed. Therefore, I would like to invite you to attend the culminating meeting on June 1 and be part of the journey to discern what God’s desire is for us as we seek to authentically respond to God’s call.
Join us for Our Final Walk with Us Thursday
Walk with Us Thursdays Zoom Link
June 1 Preparing for Chapter
12:00 p.m. PT
2:00 p.m. CT
3:00 p.m. ET
Recordings of previous Walk with Us Thursdays
are available on the Chapter website.
Dios Amoroso,
We thank you, for You have led us
to grow together in the Passionist Way.
You have called us, not only as individuals,
but together as a Passionist Family,
juntos como hermanos y hermanas,
to recognize more and more the crucified of today.
We hold in our hearts and minds
all of crucified creation: migrants and refugees,
and those beset by poverty and violence, systemic racism,
injustice and oppression, pain and distress.
As we prepare for our upcoming Provincial Chapter,
keep us forever on the path we pray.
Help us to continue to hear the cries of the crucified,
as we work together as the visionaries You have called us to be.
Foster in us the leadership required to meet the needs of our times.
May whatever conclusions we draw, whatever actions we take,
be done en el amor de Cristo Crucificado, and in His name, we pray.
Amen.
Holy Cross Province
2023 Chapter
June 8-13, 2023
Sierra Madre, California
All materials for Chapter can be found
on the Chapter 2023 website at https://passionist.org/chapter2023/
Chapter Newsletter – May 17, 2023
In this issue
- Our Passionist Family: The Call of the Charism
- Why We May Actually be Preparing for Chapter 2027
- A Moment of Synodality
- Title 42: The Plight of Those Seeking Help
- A World Without Trash or Garbage
- Useful Words on Race, Gender, and Diversity
- Join us for Walk with Us Thursdays
- Prayer for the 36th Provincial Chapter
Our Passionist Family: The Call of the Charism
Our Passionist Charism knows no bounds, calls us to remember our interconnectedness and compels us beyond our comfort zones to seek justice with love.
Visit the Chapter Website
Why We May Actually be Preparing for Chapter 2027
By Pat Brennan, CP
I would like to share with all of our Passionist Family, vowed and lay, a few thoughts that have been filling my mind and heart during these past months of preparation for the 36th Provincial Chapter. Much of our conversation has centered around very important and critical topics, all of which I admire and believe is the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst. At the same time, I find myself struggling with some key questions and issues that I feel must be faced at this point in time in the life and history of Holy Cross Province.
To be sure, I have always thought of myself as being more of an idealist and a dreamer than a pragmatist or a hard-nosed realist. I suspect that those who know me well will agree. Yet, at this moment, I do believe there are a number of “realities” that simply cannot be ignored. These realities touch upon several things:
- Our proud history as a Province
- Our current membership of vowed members, and
- The work of the Holy Spirit who is guiding us as we continue to share our Passionist charism with lay Passionists and, consequently, all of God’s holy people.
“We stand on the shoulders of all those who have gone before us.” We vowed Passionists can and should be very proud of all that has been achieved in terms of community life and prayer, preaching ministry, and the deepening of the “memoria passionis” in the hearts and lives of the people of God through service and other ministries. We all vowed, prostrate at the altar, to do this with a special vow long ago and, by God’s grace, we can rightly take satisfaction with our collective history as a community of Passionist religious. And, even as we give thanks for the new life and growth in various parts of the Congregation worldwide, we can, without regret, look back and rejoice in all that has been done since the very founding of Holy Cross Province. We have a proud history and ample reason to be glad. However, the future will be shaped by others in new and different ways than what we have known and been familiar with in the past.
A Moment of Synodality
By Bob Choiniere, Chapter Facilitator
In just a few weeks, members of the Passionist Family will meet in Sierra Madre, California for the 36th Provincial Chapter meeting. Those gathered at the Chapter will engage in critical conversations about our charism, the call of the gospel and the signs of our times and the way we are being called to stand with the crucified in our world. But these conversations will not begin at the Chapter meeting. In fact, they have been occurring for many months. The Chapter will be the culminating moment of a much larger conversation that has been unfolding in the province for the past few years. Most recently, each Thursday this Spring, members of the Passionist Family have come together to listen and engage one another around future leaderships, migration, diversity, the environment and our Passionist Way.
