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Archived - June 2011

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Historic Union in Congregation of Holy Cross

Notre Dame, Ind.–-On Friday, July 1, an historic union will officially take effect when the former Eastern Province of Priests and Brothers merges into the Indiana Province to form the new United States Province of Priests and Brothers. The merger was approved at the Congregation of Holy Cross’ general chapter meeting in Rome in the summer of 2010. In December, the two Provinces agreed that the merger should be effected by the Superior General on July 1, 2011, on the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. “This merger is a union and an act of God,” said U.S. Provincial Superior Rev. David T. Tyson, C.S.C. “Holy Cross has trusted in God’s Divine Providence from the beginning. Today with this union, He continues to bless us. With more than 100 seminarians, we are now more than 500 strong. We are men of different ages, cultures, and ministries, but we are united in the common mission of Holy Cross: to make God known, loved and served!” Nearly 400 Holy Cross religious from the Indiana Province and the Eastern Province gathered in a joint Assembly, held June 13-16 on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. At the meetings, Father Tyson reflected that the “mission of the new United States Province is the Lord’s mission. The Lord works through us, our work, and our ministry. This union brings not only new opportunities for us, but also for the people we serve at our parishes, educational institutions, and missions.” The ministries of the new U.S. Province include four colleges and universities: the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Ind., 1842); University of Portland (Portland, Ore., 1901); King’s College (Wilkes-Barre, Pa., 1946); and Stonehill College (Easton, Mass., 1948). Other ministries include 15 parishes in the U.S. and Mexico; André House in Phoenix; the Downtown Chapel in Portland; Ave Maria Press in Notre Dame; Holy Cross Mission Center serving people around the world; and Holy Cross Family Ministries (HCFM) in North Easton, Mass. HCFM was founded by Servant of God Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., and encompasses Family Theater Productions, Family Rosary, and Father Peyton Family Institute. The United States Province is also present in Mexico, and the Districts of Chile, Peru, and East Africa (which includes Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania). The United States Province’s religious members number more than 410 priests and brothers, plus 102 seminarians currently in formation. The administrative offices of the new Province will be located in Notre Dame, Ind. The Congregation of Holy Cross is a Catholic religious order formed in 1837 in the little town of Sainte-Croix, (which translated means Holy Cross) France. Founder Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C., joined a group of parish priests with a band of teaching brothers to fill the educational and spiritual void left by the upheaval of the French Revolution. Today there are approximately 1,500 Holy Cross religious working to educate both the heart s and minds of believers of Jesus Christ in 16 countries on five continents. Holy Cross presence in America began in 1841 when Blessed Moreau sent one of his new, young priests, Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., to do mission work in the “New World.” Within a year, Fr. Sorin founded the University of Notre Dame—the world’s most renowned Catholic university. To learn more about the mission of the United States Province of Priests and Brothers, please visit us at www.holycrossusa.org. Contact: Lucha Ramey, Director Office of Communications 574.631.1359 lramey@holycrossusa.org www.holycrossusa.org

Alborghetti Offers Readers a Spirituality of Service for Everyday Life

Notre Dame, IN—In her new book, A Willing Heart, bestselling author Marci Alborghetti explains how the trauma of a home robbery became the catalyst for a renewed vision of Christian service. Alborghetti shows readers how they too can incorporate service into their chaotic and busy lives in ways that are both rewarding and manageable. Alborghetti uses anecdotes from her own life and the lives of saints such as St. Paul and St. Francis of Assisi, combined with meditations on service, excerpts from psalms, and practical tips, to guide readers into a spirituality of service for everyday life. Alborghetti describes the process of healing and growth she went through after her apartment was robbed. She writes in the first chapter of her book, “I know now what I didn’t begin to understand then: God was leading me by the hand. Grace was at work.” Alborghetti decided to donate part of her insurance check to charity, and she refers to this experience as a wake-up call to Jesus’ message. Alborghetti writes of her hope , “I pray that through my rather ordinary journey and the sometimes extraordinary journey of those I’ve been blessed to know, as well as saints and other towering models of service, we can come to serve Jesus as much as we love him.” A Willing Heart is the perfect guide for the person who feels overwhelmed by the problems of the world and struggles to find a balance between serving others and fulfilling the obligations of work, family, and daily life. Alborghetti suggests taking simple steps, such as making a charitable donation that matches the amount of tickets to a concert or writing to a service organization and thanking them for everything they do. Her book provides an ideal solution for those eager to emulate Christ’s model of selfless giving in small ways in all aspects of their lives.