By Pat Brennan, CP

I would like to share with all of our Passionist Family, vowed and lay, a few thoughts that have been filling my mind and heart during these past months of preparation for the 36th Provincial Chapter. Much of our conversation has centered around very important and critical topics, all of which I admire and believe is the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst. At the same time, I find myself struggling with some key questions and issues that I feel must be faced at this point in time in the life and history of Holy Cross Province.

To be sure, I have always thought of myself as being more of an idealist and a dreamer than a pragmatist or a hard-nosed realist. I suspect that those who know me well will agree. Yet, at this moment, I do believe there are a number of “realities” that simply cannot be ignored. These realities touch upon several things:

• Our proud history as a Province
• Our current membership of vowed members and
• The work of the Holy Spirit who is guiding us as we continue to share our Passionist charism with lay Passionists and, consequently, all of God’s holy people.

“We stand on the shoulders of all those who have gone before us.” We vowed Passionists can and should be very proud of all that has been achieved in terms of community life and prayer, preaching ministry, and the deepening of the “memoria passionis” in the hearts and lives of the people of God through service and other ministries. We all vowed, prostrate at the altar, to do this with a special vow long ago and, by God’s grace, we can rightly take satisfaction with our collective history as a community of Passionist religious. And, even as we give thanks for the new life and growth in various parts of the Congregation worldwide, we can, without regret, look back and rejoice in all that has been done since the very founding of Holy Cross Province.  We have a proud history and ample reason to be glad. However, the future will be shaped by others in new and different ways than what we have known and been familiar with in the past.

Another important reality is the age of our current vowed members. Surely, there is always reason to believe in the work of the Spirit in our midst. However, as hopeful as I would like to be, it is also quite clear that, given our aging membership, the ministry that is to be accomplished in the future will primarily be done by those lay Passionists who will be empowered and guided by Holy Cross Province. We have shared much with them, and, conversely, the lay Passionists have shared much with us, as well. Now is our opportunity to prepare the groundwork to ensure that a real transition can be done in keeping with the very best of all that we, the vowed, have learned and accomplished over the years. We already have an excellent beginning through the formation done thanks to the Office of Mission Effectiveness (OME) in sharing the charism of our holy founder, St. Paul of the Cross. In addition, due to the collaborative ministries that have consistently been taking place in our retreat centers, boards, parishes, and other locales, we have many who not only know, but are deeply committed to, the charism that is so foundational to Passionist life and ministry.

Lastly, if there is to be continuity and growth in the ranks of our “lay Passionists”, then it is extremely important that we give further careful consideration to what it means to be a “lay Passionist”, and how we can ensure that such a membership has both continuity and development in the life of Holy Cross Province for years to come. This is not to suggest a new form of “vowed” life, or even a kind of third order to be sure, but it does mean that we want to make sure that we give substance and clarity to the meaning of being a “lay Passionist.” It is much more than being an employee or even a good friend or benefactor, who may happen to have an attraction to Passionist spirituality and ministry, or even an individual vowed Passionist. Fr. Clemente has already done some fine reflection on what he calls the “ways of belonging” to Holy Cross Province. If we value the calling of those who are invited by God to be lay Passionists, then it is clearly important that we understand -- a) what it means to belong; b) what the various ways of belonging might be; and c) how, through ritual and prayer, we can celebrate the different levels of commitment that our lay Passionists are willing to profess as sharers in ministry, always faithful to the charism of St. Paul of the Cross.

All of the above is shared with the hope that it may serve as a prelude to a reflection pertaining to our upcoming Chapter at Mater Dolorosa in Sierra Madre. I would like to suggest that our time in session during the 36th Provincial Chapter, be a time of profound sharing on the key issues already begun, thanks to the fine work of the Chapter Planning Committee. Sharing in the “contemporary passion” of immigrants, minorities, Mother Earth, and the poor, all are pertinent to our charism and the “memoria passionis”, and can provide a very fruitful and formative chapter experience for us all. Open and honest sharing in this agenda can help to shape both the hearts and attitudes of all of us who have been serving together in so many ways. But, in addition to the above, it is my hope that, during the coming Chapter, through meaningful conversation, we can also lay the groundwork for preparing for a new phase in the life of Holy Cross Province, something that can be put into place more definitively at our Chapter in 2027! This new phase will usher in fruitful ongoing ministry of the lay Passionists as members of our Passionist Family. This can be done, first and foremost, by the model of leadership we choose to move us forward, a collaborative model between vowed and lay Passionists, and a commitment over the next four years to ensure that, while we give thanks to God for the past, we look clearly to the future and begin laying the foundation for a new commissioning, a joyful and faith-filled celebration of lay Passionists who share in the charism and ministry of Holy Cross Province and, by God’s grace, will carry on the fine history of which we are all so rightly proud.