On June 1 (12:00 p.m. PT, 2:00 p.m. CT, 3:00 p.m. ET), we will take a moment to savor and gather the graces of all of these conversations and together discern what the Holy Spirit might be calling us to as we move ever closer to Chapter.
The meeting on June 1 will be a time to name what continues to resonate with you as you reflect on the Thursday conversations and to name the way that the Holy Spirit might be calling us to respond as a community of faith. In a word, it will be a moment of Synodality. We believe that the Holy Spirit resides in the hearts of every member of the Passionist Family. When we come together to listen and reflect, we participate in a collaborative effort to articulate the Holy Spirit’s call. Every person, every prophetic voice, every listening ear is needed. Therefore, I would like to invite you to attend the culminating meeting on June 1 and be part of the journey to discern what God’s desire is for us as we seek to authentically respond to God’s call.
Title 42: The Plight of Those Seeking Help
Submitted by The Migration Commission
Title 42 has come and gone. Much hype was made about the chaos to come after the lifting of Title 42. The fact is that for many years agencies and refugee centers have been feeling the pressure to service all of God’s people who come seeking help. With so many desperate to escape the horrors in their own country they come here seeking a way to sustain their families. Below is an article that can give us a snapshot of the pressures and needs of a refugee center in Houston and their plight to service all that are seeking help. A reality I am sure all the agencies and refugee centers are currently experiencing.
Many Refugees, God’s People, Arriving in Houston – Help Needed
MAY 10, 2023 BY LOUISE ZWICK
Overwhelming numbers of migrants and refugees have been arriving at our doors—again. Several weeks before May 11, 2023, the date when thousands were expected at the border each day, more and more people have already been walking up to Casa Juan Diego asking for refuge.
We were already at capacity. We are over capacity. More people are arriving each day. People call from the border, from cities in other states to seek help for the relatively few of God’s people who have been able to enter the country.
Who Can Help With So Many Refugees Arriving?
A World Without Trash or Garbage
Submitted by The Laudato Si' Committee
How does the Ecological Conversion that Pope Francis calls us to play out in our mundane daily living? Like when we “take out the trash”?
Image by Manfred Antranias Zimmer from Pixabay
What IS trash? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary “trash” is “things that are no longer useful or wanted, and that have been thrown away; or useless waste or rejected matter.” And “waste” is defined as “damaged, defective, or superfluous material produced by a manufacturing process, such as hazardous waste and nuclear waste.” Some synonyms are “garbage” and rubbish”.
The Creator made a world where there was no trash, no garbage, and no waste. Built into Creation are cycles of death and regeneration that lead into ever more complex forms of life, with nothing wasted. In God’s Creation everything and everyone belongs. Biological processes like composting transform animals and plants that have completed their lives, releasing their molecules to build new Life.
A Words Matter: Useful Words on Race, Gender, and Diversity
Submitted by The Cultural and Racial Diversity Committee
Our country is going through a transformation with vigorous, renewed calls for cultural and racial equity, diversity and inclusion. Churches, social justice groups, educational institutions, corporations, and individual citizens are being proactive and speaking up throughout the country. Holy Cross Province is actively engaged in the transformation. A commitment was made during the 2022 Assembly by the Passionist Family to learn to live into the principles in the Holy Cross Province Statement on Cultural and Racial Diversity. The Province supports that effort with ongoing conversations and by keeping the document in focus in all the efforts of the Province as it prepares for our June Chapter.
Words matter. Language can be used to exclude and, conversely, to elevate and empower people. Commonality of language facilitates conversation and enhances mutual understanding,
Click here for a list of some words we are hearing more and more in the daily dialogue in our country, and our Province. It is a starting point for anyone seeking to educate themselves on important words related to diversity, equity and inclusion. The list was adapted from one published by Marguerite Ward of Business Insider ([email protected]), and other online sources.
Join us for Walk with Us Thursdays!
The Chapter Planning Committee (CPC) invites you to join us for Walk With Us Thursdays to prepare for the communal discernment that will take place at our June 2023 Chapter. These conversations will be held via Zoom at 4:30 pm, PDT; 5:30 pm, MDT; 6:30 pm, CDT; 7:30 pm, EDT.
Walk with Us Thursdays Zoom Link
Our next Walk With Us Thursday will be May 4, and our topic will be Migration.
