The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

Passionist Christmas Cards are available!

Dear Friend of the Passionists,

Christmas is a special time when we think of family and friends. It is a time when we exchange gifts and visit relatives. This is fitting because ultimately Christmas, when we celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation, that is, the mystery of the Son of God coming into the world as one of us, we celebrate a mystery of relationship.

When the Son of God was born as Jesus, He was entering fully into what it means to be human, except sin. He came into the world, not as some super hero from another planet, but as one of us, as an infant. And so we can have this deep relationship with God, and out of God’s love for us flows the love we have for others.

We Passionists are again offering you a selection of five beautiful Christmas cards to help you reflect on your relationship with Jesus and with those closest to you. The spiritual message included in each card, along with its promise of prayer, helps proclaim the Good News of God’s love.

We encourage you to use these cards to convey your special Christmas greetings – a greeting which includes the promise of regular remembrance in the Masses, prayers and good works of the Passionists.

As you send your Christmas cards, please send me the names of those you wish the Passionists to remember in our special Christmas Novena of Masses.

Thank you again for your relationship with us and the support of our mission!  You and your loved ones share a special place in our prayers, as we humbly ask a share in your prayers.  Have a blessed Christmas.

Yours in Jesus Crucified,

Fr. Michael Higgins, C.P.
Spiritual Director

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.”