The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

It Takes a Village to Make a Priest…

…and it Takes a Priest to Hold the Village Together

On Sunday, September 20, the parish communities of Holy Family and St. Mary’s gathered at Holy Family Church in Birmingham, Alabama, for a farewell celebration Mass for Fr. Bob Crossmyer, CP.  A reception was held after Mass at St. Paul’s Cathedral. After more than 20 years as Pastor at Holy Family, Fr. Bob is going on sabbatical. He will return to Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School next year to resume teaching.

The theme for the day was, “It takes a village to make a priest, and it takes a priest to hold the village together.” The outpouring of love and gratitude for Fr. Bob was evident throughout the day. It can best be summed up by Holy Family’s parishioners:

“Through his leadership as Pastor, Fr. Bob has planted and cultivated seeds that have aided in our spiritual growth for the past 20 years. As an educator, he not only taught us the Word of God, but was a teacher at Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School, and has remained a committed supporter of Holy Family Catholic Academy. He was also dedicated to the needy and homeless of the Ensley community, and has been available to all, whether it be for healing the sick, death, marriage, baptism or counseling. In the last 20 years, Fr. Bob has presided over 162 Baptisms; 145 First Communions; 157 Confirmations; 60 new members through the RCIA program; 23 marriages and 166 funerals.

It was hard work, but we made an even better Priest out of him and he definitely held us together!”

Congratulations Fr. Bob!  We look forward to your return next year!

Bob Mass 1
Father Justin Nelson, CP, Deacon Walter Henderson and Bishop Emeritus David Foley look on as Bob Crossmyer welcomes the congregation at Mass.

 

Bob Mass 2
Father Phil Paxton, CP, honored Father Bob and the Holy Family parish community during his homily.

 

Bob Mass 3
The congregation was treated to a beautiful expressive dance at the end of Mass.
Bob Mass 4
Father Phil Paxton, CP, Father Bob Crossmyer, CP, Bishop Robert Baker, Birmingham, Alabama, and Father Justin Nelson, CP, at the reception at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

 

Ash Wednesday

On March 2, the Church celebrates Ash Wednesday. 

Most of us learned early in our Catholic lives that Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, and that is a time of special sacrifice in preparation for the Easter celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection.

Dear brothers and sisters, every moment of our lives is a time for believing, hoping and loving…. These words of Pope Francis, taken from his Lenten Message of last year, 2021, and echoing the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, can still inspire our answer to the question: “What am I giving up for Lent?” 

We can draw our Lenten sacrifices out of our daily life: 

Share our faith in God’s presence by sharing in prayer with our family or with those in our parish community.
Share our hope in God’s promises by encouraging positive and respectful dialogue in our family circle and among our friends. 
Share the charity God has bestowed on us in the Passion of Jesus, with those whose sufferings are ignored or aggravated.

Let us pray for one another as we enter the season of Lent. Our Passionist “motto” can be our daily prayer during Lent, “May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.”