As baptized Christians, educated in the Catholic faith, we are called to reflect on and have a comprehensive understanding of the sacred scriptures and the principles of Catholic social teaching. Our Passionist charism and mission enables us to give a Christ-like compassionate response to our suffering sisters and brothers in the world today. The desperate and painful cry of suffering migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers calls us to be conscious of their human and spiritual needs and mercifully meet them where they are. We need to respond with the open mind and heart of the Good Samaritan, as we hear Christ saying to us: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40, NABRE).
Please, join the Migration Commission as they help us reflect and have a conversation on the migration crisis event from the perspective of our gospel values and God-given call to serve our Crucified brothers and sisters. Be ready to share your faith experiences and discuss your community resources to help make this vision of our Passionist charism and mission come true.
Walk with Us Thursdays Zoom Link
Dios Amoroso,
We thank you, for You have led us
to grow together in the Passionist Way.
You have called us, not only as individuals,
but together as a Passionist Family,
juntos como hermanos y hermanas,
to recognize more and more the crucified of today.
We hold in our hearts and minds
all of crucified creation: migrants and refugees,
and those beset by poverty and violence, systemic racism,
injustice and oppression, pain and distress.
As we prepare for our upcoming Provincial Chapter,
keep us forever on the path we pray.
Help us to continue to hear the cries of the crucified,
as we work together as the visionaries You have called us to be.
Foster in us the leadership required to meet the needs of our times.
May whatever conclusions we draw, whatever actions we take,
be done en el amor de Cristo Crucificado, and in His name, we pray.
Amen.
Holy Cross Province
2023 Chapter
June 8-13, 2023
Sierra Madre, California
All materials for Chapter can be found
on the Chapter 2023 website at https://passionist.org/chapter2023/
We Want to Hear from You!
As we prepare for Chapter 2023, please feel free to reach out to the members of the Chapter Planning Committee with any proposals, thoughts, questions or suggestions. You can reach all members of the Committee at any time by emailing [email protected].
The Chapter Planning Committee
Faith Offman, Chair
Joe Castro
David Colhour, C.P.
Phil Paxton, C.P.
Jim Strommer C.P.
Elizabeth Velarde
Keith Zekind
Robert Choiniere, Facilitator
Regional Gatherings
Letter from the Provincial
Moments in Time
By Steve George
Fr. John Schork, CP, celebrated Mass, followed by a reception in St. Monica's parish hall.
Passionist Alumni around the country have been holding regional gatherings in person or on Zoom.
A recent gathering was held in St. Louis, Missouri, at St. Monica Parish in Creve Coeur.
Click on the image below to see more.
Chapter Newsletter – May 3, 2023
In this issue
- Walking Together Toward a New Leadership Model
- Personal Reflection on the Major Themes of Holy Cross Province
as we Approach the 36th Provincial Chapter - Through Hell to Hope: Migrants Trying to Reach the USA
- What is Privilege?
- VIDEO: An Exercise in Privilege
- Join Us for Walk with Us Thursdays
- Prayer for the 36th Provincial Chapter
Walking Together Toward a New Leadership Model
"...the role of the prophet is to keep the ministry
of imagination alive - imagine another way."
-Walter Brueggeman
We walk together and imagine a more synodal leadership model - let us continue the conversation.
Visit the Chapter Website
Personal Reflection on the Major Themes of Holy Cross Province
as we Approach the 36th Provincial Chapter
By David Colhour, CP
I am curious. As you have aged, what has been the biggest surprise for you in a positive, wonderful way? I would invite you to think about this question beyond just changes in your physical body. Rather than aches, pains and diminishment, what has bloomed for you as you have aged and matured? Has a particular virtue or spiritual advancement surprised you?
Several years back, I found myself fascinated with the issues and questions around solidarity. What is the value in finding solidarity with others? How can I be in solidarity with people who are outside my proximity? Is it possible to be in solidarity with people I have not met? As I have aged I certainly have wrestled with this moral puzzle. To my astonishment, I was not expecting it to challenge me like it has.
The news media has reported on numerous conflicts over the years, yet specifically, when the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine I was really torn up. I found myself reading the Russian newspapers in an attempt to glean even the slightest glimpse into something that did not make any sense. This daily exercise led me into the life and stories of people who were suffering, many of whom were not allowed to freely speak about their suffering. Solidarity was taking on a new meaning. After several months of the stories and images of this war before me, I was re-reading the Passionist Rule and Constitutions. This time, even though the words were the same, they sounded different.
