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The life of Sacred Heart Retreat, commonly known as “the monastery,” has changed along with the lives of the men who have lived here and Holy Cross Province of which it is a part. But, the story of the monastery reflects the history of Holy Cross Province.

When the first Passionists arrived in 1879, they lived and served at St. Cecilia’s Parish in the west end and soon took up residence in the antebellum mansion on our present property. This house soon proved to be too small and the monastery was built and opened in 1905. The four columns from the mansion were repositioned at the portico of the new building: a symbol that the roots of the past would lead us in shaping the future. Within the year, the western portion of St. Paul of the Cross Province would become Holy Cross Province.

We Passionists love to tell stories about our formation years. The Louisville monastery has been representative of our Passionist formation throughout its long life. Over the course of its life, the monastery has been home to vowed Passionists, novices, theology students, philosophy students, and visitors from all over the world.

In light of the necessary repairs to the monastery after a devastating tornado on April 3, 1974, the declining numbers of students in residence and the need to better accommodate an aging community, it was determined that the building needed considerable updating. After his tenure as pastor, local superior Fr. Kent Pieper, C.P., spearheaded a capital campaign to remodel the monastery. The 1982 renovations removed the two wings that extended from the back of the building. Interior renovations were done, including lowering the ceilings to save energy costs. At the rear of the building, an elevator with ground-level entrance improved accessibility.

The Provincial Chapter of 2007 determined that we would cease providing our own skilled nursing care in Chicago and Sacred Heart Retreat would be renovated again to better serve the elder members of the province. When needed, skilled care would be available at Nazareth Home, next door. The first floor and public areas on the second floor underwent extensive restoration to make the monastery more elder-friendly. Hand rails were installed on all three floors while the private bathrooms in each bedroom were redone. On the first floor, the original hardwood floors were restored and the ceiling returned to its original height. The former kitchen, dining and chapel area was completely redone to provide a larger pantry, kitchen, dining room and conference room. A new back porch was added with a section of it being screened in.

Since reopening for occupancy in 2009, Sacred Heart Retreat has received several grants to help make living here comfortable for aging religious. Some examples of how these funds have been used: improvement to the exterior elevator vestibule for wheelchair accessibility; the purchase of senior-friendly leather furniture for the community recreation room; and most recently, new beds with remote controlled adjustments to improve sleeping comfort. Recent repairs have ended pesky leaks that dated back years. A major gift also provided for sealing the joints in the concrete front porch.

A campaign in the Fall of 2016 allowed for the replacement of the southern-most column at the front entrance and the repair of the rotting porch roof. The painting of the entire front porch,including the four columns, has completed the project, restoring our “Ol’ Kentucky Home” to its stately appearance.

Like the individual religious who have resided here, Sacred Heart Retreat has adapted to the needs of its various chapters of life in service to the mission of Holy Cross Province. Through our commitment to honoring the past while responding positively to present challenges, Sacred Heart Retreat is set to well serve those who live here in their retirement, and all who call this monastery home for many years to come.

Dear Friend of the Passionists,

As springtime moves us into summer, we’re surrounded with signs of life in nature, in educational endeavors, in sports – and in one another!  High on the list of life celebrated these days are the lives of our mothers and fathers – those God has entrusted to share the gift of life with us.  This year Father’s Day is June 17^th.

Father’s Day encourages us to thank God for the gift of life shared with us through our parents – their dedication and love have cared for us, nurtured us, taught us, and, very likely imparted to us, the gift of faith.  Perhaps some of us have been raised by adoptive fathers, or by step-fathers, grandfathers, uncles, or other special men whom you call Dad. We all are part of God’s plan so that we, too, can share God’s life with others.

These days, we pray in gratitude for our fathers, along with other ways of recognizing the gift of life.  One special way to honor these special men in your life is with the special Father’s Day E-card available on our website. We invite you to remember your father in prayer, joining your prayer with that of our Passionist Community as we celebrate a Novena of Masses for Father’s Day.

When you send an e-card, those enrolled will share in the special Novena of Masses celebrated by our Passionist Communities.  As you send us your prayer intentions, please consider including a financial donation to support our Passionist life and our ministry to families – mothers and fathers and children of all ages, especially those most in need of God’s Love.

As God showers us with life these days, I pray with you in thanksgiving for our parents, and I look forward to joining your intentions with many others from our friends and benefactors.  We Passionists and those we serve are grateful for your support and encouragement.  Let’s remember each other in daily prayer.

