The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

New All Occasion cards are available

Dear Friend of the Passionists,

The Founder of the Passionists, St. Paul of the Cross, sought to encourage people to meditate on the Passion of Jesus in order to appreciate, and, on a deeper level, to accept and better understand the love God has for each and every one of us.

When I meditate on the Cross of Christ, I realize not only how much God loves me, but also how much God loves all of us, indeed, all of creation. The Cross of Christ reminds me of how connected we are to each other.

With this email, we want to let you know that we have new cards for you to use in expressing your connection to the people in your life. The cards include those for occasions of every kind, including birthdays or a simple message to let the recipient know you are thinking of them. Each card carries with it the promise of your prayer and that of our Passionist Community for the person mentioned. As you use the enclosed cards, please send us the names of the people you especially want remembered in our daily prayers.

We’ve also invite you to send your intentions to be remembered in a special Mass celebrating the Birth of Mary on September 8. We Passionists celebrate her life as the Mother of Jesus, and through Him as our Mother as well.

We kindly ask your support by making a donation when you send in the names for our prayer. Your donation helps make possible our Passionist life and mission in the 21st Century. When we proclaim the love of God in Christ’s Passion, we remind people that they are not alone, but rather are strongly connected to the Jesus who carried His cross for us.

May God continue to bless you and yours. Please pray for us, as we remember you in our daily prayers and Masses.

Yours in Christ’s love,

Fr. Michael Higgins, CP
Spiritual Director

P.S. View the other All Occasion cards that are available here.

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.”