We are aware that the Passion of Christ continues in this world until he comes in glory; therefore, we share in the joys and the sorrows of our contemporaries as we journey through life toward our Father. We wish to share in the distress of all, especially those were poor and neglected; we seek to offer them comfort and to relieve the burden of their sorrow.
Even the introduction in the recently promulgated Passionist Way reminds us,
We understand that Christ’s Passion and death are “no mere historical events. They are ever-present realities to people in the world of today, ‘crucified’ as they are by injustice, by the lack of a deep respect for human life, and by a hungry yearning for peace, truth, and the fullness of human existence”
Through Hell to Hope: Migrants Trying to Reach the USA
Submitted by The Migration Commission
FEBRUARY 28, 2023 BY ANONYMOUS
On September 23, 2022, my husband, my daughter and I decided to undertake a journey for a better future, for a better quality of life. We are from Venezuela, but had been living in Peru. Everything was going well when we started out in Peru, then Ecuador. Our nightmare began in Colombia. We entered into the Darién jungle on September 27. No one told us the horrible truth that is hidden in this jungle. We saw the dead left by their family members. Some children who did not have money were raped or even killed by paramilitary personnel.
I especially suffered due to being overweight. It was very difficult for me to climb the mountains. I was always the last one. It was always my nephew who waited to help me, because my husband was in charge of carrying the bags with our food and what little clothing we decided to keep after the first mountain.
I lost all of my toenails. I suffered a lot because no sooner had we started and my feet were already in bad shape. I crossed 2 mountains in only my socks because my toenails hurt so much and the bottoms of my feet were covered in blisters. It took us 12 days to traverse through the jungle. We ran out of food on day 10. For 2 days we drank water from the river and what we begged off of passersby. We were tired and weak, distressed because our daughter was weak.
We decided to take a shortcut across the river. It was a terrible decision because when I was halfway across the river a strong current caused me to lose my footing. I was slapped against a rock, in peril of drowning. My husband realized I was swallowing lots of water. He grabbed me by the hand the best he could and began to cry for help. Then a young man helped him to get me out of the river.
What is Privilege?
Submitted by The Cultural and Racial Diversity Committee
"Privilege" refers to certain social advantages, benefits, or degrees of prestige and respect that an individual has by virtue of belonging to certain social identity groups. Within American and other Western societies, these privileged social identities—of people who have historically occupied positions of dominance over others—include whites, males, heterosexuals, Christians, and the wealthy, among others.
An Exercise in Privilege: Watch this Video
Join us for Walk with Us Thursdays!
The Chapter Planning Committee (CPC) invites you to join us for Walk With Us Thursdays to prepare for the communal discernment that will take place at our June 2023 Chapter. These conversations will be held via Zoom at 4:30 pm, PDT; 5:30 pm, MDT; 6:30 pm, CDT; 7:30 pm, EDT.
Walk with Us Thursdays Zoom Link
Our next Walk With Us Thursday will be May 4, and our topic will be Migration.
As baptized Christians, educated in the Catholic faith, we are called to reflect on and have a comprehensive understanding of the sacred scriptures and the principles of Catholic social teaching. Our Passionist charism and mission enables us to give a Christ-like compassionate response to our suffering sisters and brothers in the world today. The desperate and painful cry of suffering migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers calls us to be conscious of their human and spiritual needs and mercifully meet them where they are. We need to respond with the open mind and heart of the Good Samaritan, as we hear Christ saying to us: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40, NABRE).
Please, join the Migration Commission as they help us reflect and have a conversation on the migration crisis event from the perspective of our gospel values and God-given call to serve our Crucified brothers and sisters. Be ready to share your faith experiences and discuss your community resources to help make this vision of our Passionist charism and mission come true.
Walk with Us Thursdays Zoom Link
Dios Amoroso,
We thank you, for You have led us
to grow together in the Passionist Way.
You have called us, not only as individuals,
but together as a Passionist Family,
juntos como hermanos y hermanas,
to recognize more and more the crucified of today.
We hold in our hearts and minds
all of crucified creation: migrants and refugees,
and those beset by poverty and violence, systemic racism,
injustice and oppression, pain and distress.
As we prepare for our upcoming Provincial Chapter,
keep us forever on the path we pray.
Help us to continue to hear the cries of the crucified,
as we work together as the visionaries You have called us to be.
Foster in us the leadership required to meet the needs of our times.