In Jesus’ Life and Love,

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P.
Spiritual Director

Father's Day

Select e-card

Dear Friend of the Passionists,

As springtime moves us into summer, we’re surrounded with signs of life in nature, in educational endeavors, in sports – and in one another!  High on the list of life celebrated these days are the lives of our mothers and fathers – those God has entrusted to share the gift of life with us.  This year Mother’s Day is May 13^th.

Mother’s Day encourages us to thank God for the gift of life shared with us through our parents – their dedication and love have cared for us, nurtured us, taught us, and, very likely imparted to us, the gift of faith.  Perhaps some of us have been raised by adoptive mothers, or by step-mothers, grandmothers, aunts, or other special women whom you call Mom. We all are part of God’s plan so that we, too, can share God’s life with others.

These days, we pray in gratitude for our mothers, along with other ways of recognizing the gift of life.  One special way to honor these special women in your life is with the special Mother’s Day E-card available on our website. We invite you to remember your mother in prayer, joining your prayer with that of our Passionist Community as we celebrate a Novena of Masses for Mother’s Day.

When you send an e-card, those enrolled will share in the special Novena of Masses celebrated by our Passionist Communities.  As you send us your prayer intentions, please consider including a financial donation to support our Passionist life and our ministry to families – mothers and fathers and children of all ages, especially those most in need of God’s Love.

As God showers us with life these days, I pray with you in thanksgiving for our parents, and I look forward to joining your intentions with many others from our friends and benefactors.  We Passionists and those we serve are grateful for your support and encouragement.  Let’s remember each other in daily prayer.

In Jesus’ Life and Love,

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P.
Spiritual Director

Mother's Day

Select e-card

Paul Daneo was born on January 3, 1694, in Ovada, Italy. He was the second of 16 children, six of whom survived infancy. Even as a young person, Paul felt strongly connected to God and moved by the passion of Christ.

At the age of 19, Paul enlisted in the Venetian army when volunteers were requested by the Pope. But he realized that neither the adventure of a military career, the financial promise of the business world, nor the joys and sorrows of marriage were to be his life’s journey.

While listening to a simple sermon on the sufferings of Jesus, Paul suddenly experienced what he called his “conversion.” He heard the voice of God calling him to a life of the spirit and a path of spiritual rigor.

He spent long hours in prayer, wrestling often with his own inner darkness and fierce temptations, a struggle that continued throughout 40 years of his life. It was in his connection to the Crucified Jesus that Paul found solace and meaning, and in his meditations on Christ’s passion that new inner directions opened up for him. Paul’s prayer life became an experience of the tremendous love God has for us.

Paul soon began to notice that many of his peers felt that God had deserted them. The sick, the poor, the working people of his day had few hours of rest, little hope of healing, and lived in crippling fear of war and bloodshed. There were those who were living at the margins of society, it was these abandoned people who Paul wanted to reach. It was to their side that Paul traveled long hours throughout the harsh countryside to preach a message of faith, compassion and loving redemption.

Sunday, May 1, 2016
Reflection 2-4pm
Mass 4pm

Jean Vanier is a philosopher, theologian, man of letters and humanitarian. He founded l’Arche in 1964, a small community of persons with developmental disabilities and their “assistants” inspired by the Beatitudes. Over the course of a little more than 50 years, l’Arche has grown into an international federation of communities spread over 35 countries. He continues to live as a member of the original l’Arche community inTrosly-Breuil, France. He has authored 30 books on religion, disability, normality, success and tolerance, and among many lifetime honors was awarded the Templeton Prize in 2015. Vanier’s work expands our understanding of human purpose and the good life through three core questions:

• What does it mean to be fully human?
• What does it mean to serve others well?
• How can unity be fostered among diverse people?

His response to these questions has been practical and intellectual, lived and written. The transformational practice at the heart of his vision is to create supportive spaces for people to come together across differences.

Program presented by Dr. Michael Downey, Director, Theological and Spiritual Formation, Mater Dolorosa

Free will donation welcome.

Sunday, April 17, 2016
Reflection 2-4pm
Mass 4pm

Esther “Etty” Hillesum (1914-1943) was a Jewish woman whose letters and diaries, kept between 1941 and 1943, describe life in Amsterdam during the German occupation. In the darkest years of Nazi occupation and genocide, Etty Hillesum’s lucid intelligence, sympathy, and almost impossible gallantry were themselves a form of inner resistance and spiritual transformation. Often considered an adult counterpart to Anne Frank, Etty Hillesum’s writings testi-fy to the possibility of spiritual awakening and compassion in the face of the most devastating challenge to one’s humanity. She died at Auschwitz in 1943 at the age of twenty-nine.

Program presented by Dr. Michael Downey, Director, Theological and Spiritual Formation, Mater Dolorosa

Free will donation welcome.