News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.
The funeral Mass for University of Portland student Owen Klinger will take place on Wednesday, October 30, at 10 a.m., in the Chiles Center. According to a campus-wide email from University president Fr. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., the Klinger family and the University invite all campus community members to attend.
For more information, contact Campus Ministry at x7131 or ministry@up.edu.
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.
The month of November is traditionally a time in which the Catholic community remembers those who have died. It is related to the fact that the end of November is the end of the Liturgical Year with a new year starting the First Sunday of Advent – the four-week period of preparation before Christmas. The Church then uses this end of the year period as a time to think of the end of life and the end of all things and the great hope that our earthly end is transition into a new life in God’s heavenly reality. We give thanks for those who have gone before us and we look with prayer and hope to their new life in heaven and our desire to join them there one day.
At UP, we have a special practice as a part of this month of remembrance. A stack of cards and a basket are placed in the entrance to the Chapel of Christ the Teacher and on front desks across campus beginning the week after fall break. Members of the campus community are invited to write a name of a family member or friend who has died and then place that card in the basket. Cards are collected over the first weeks of November and are placed at the foot of the altar throughout the month. Those whose names are placed there at the altar are prayed for daily at Mass and at Evening Prayer.
“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.
Saturday, November 2 is All Souls Day, which commemorates the faithful departed. Mass will be celebrated in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher at 10:30 a.m., remembering, through our intercessions, all faculty and staff who have died in the current and past years. A wreath will be blessed during Mass to be placed oat the Faculty and Staff Memorial near Buckley Center.
For more information contact Campus Ministry at 7131 or ministry@up.edu.
Friday, November 1 is the Solemnity of All Saints Day, meant to honor all the saints, known and unknown, who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. Masses will be celebrated in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher at 12:05 p.m. and at 4:45 p.m.
For more information contact Theresa McCreary, Campus Ministry, at x7131 or mccreary@up.edu.
The fall 2019 Encounter with Christ Retreat will take place November 8-10, and Campus Ministry would like to encourage faculty and staff to consider writing a note (palanca) to the students they know who will be on the retreat. This is an opportunity to encourage students and express appreciation for them outside the classroom. Each retreatant will receive an envelope of surprise palanca. Please do not discuss this concept with students to keep it a surprise.
A list of those going on the retreat, along with their majors, can be found at this link. Please submit your palanca to the Campus Ministry office in St. Mary’s. Mark your envelope with “EWC Retreat—(student’s name)” and either mail or drop off by Thursday, November 7 at 4:30 pm. Please send any questions to Annie Boyle, Campus Ministry, at boylea@up.edu or x7889. Thank you for your assistance.
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.
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.
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.
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.