May whatever conclusions we draw, whatever actions we take,
be done en el amor de Cristo Crucificado, and in His name, we pray.
Amen.
Holy Cross Province
2023 Chapter
June 8-13, 2023
Sierra Madre, California
All materials for Chapter can be found
on the Chapter 2023 website at https://passionist.org/chapter2023/
We Want to Hear from You!
As we prepare for Chapter 2023, please feel free to reach out to the members of the Chapter Planning Committee with any proposals, thoughts, questions or suggestions. You can reach all members of the Committee at any time by emailing [email protected].
The Chapter Planning Committee
Faith Offman, Chair
Joe Castro
David Colhour, C.P.
Phil Paxton, C.P.
Jim Strommer C.P.
Elizabeth Velarde
Keith Zekind
Robert Choiniere, Facilitator
Chapter Newsletter – April 19, 2023
In this issue
- Prayer for Earth Day
- We Want to Hear from You!
- Are You Curious? What is Implicit Bias?
- Myths About Immigrants
- The Passionist Family Stands with Those Suffering from Air Pollution
- A Video Invitation to Walk with Us Thursdays
- Prayer for the 36th Provincial Chapter
Prayer For Earth Day
As Catholics and as Passionists, we have been asked by Pope Francis to seek the change of heart that is required to make the actions of the Laudato Siˊ Action Platform part of our daily lives.
As we approach Earth Day this Saturday, April 22, we pray, as Pope Francis said, for a “profound interior conversion” leading us toward a future in which “all people can prosper personally and economically in harmony with the gifts God has given us in nature.”
We Want to Hear from You!
As we prepare for Chapter 2023, please feel free to reach out to the members of the Chapter Planning Committee with any proposals, thoughts, questions or suggestions. You can reach all members of the Committee at any time by emailing [email protected].
The Chapter Planning Committee
Faith Offman, Chair
Joe Castro
David Colhour, C.P.
Phil Paxton, C.P.
Jim Strommer C.P.
Elizabeth Velarde
Keith Zekind
Robert Choiniere, Facilitator
Visit the Chapter Website
Are You Curious? What is Implicit Bias?
Implicit bias is an automatic reaction we all have towards other people. This could include automatic reactions to people of a different race, religion, gender or culture, and also folks who are overweight, old, physically disabled or of a different sexual orientation.
These attitudes and stereotypes can negatively impact our understanding, actions and decision-making. The idea that we can hold prejudices we do not want or believe was quite radical when it was first introduced. The fact that people may discriminate unintentionally continues to have implications for understanding disparities in so many aspects of society, including but not limited to health care, policing and education, as well as organizational practices like hiring and promotion.
Project Implicit is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and international collaborative of researchers who are interested in implicit social cognition.
The mission of Project Implicit is to educate the public about bias and to provide a “virtual laboratory” for collecting data on the internet. Project Implicit scientists produce high-impact research that forms the basis of our scientific knowledge about bias and disparities.
Project Implicit was founded in 1998 and is currently led by scientists from University of Washington, Harvard University and University of Virginia.
Myths About Immigrants
Submitted by The Migration Commission
Fr. Alfredo Ocampo, CP, and Joe Castro, Co-chairs
MYTH: Immigrants do not pay taxes.
Immigrants pay income, property, sales and other taxes at the local, federal and state level. As far as income tax payments go, sources vary in their accounts, but a range of studies find that immigrants pay between $90 and $140 billion a year in federal, state and local taxes. Undocumented immigrants pay income taxes as well, as evidenced by the Social Security Administration’s “suspense file” (taxes that cannot be matched to workers’ names and social security numbers), which grew by $20 billion between 1990 and 1998.
(http://www.immigrationforum.org/about/articles/tax_study.htm)
MYTH: Immigrants come here to take welfare.
Immigrants come to work and reunite with family members. Immigrant labor force participation is consistently higher than native‐born, and immigrant workers make up a larger share of the U.S. labor force (12.4%) than they do the U.S. population (11.5%). Moreover, the ratio between immigrant use of public benefits and the amount of taxes they pay is consistently favorable to the U.S. In one estimate, immigrants earn about $240 billion a year, pay about $90 billion a year in taxes, and use about $5 billion in public benefits. In another cut of the data, immigrant tax payments total $20 to $30 billion more than the amount of government services they use.
(“Questioning Immigration Policy – Can We Afford to Open Our Arms?”, Friends Committee on National Legislation Document #G‐606‐DOM, January 25, 1996.)
