UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Campus Ministry

2020 Spirit of Holy Cross Award for Brenda Greiner

Each year on September 15, the Holy Cross US Province of Priests and Brothers names recipients of the Spirit of Holy Cross Award. UP’s own Brenda Greiner was among the eleven people named for this award this year. The Spirit of Holy Cross Award acknowledges the critical importance lay collaborators play in living out the vision and mission of Holy Cross founder Blessed Basil Moreau to make God known, loved, and served through education, parish and mission settings. The annual announcement of the recipients of this award happens on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows – the patronal feast day for all members of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

The press release naming Brenda as an award recipient noted: “Woven through all that she has done is Brenda’s willingness to bring her wit, intensity and care to bear on helping students engage fully the opportunities that UP presents, and helping them to navigate the many challenges that come up along the way. Brenda cares deeply for the good of the students and the whole of the UP community and in this has become a key contributor to the mission of the University of Portland.”

Please congratulate Brenda on her most well-deserved award!

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, Sept. 15: A Space for Gathering Sorrows and Mourning Loss

In the midst of this year steeped in sorrow and loss, Campus Ministry and the Holy Cross Community are offering the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (Sept. 15) as a time to communally mourn our losses and draw together in our sorrows. All members of the UP community are invited to offer their intentions, struggles, and lamentations using this link. Community members are also invited to join via stream the 5 p.m. Mass from the Chapel of Christ the Teacher on September 15, at which all submissions will be lifted up in prayer.  The Mass will be streamed over the Campus Ministry YouTube live stream using this link: youtube.com/user/upcampusministry/live

Our Lady of Sorrows is a title given to Mary, the mother of Jesus, in honor of the many sorrows and struggles that she endured as the mother of the Christ. Under this title, she is the patroness of the Congregation of Holy Cross. She serves as a powerful reminder that even in the most difficult of times, one can continue to trust that God is still present and at work.

There stood by the cross of Jesus his mother Mary, who knew grief and was a Lady of Sorrows. She is our special patroness, a woman who bore much She could not understand and who stood fast. To Her many sons and daughters, whose devotions ought to bring them often to Her side, She tells much of this daily cross and its daily hope. (Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross 8:120).

Food Resources Available to the Portland Community

The Archdiocese of Portland, working through a grant from the USDA, is making food boxes available at parishes throughout the archdiocese,  according to Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C., Campus Ministry. There is no requirement to be a member of a parish, just stop by when they are distributing and pick up a box. More information, including schedules and locations, is available using this link.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society also runs food pantries throughout the Portland area. Please call  (503) 235-8431 for information on which pantries are closest to you for their hours and scope of operation. Some pantries are by appointment only, others are walk-in pantries, and others offer only home  delivery. When you call they can provide you with this information.

Campus Ministry to Continue Offering Mass on Campus

Campus Ministry will continue to celebrate Mass on campus during the upcoming semester, according to Theresa McCreary, campus ministry. Since Mass attendance is limited, those interested in attending should express their interest through the survey found on the Campus Ministry website. Guidelines and protocols for safely attending Mass are also listed on the Campus Ministry website. Attendees are asked to familiarize themselves with those directives before attending. Masses will continue to be live streamed for those who cannot be present in person.

Please direct any questions to Fr. Tim Weed, C.S.C., Campus Minister for Liturgy, at weed@up.edu.

New Icon of African Martyrs in Shipstad Chapel

Campus Ministry director Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C., has announced the newly arrived Icon of the Uganda Martyrs.  Commissioned in January for the Shipstad Hall Chapel, which is dedicated to the Uganda Martyrs, the icon shows the 22 martyrs flanking Jesus Christ. These members of the king’s court were put to death between 1885-1887 for refusing to forsake their faith. The icon was created by local Portland artist Mary Katsilometes, and will be displayed in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher until August 7 when it will be installed in the Chapel in Shipsad Hall, which was dedicated to the Uganda Martyrs as a way to connect our local community to the Holy Cross priests, brothers, sisters, and lay collaborators active in East Africa.

For more information contact Fr. Gallagher at gallaghe@up.edu.

Campus Ministry Resuming Public Mass on Campus

Archbishop Sample has provided permission to restart public Masses in the Portland Archdiocese and has offered guidelines for doing so, according to Rev. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C., Campus Ministry. Those present for Mass will be kept to 25 or less and social distancing will be maintained. Chapel spaces will also be cleaned after each use. Campus Ministry is developing a plan for resumption of public Mass in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher at a date to be announced. Details and updates can be found on the Campus Ministry website.

We are developing the plan right now but will have up to date info on the CM site by Monday.

More Patron Saints For The Current Condition: Did You Know?

Did you know that there are patron saints for most anything, even the internet? “Patron saints” in Catholicism are venerable women and men from throughout history who are heavenly advocates for places, professions and people. It is good to know that in the oddest of times there are saints who we can turn to as an aid on our way. In this time when we are leaning heavily on the internet, it is good to know who to turn to for continued support.

As the internet was gaining sway in everyday life, Pope St. John Paul II named St. Isidore of Seville the patron on the internet, which is interesting because St. Isidor was bishop of Seville in 600 AD – a few years before the internet came to be. As bishop he created a school that became a model for early universities. He also sought to establish for the community good norms for social justice and representative government as well as firm foundations in the faith. Yet the main thing that helped get him connected to the copious content of the internet is his twenty-book opus where he sought to set out the origins of as many things as he could, from language to law, from biology to agriculture, from Church history to road building. He tried to share as much knowledge as there was to be shared, and is therefore seen as someone who had in mind the great potential of sharing that comes through the internet.

Also noted as a possible patron of the internet is St Maximillian Kolbe, who built a large media service to bring news, information, and religious education to rural areas of Poland in the 1920s. In a similar vein for how we hope to gain much of what we find on the internet, he would give away all of his material for free. While often best-known for offering his life in the place of another in a German concentration camp, it is well worth looking up his many other contributions for the good of others.

All you holy women and men, pray for us.

“Did You Know” is a regular feature in UPBeat that reveals the wondrous and occasionally peculiar world of Catholicism. We will close out this academic year with info on patron saints for the current condition. Direct questions or ideas to Fr. Jim Gallagher C.S.C., or Karen Eifler.

Patron Saints For The Current Condition: Did You Know?

Patron Saints in Catholicism are venerable women and men from throughout history who are heavenly advocates for places, professions, and people. In these unprecedented times, we’ll share some especially relevant patron saints to intercede for us all.

St. Clare of Assisi is the patron saint of televisions and computer screens, believe it or not. An early follower of St. Francis, Clare founded The Order of Poor Ladies, which eventually became known as the Poor Clares. Late in her life, she fell too ill to attend church, and one day the images and sounds of the entire Mass appeared in full on the wall of her room. This story would have been well-known to Italian native Pope Pius XII, who in 1957 named her the patroness of this new invention—television—that, in his words, “is a wonderful instrument… which can be the source of very great wealth, but also of deep troubles.” This may be why he chose a saint steeped in humility, poverty, and love of God as its patroness. St. Clare is also the patron saint of sore eyes and embroidery, so let us invoke her prayers on our behalf as we learn to teach and work online and perhaps cultivate new hobbies as we shelter in place. St. Clare of Assisi, pray for us!

“Did You Know?” is a regular feature in UPbeat that reveals the wondrous and occasionally peculiar world of Catholicism. We will close out this academic year with information on patron saints for the current condition. Direct questions or ideas to Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C., or Karen Eifler.