UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Campus Ministry

Annual UP Month of Remembrance: Nov. 2019

Catholics believe in the Communion of Saints—the spiritual connection with those loved ones who have gone before us and the saints that lived as examples for us. Through the month of November we remember all of those who have gone before us in faith, especially our loved ones who have died.  

Starting Monday, October 21, stations will be available in many offices around campus where anyone is welcome to inscribe the names of loved ones on a card and place it in the accompanying basket. The cards will be placed near the altar in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher during Mass for All Saints Day on Friday, November 1, and they will continue to be a focus of prayer throughout November, the month of remembrance.

We will also celebrate Mass on Sunday, November 17, at 10:30 a.m., with special intentions for the loved ones of our UP community who have died in the past year.

For more information contact Rev. Tim Weed, C.S.C., Campus Ministry, at x8919 or weed@up.edu.

 

Help Send UP Chapel Choir to New Orleans: Spring Break 2020

The UP Chapel Choir will travel to New Orleans to spread the joy and mission of UP by singing at schools founded by the Marianite Sisters of Holy Cross during spring break, according to Maureen Briare, Campus Ministry. The Marianites were founded by Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C. Briare and her student choir look forward to meeting more of the Holy Cross family and sharing the beauty of music and faith.

If you feel inspired to contribute to their Pilot Funder Campaign, or help spread the word on social media, please visit this link.

This will be the second spring break tour for the Chapel Choir. We had so much fun at Notre Dame University last spring break, that we have now made a commitment to connect with the varied and wonderful ministry communities of Holy Cross across the U.S.

Any questions, or recommendations for visiting New Orleans are welcome at briare@up.edu or x7335.

Communion Blessings: Did You Know?

Did you know about receiving a blessing at the time of Communion at Mass? Members of the UP community are welcome to attend and participate in the Mass whenever it is offered on campus.  For those who are not Catholic or for any reason do not receive Communion at Mass, there is an option for coming forward to receive a blessing.

One would approach the minister in the line with everyone else and upon arriving at the front of the line can place a hand on your chest or cross arms over your chest.  At this point the minister will offer the greeting, “May Christ be with you.” You may respond with an, “Amen” or simply follow the line back to the pew.

The reception of Communion at a Catholic Mass indicates a faith in the true presence of Christ Jesus in the Eucharist as well as a commitment to communion with the Catholic Church. While it can be difficult to be at Mass and unable to receive Communion, it is also important to allow the act of reception to reflect that commitment to Communion. It is also important to note that there are significant levels of participation that happen whether or not one receives Communion. It is good to have everyone present participating to the full level that they are able.

Did You Know? is a mostly weekly feature in upbeat that pokes around among the many interesting features of UP as a Catholic and Holy Cross university. If you have a question or topic of interest that you would like covered in this feature, please send it to Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C., Campus Ministry, or Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center.

Did You Know? A UP Archive of Why Catholics Do Some of the Stuff They Do

The “Did You Know?” upbeat feature has answered a lot of questions that members of the UP community have asked about why Catholics profess and do some pretty distinctive things. If you are new to UP, or new to wondering about such things, this link will take you to the archive of questions and answers. Once there, navigation is intuitive: click on a question and you will be led to the answer. If this triggers a new question for you, please send it to Fr. Jim Gallagher (gallaghe@up.edu) or Karen Eifler (eifler@up.edu) and it’s likely you’ll see it unpacked in this very spot in the year ahead.

Catholics and Crucifixes: Did You Know?

Every classroom at UP has a crucifix. Dundon-Berchtold Hall’s crucifixes have been donated by UP students, priests, faculty, and staff from their studies, service, and travels all over the world. Anywhere you have Catholics, you will have crucifixes, which differ from crosses in that there is a corpus (body) on a crucifix, versus the emptiness of a cross. In light of the Resurrection, many people wonder why anyone would want to gaze on this image of an agonizing death. One answer is that the crucifix helps the beholder remember that God took on flesh to suffer in solidarity with all those who are ill, tortured, or stricken in any way. Crucifixes in Catholic hospitals, for instance, help many patients experience a feeling of connection with God that is deeply compassionate, helping them feel a little less isolated. Where the empty cross celebrates a triumph over death, the crucifix helps many people confront suffering–a part of being human– with courage, resilience, and hope. The international crucifixes in Dundon-Berchtold are a visceral reminder that there is nowhere on this earth God is unmoved by those in pain.

Did You Know? is a mostly weekly feature in upbeat that pokes around among the many mysterious customs and beliefs professed by Catholics. If you have a question about why Catholics do or believe something, please send them to Fr. Jim Gallagher, Campus Ministry, or Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center.

Memorial Mass for Fr. Claude Pomerleau, C.S.C.

A memorial Mass will be offered for the repose of the soul of Fr. Claude Pomerleau, C.S.C., on Thursday, September 5, at 5 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. All members of the UP and local community are welcome to join with the Holy Cross community and members of Fr. Claude’s family as we celebrate his blessed presence in our midst and offer our prayers for his eternal joy in God’s heavenly communion. A social in the Bauccio Commons Board Room will follow the memorial Mass.

For more information contact Campus Ministry at x7131 or ministry@up.edu.

Opening Mass Aug. 24: Celebrate 2019-2020 Academic Year

A Mass in celebration of the opening of the 2019-2020 academic year will take place on Saturday, August 24, at 5 p.m., in the Chiles Center. Sunday Mass will take place at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher, with no other Masses offered that day.

For more information contact Campus Ministry at x7131 or ministry@up.edu.

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, June 28

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the patronal feast for the Priests of Holy Cross.  This year the Solemnity is celebrated on Friday, June 28, and the Holy Cross community at UP will mark this feast with a celebratory Mass in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher at 5 p.m.  The campus community, and all who are visiting campus during Reunion weekend, are cordially invited to join Holy Cross in celebrating this wonderful feast.

According to an entry on the Congregation of Holy Cross website, “As Holy Cross priests, we find our model of priestly charity in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that heart pierced on the cross by the soldier’s lance in the final proof that Jesus offered all for us. In imitation of Him, we, too, seek to offer all in laying down our lives in service of the People of God. Especially through ministering the Sacraments, we hope that the blood and the water that flowed from the pierced Heart of Christ continue to give life to our world.”