MYTH: Immigrants take jobs and opportunity away from Americans.
The largest wave of immigration to the U.S. since the early 1900s coincided with our lowest national unemployment rate and fastest economic growth. Immigrant entrepreneurs created jobs for U.S. and foreign workers, and foreign‐born students allow many U.S. graduate programs to keep their doors open. While there has been no comprehensive study done of immigrant‐owned businesses, we have countless examples: in Silicon Valley, companies begun by Chinese and Indian immigrants generated more than $19.5 billion in sales and nearly 73,000 jobs in 2000.
(Richard Vedder, Lowell Gallaway, and Stephen Moore, Immigration and Unemployment: New Evidence, Alexis de Tocqueville Institution, Arlington, VA (Mar. 1994), p. 13)
The Passionist Family Stands with Those Suffering from Air Pollution
This past winter, the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] asked for feedback from the public on whether they should raise the pollution standards that regulate soot pollution. Catholics around the United States answered the call. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops signed on to a letter with many other Christian denominations, asking that soot standards be raised to the science-based level that was recommended. And members of the Passionist Family also answered the call!
- On February 22, 2023, Fr. David Colhour, CP, gave live testimony to the EPA via Zoom. Fr. David spoke about how the Passionist charism calls us to stand with those suffering from air pollution.
- On March 21, 2023, Tom Scherf, Maintenance Supervisor at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat & Conference Center, joined representatives from many religious congregations at Gesu Parish in Detroit, in a conversation between local Catholic leaders and Congressman Shri Thanedar about air pollution. Along with Patty Gillis, Laudato Si’ Animator for Holy Cross Province, Tom celebrated a long list of the accomplishments of local religious congregations in implementing Laudato Si’, including the work at St. Paul’s to keep groundwater out of the Rouge River. Along with 55 other attendees, Tom and Patty submitted written comments to the EPA. The National Catholic Reporter covered the event here.
- An upcoming editorial will soon be published in Detroit by Fr. Alex Steinmiller, CP, calling for higher standards to regulate soot pollution.
More than 40% of Americans, according to the American Lung Association, live in places—across urban and rural areas—where the air they breathe is harmful to their health. An estimated 100,000 deaths each year in the United States can be attributed to human-caused emissions of soot pollution, also known as particulate matter. A dangerous and deadly pollution, soot causes greater rates of diabetes and lung disease, premature births, increased stillbirths and low birth weight in newborns. These impacts are especially felt in low-income communities and communities of color where air pollution is the worst.
In the face of air pollution and its deadly impacts, the teachings of Laudato Si’ strike a particular chord with our own Passionist charism revealing a path forward than asks of us both the sure hope of the resurrected Jesus and the persistent faith of the early disciples. Pope Francis writes in LS 19 that “our goal is not to amass information or to satisfy curiosity, but rather to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus to discover what each of us can do about it.” We are grateful to Fr. David, Tom and Fr. Alex for witnessing to just this.
For a deeper dive into the negative effects of air pollution on our health and economy, click here to watch a video (11 minutes); for a fascinating glimpse into current research supporting the work for stricter air quality standards, click here to watch a video (4 minutes).
A Video Invitation to Walk with Us Thursdays!
The Chapter Planning Committee (CPC) invites you to join us for Walk With Us Thursdays to prepare for the communal discernment that will take place at our June 2023 Chapter. These conversations will be held via Zoom at 4:30 pm, PDT; 5:30 pm, MDT; 6:30 pm, CDT; 7:30 pm, EDT.
Walk with Us Thursdays Zoom Link
We recognize that we all have very busy calendars, but we pray that you will find a way to join us for this important work and preparation for our June 2023 Chapter.
As a reminder, there is no Walk With Us Thursdays conversation this Thursday, April 6. Our next one will be Thursday, April 13. Our topic will be Leadership. We have come to understand that the traditional role of the Provincial is no longer tenable and realize that going forward a different model of leadership would be more appropriate. We look forward to our conversation with you next week around leadership.
Walk with Us Thursdays Zoom Link
Dios Amoroso,
We thank you, for You have led us
to grow together in the Passionist Way.
You have called us, not only as individuals,
but together as a Passionist Family,
juntos como hermanos y hermanas,
to recognize more and more the crucified of today.
We hold in our hearts and minds
all of crucified creation: migrants and refugees,
and those beset by poverty and violence, systemic racism,
injustice and oppression, pain and distress.
