UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Campus Ministry

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.”

Did You Know: Why Pilgrimages?

Pilgrimages are a part of the faith life in many religious traditions, including Catholicism. Different from religious or other tourism, pilgrimages are as much about the one making the journey as they are about the final destination. Typically, pilgrims head to places that are crucial to the stories of their religion, or to sites tied to key people within a religious tradition. Places of miraculous healing, holiness and miracles are frequent destinations: think Lourdes, Fatima or the Holy Sepulchre. Participants in Catholic pilgrimages leave room for the Holy Spirit to transform them along their travels.

On Monday, May 6, UP students and 4 staff/faculty accompaniers will embark on a pilgrimage to El Salvador, home of one of the Church’s most recent saints, Archbishop Oscar Romero, canonized in September 2018. While in El Salvador, they will visit, worship, and reflect at the church of his martyrdom, talk with citizens committed to working for justice in the country, and walk alongside others engaged in the struggles for peace, both living and dead. All members of the UP community are invited and encouraged to keep these pilgrims in their prayers throughout the week: Megan Caren, Joshua Bode, Taylor Cole, Ana Clyde, Quinn Burdick, Sophia Truempi, Sofia Ortega, Justin Manahan, Fr. Jim Gallagher C.S.C., Alex Roth, Maria Echenique, and Karen Eifler.

“Did You Know?” is a sort of regular feature in upbeat to help staff and faculty understand dimensions of this Catholic, Holy Cross university. You can send questions to Fr. Jim Gallagher (Campus Ministry) or Karen Eifler (Garaventa Center).

Baccalaureate Mass, May 4

The Baccalaureate Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, May 4, at 5 p.m., in the Chiles Center. Graduates and faculty will assemble at 4 p.m. in the north corridors of the Chiles Center. The academic procession will begin promptly at 4:30 p.m. Academic regalia will be worn. According to campus ministry, this will be the only Mass celebrated on campus during commencement weekend; there are no Masses in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher on Sunday, May 5.

For more information contact campus ministry at 7131 or mccreary@up.edu.

The Crucifix and Catholicism: Did You Know?

Do you know why Catholics use Crucifixes?

Around campus and in the classrooms, there are crucifixes hanging on the walls. Why is this such a popular representation of Jesus of Nazareth? In part it is because this representation of the suffering and death of Jesus points to much of the good news that He came to proclaim. On the cross is a body; it is a reminder of the fact that the eternal Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. That body is nailed to the cross, which in part answers the question of where God is when things seem so hard–He does not run away, He enters into life’s trials with us. As well it is the representation of how far Jesus is willing to go out of love for all people. It is a reminder of the manner of how Jesus went about winning His victory over sin and death: by entering into death itself.

The Crucifix can then serve as a wonderful reminder of the depth of God’s love and the efforts to which He is willing to go to in removing the barriers to living in fullness of life with God, two of the main barriers being sin and death. Also speaking to this reality is the motto of the Congregation of Holy Cross: Ave Crux Spes Unica – Hail the Cross, Our Only Hope.

“Did You Know?” is a regular feature in upbeat to help staff and faculty understand dimensions of this Catholic, Holy Cross university. You can send questions to Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C. (Campus Ministry) or Karen Eifler (Garaventa Center).

 

 

All Welcome for Sacraments of Initiation, Saturday April 20

Please join us as we pray with and for those who will receive the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil on Saturday, April 20, at 8:30 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. The elect (those to be baptized), include Kira Champelli, Isabella Horning, and Tshombé Brown. We will also celebrate First Eucharist and Confirmation for one candidate for full communion, Josh Bode, and one candidate for full initiation, Caitlyn Shaffer.

For more information contact campus minister Alex Roth at rotha@up.edu.

Holy Week Easter Triduum at UP

Campus Ministry will offer a number of services in celebration and observance of Holy Week, known as the Easter Triduum, all in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher:

  • Triduum morning prayers: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, April 18, 19, 20, at 9 a.m.
  • Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 4:30 p.m., April 18
  • Good Friday Liturgy: 3 p.m., April 19
  • Easter Vigil Mass: 8:30 p.m., April 20
  • Easter Sunday Mass: 10:30 a.m., April 21.
  • No 4:30p.m. Mass will be offered on Easter Sunday.

For more information contact Campus Ministry at 7131 or ministry@up.edu.

 Lenten Visio Divina, April 17

Campus Ministry and the Garaventa Center invite you to join with others for Lenten Visio Divina on Wednesday, April 17, during Holy Week, from 12:35-1 p.m., following noon Mass in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. Visio Divina is an ancient form of Christian prayer in which we allow our hearts and imaginations to enter into a sacred image, in silence, to see what God might have to say to us. Our meditation will focus on an illumination from The Saint John’s Bible.

For more information contact the Garaventa Center at x7702 or up.edu/garaventa. (Image credit: Suffering Servant, Donald Jackson, Copyright 2005, The Saint John’s Bible.)

 

Lay Collaborators In DNA of Holy Cross: Did You Know?

Here’s a true fact: a mere four nucleic acids in our DNA yield endless variety in human beings. What if we re-combined that infinite human potential to heal this broken world? The post-Revolutionary world into which Blessed Basil Moreau launched his new Congregation of Holy Cross demanded more healing and education and pastoral care than even the most zealous vowed religious priests could ever hope to accomplish on their own. Constantly on the move, Moreau expanded Holy Cross to include religious brothers and sisters whose work as educators and nurses complemented the efforts of the priests to “make God known, loved and served.” Even that was not enough; thus, the practice of drawing upon the varied expertise of lay collaborators was built into the “DNA” of Holy Cross life to a far greater degree than in most Catholic religious orders.

Holy Cross recognizes that they need to link arms and join hearts and spirits with lay women and men in order to fully be the Congregation of Holy Cross in a world that groans for wholeness and fulfillment. There is, quite simply, no other way to accomplish all that is necessary, and in many of their documents, Holy Cross elevates their lay collaborators (that’s most of us at UP!) by referring to us as “co-disciples.” This is yet another characteristic that sets UP and Holy Cross apart: living out zeal, community, and interdependence—and all the other charisms of Holy Cross—alongside those whose names end in C.S.C., as full partners.

“Did You Know?” is a sort of regular feature in upbeat to help staff and faculty understand dimensions of this Catholic, Holy Cross university. You can send questions to Fr. Jim Gallagher (Campus Ministry) or Karen Eifler (Garaventa Center).

Did You Know? Catholic Social Teaching

How does one live in relationship with the world today and do so in the light of the teachings of Jesus?  Catholic Social Teaching seeks to answer this question.  This teaching does not come from one particular document but is drawn from a range of sources that have been developed over the years.  From these sources seven principle themes have emerged: Life and Dignity of the Human Person; Call to Family, Community and Participation; Rights and Responsibilities; Option for the Poor and Vulnerable; The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers; Solidarity; and Care for God’s Creation.  Learn more here or watch this series of videos.

“Did You Know?” is a sort of regular feature in upbeat to help staff and faculty understand dimensions of this Catholic, Holy Cross university. You can send questions to Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C. (Campus Ministry) or Karen Eifler (Garaventa Center).