As we prepare for our upcoming Provincial Chapter,
keep us forever on the path we pray.
Help us to continue to hear the cries of the crucified,
as we work together as the visionaries You have called us to be.
Foster in us the leadership required to meet the needs of our times.
May whatever conclusions we draw, whatever actions we take,
be done en el amor de Cristo Crucificado, and in His name, we pray.
Amen.
Holy Cross Province
2023 Chapter
June 8-13, 2023
Sierra Madre, California
All materials for Chapter can be found
on the Chapter 2023 website at https://passionist.org/chapter2023/
We want to hear from you!
Contact the Chapter Planning Committee (CPC) at [email protected]
Chapter Newsletter – March 1, 2023
In this issue
- What We Heard at Pre-Chapter
- What Chapter Might Look Like
- Preparing as a Province for Chapter
What We Heard at Pre-Chapter
The members of the Chapter Planning Committee (CPC) - Faith Offman, Chair; Keith Zekind; Jim Strommer, CP; David Colhour, CP; Elizabeth Velarde; Joe Castro; Phil Paxton, CP; Robert Choiniere, Chapter Facilitator - would like to extend a sincere THANK YOU to all who joined us for our Pre-Chapter via Zoom.
Your presence, energy and open, honest sharing were most welcomed and helpful to our on-going conversation among the Passionist Family of Holy Cross Province.
The Visioning Process, begun in Holy Cross Province some years ago, continues to invite us to ‘hold the tension’ present in living into the reality of the paschal mystery – the dying and rising that is foundational to both life and life in community. We moved from ‘strategic planning’ to ‘visioning’ to understanding ourselves as existing in a state of dynamic visioning as we take in the ever-changing signs of our times and respond to God’s call to transform ourselves, our institutions and our ministries.
At Pre-Chapter, we further embraced the synodal process as we explored shifting from a hierarchical/imperial/pyramidal model to a more horizontal/synodal/circular model of leadership. Grounded in the Passionist charism and the documents we pledged to live into at our last Assembly, we dreamed together what it means to enlarge our tent.
The energy among the 80 or so participants was positive and animated. We heard:
Gratitude...
- For the Passionist Family and Charism
- For faith sharing opportunities among the Passionist Family who are grounded in our love and commitment to remain faithful to the Passionist Charism
- For our efforts to listen in a more synodal way and seek out voices not heard
- That people are feeling part of the Province and willing to work together to look at the future
Uncertainty - Can we continue...
- To be open to the Holy Spirit and be willing to step out of our comfort zone
- To recognize the importance of cultivating a ‘habit of listening’ throughout the Passionist Family, making a conscious effort to be open to ongoing conversion of mind and heart
- To acknowledge our need to continue to grow together, vowed and lay, united in the Charism
- To be willing to move forward with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, even through the unknown
- With the process to decide and create which model to use for future leadership
Hopefulness...
- In finding our strength in the community experience
- In the excitement and willingness to work together to carry the Charism forward
- In the openness of everyone sharing
- In the excitement about the direction the Province is moving toward
- In the interconnectedness of all three documents and how they work together to embody the Charism more deeply
- In the knowledge that Holy Cross Province is in a period of important transition and transformation – a transformation which is immensely hopeful for the future of our Province and the Passionist charism and mission in the United States.
Concerns...
- Need to continue to explore what it means to be Passionist Family and engage younger people
- How do we continue to refine the structure and mission of Holy Cross Province
- Need to open our eyes to the people we serve and the languages they speak
- The Extended Council is a step in the right direction but more work needs to be done to integrate the vowed and lay co-responsibilities and authority
- We need to address the power dynamics that are in play within our current system
- The leadership presentation could have been better modeled – perhaps vowed and lay joint presenters
- Need to move from language of Vowed and Lay Passionists, to Passionists
- There is a general sense that many of the same people are on committees – in some ways this looks like more layers of management, ‘inside’ circles rather than enlarging the tent, still defaulting to imperial model – same old people
- How do we more openly name and address the challenges we face with moving forward as we address racism, sexism, comfort with status quo, power, fear and defensiveness
- Not enough diversity within our prayer experience or in the Pre-Chapter welcome – a little too ‘white’
- Need more effort to make our Province experiences intercultural
- How can we be radical and intentional in our strategic ways to include and engage others, not only in dialogue, but in leadership and decision-making as well
- How can we ritualize or validate the various levels of lay involvement within the Province
We are grateful for your presence at Pre-Chapter and for all that was shared in our pre-chapter conversations. We need each of us and all our voices as we work together toward greater and deeper synodality and circular leadership.
Together, we pray "Come Holy Spirit into our planning, dreaming and discernment as we move forward toward Chapter." We look forward to you participating in further preparations and conversations among the Passionist Family. Invitations will be sent to you soon.
Have a question or comment for us? We would like to hear from you. Contact us at [email protected].
May the Passion of Jesus Christ be Always in our Hearts!
The Chapter Planning Committee
Preparing as a Province for Chapter
By Bob Choiniere, Facilitator
During our pre-Chapter meetings, I offered two presentations on synodality in the life and mission of the Church to help ground the upcoming Provincial Chapter in the goals and methods of the emerging Synodal Church. Synodality is not a new concept, but a re-claiming of the origins of Christian communal discernment that began at the Council of Jerusalem as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Synodality is a way of being church that roots decision-making in a shared discernment of the will of God in our midst: in our communities of faith, in the hearts of all believers and in the fabric of the universe.
Grounding our upcoming Chapter in synodality includes a process of discernment that is inclusive, prayerful, inquisitive and attentive to how the Holy Spirit is calling us in light of the world we live in. When the Chapter delegates meet in June, their discernment will not be beginning but culminating. The process has already begun and continues as every member of the Passionist Family is invited to be part of the prayer, inquiry and reflection that will lead to a true discernment of the Spirit’s call.
I would like to invite each of you now into this process to fan the flames of the Holy Spirit among us. Over the next few months you are invited to listen, study, pray and then share the fruits of your experience. In this way, we will follow the synodal path outlined by the Apostles who prayed together, considered the signs of their times and made decisions together.
To be more specific, the Chapter will take up critical issues that will define our ministry and our shared life for years to come. These issues include the environmental crisis, cultural and racial diversity, immigration and migration, leadership, vocations and stewardship. We must all now prepare to have these critical conversations that will lead to decisions around these areas.
Throughout the spring, we will be holding a series of conversations on each of these topics to gather a sense of direction as we head to the Chapter. These conversations will be an opportunity to share the fruit of your preparation.
Before coming to the conversation, each individual and community is asked to become informed through study and inquiry. We invite each community to continue or begin listening to the signs of the times in your local area. Synodality includes becoming aware of what is happening around you in order to respond.
- What are the environmental issues in your region, the struggles of inclusion and diversity, the stories of immigrants and migrants, the concerns and hopes around leadership, stewardship and vocations for the Province?
- Where is Christ present in each of these areas where you live and minister?
- Where is Christ being crucified in your backyard?
This process of inquiry can begin with reading a local newspaper, seeking out local organizations working on these issues, talking with one another, your neighbors, local activists and especially the marginalized and forgotten about the critical issues they face, their fears and hopes. The preparation also includes seeking formation and education to learn more and acquire a new lens through which to evaluate what you are learning through your listening and inquiry. The various committees of the Province will be offering learning opportunities to assist in this.
After a time of study and inquiry, you are invited to enter into a time of prayer and reflection. Prayer allows a space for the Spirit to speak to our hearts about these important matters, reveal new insights, bind the pain of the world to the cross of Christ that leads to new life. Prayer is a necessary and central component of the Passionist charism and the synodal path. The Passionist Way document encourages each member of the Passionist Family to take 20 minutes of silent prayer each day. This could be a time to bring what you are learning to God and ask for insight and prompting.
The topical conversations will be a time of reflection. These meetings are designed as a space to offer, listen and respond to the insights that came from our inquiry and prayer. In these meetings we will learn how to best shape the conversations that will occur at the Chapter. The Chapter will be a time of discernment and decision-making that will be based on this preparation. The quality of the Chapter then depends on the level of engagement and the depth of the preparation that precedes it. Those who will be attending the Chapter will receive the results of the reflective conversations. They will be asked to read, consider and pray over these responses as they prepare to attend the Chapter.
So, we invite you and every member of the Passionist Family to begin to listen, to inquire, to pray and then to attend the upcoming conversations. Together, we can discern the ways that the Holy Spirit is calling us to respond most effectively and faithfully to the crucified of our world and continue to live and proclaim our Passionist Charism in all that we do.
