The University is hosting brothers and priests from the United States Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross for their Provincial Chapter meetings from June 14 to 26. Chapter meetings set the direction for the life and work of the Holy Cross community for the next three years. Delegates are here from all ministries of the United States Province, which includes East Africa, Peru, Chile, and Mexico. Please keep the Holy Cross community in your prayers during these days.
Congregation of Holy Cross
Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Mass, June 11
A Mass celebrating the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus will be celebrated in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher on Thursday, June 11, at 5 p.m. All faculty, staff, students, and the public are welcome to attend.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the patron of the Congregation of Holy Cross and holds great significance to the priests whose character and teachings have long influenced the University of Portland. For more information contact Campus Ministry at 7131 or ministry@up.edu.
Celebrate Feast of Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C., Jan. 20
All University community members are invited to celebrate the feast day of Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C., founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, on Tuesday, January 20, at 5 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. Political science professor Gary Malecha will be honored as a recipient of the 2014 Spirit of Holy Cross Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Congregation on its lay collaborators. Malecha was one of six award recipients announced on Sept. 15 by Rev. Thomas O’Hara, C.S.C., provincial superior of the United States Province of Priests and Brothers.
For more information, please contact Campus Ministry at 7131 or ministry@up.edu.
Holy Cross Jubilee Celebrations
The list of Congregation of Holy Cross priests celebrating jubilee years in last week’s upbeat failed to mention Rev. Michael Belinsky, C.S.C., who marks 25 years with the Congregation this year. Fr. Belinsky served at Holy Redeemer parish from 2006 to 2007, and worked in the University’s campus ministry office from 2007 to 2012. His career as a priest has included working at hospice centers and with developmentally disabled adults, serving at Andre House in Phoenix, Ariz., ministering to people with AIDS in San Francisco, and social justice ministry. He is currently associate pastor at Christ the King Church in South Bend, Ind. We regret the omission.
Holy Cross Jubilee Celebrations
The Congregation of Holy Cross is celebrating jubilee years for a number of priests around the world, including three who served or still serve at the University of Portland. Fr. George Bernard, C.S.C. (pictured at left), is celebrating 65 years since his ordination; Fr. James Thornton, C.S.C., is celebrating 50 years; and Fr. Pat Hannon, C.S.C., is celebrating 25 years.
Fr. Bernard came to the University in 1969 and has been a fixture here ever since. Before coming to UP, he served as a theology professor and as vice president for student affairs at the University of Notre Dame; he then served as president of Holy Cross College for seven years. Upon arrival on The Bluff, Fr. Bernard was named as chairman of the theology department (1970-1977) and then as academic vice president (1977-1987). Many faculty and countless students remember him for his tough-minded sense of fairness and integrity, his booming laugh, and his determination to be the best servant to God that he can be. He lives to this day at Holy Cross Court and, when not 
absorbed in praying his Divine Office or offering Mass, can be found walking nimbly for a full 18 holes at local golf courses, shooting at or below his age.
Fr. James Thornton came to Portland in 1972, serving first as head resident in Kenna Hall from 1972 to 1975; associate director of campus ministry from 1972 to 1973; then as associate dean of students from 1973 to 1977. He was assistant to the academic vice president from 1981 to 1982, then moved to Portland’s DePaul Center in 1982, eventually serving there as president from 1986 to 1989. Today his is engaged in the Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement.
Fr. William “Pat” Hannon earned his B.A. at the University of Portland in 1982. It’s hard to imagine a more Catholic upbringing than his: seventh child and fifth son of 10 siblings; taught by Spanish Carmelite nuns and Holy Cross brothers at Moreau Catholic in Hayward, Calif.; said his first Mass at age six in an upstairs hallway at home; retreats, prayers, and more prayers; final vows taken in 1988, ordination on February 11, 1989. Anyone who meets Fr. Pat or is lucky enough to be the recipient of his ministrations is struck by his easy charm and innate sense of holiness and wonder. How often do we encounter someone who has found his one true calling in life?
Please congratulate our jubilarians on their many years of service to the UP community and beyond.
Basil Moreau Feast Day, 2013 Spirit of Holy Cross Award
The University of Portland will celebrate the Feast of Basil Moreau on Monday, January 20, with Mass in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher at 5 p.m. During the Mass, the 2013 Spirit of Holy Cross Award will be presented to longtime University of Portland supporters Al and Sue Corrado. The award is given annually to non-Holy Cross individuals who live and serve the Holy Cross mission. All faculty, staff, and students are welcome to attend and honor both the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross and the Corrados, whose selfless efforts on the University’s behalf have helped the Holy Cross mission for decades.
For more information contact Rev. Jeffrey Allison, C.S.C., at 7321 or allison@up.edu.
Faculty/Staff Presidential Forums
Interviews of the two University of Portland presidential candidates will take place on Tuesday, January 14 and Wednesday, January 15. A crucial part of that process is feedback from faculty and staff who have had the opportunity to meet with the candidates and ask questions. To that end, all faculty and staff are invited to the following forums:
Staff Forums (Bauccio Commons Boardroom):
- Tuesday, January 14, 11 a.m. to noon, with Fr. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C.
- Wednesday, January 15, 9:15 am to 10:15 a.m., with Fr. James M. Lies, C.S.C.
Faculty Forums (Buckley Center room 163):
- Tuesday, January 14, 11 a.m. to noon, with Fr. James M. Lies, C.S.C.
- Wednesday, January 15, from 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., with Fr. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C.
Forms will be available at the conclusion of the forums to provide feedback to members of the Presidential Search Committee, who will provide a report and recommendation to the board of regents. The board will vote to elect the next president of the University of Portland on Saturday, January 25.
For more information contact Danielle Hermanny, president’s office, at 8715 or hermannd@up.edu.
From Our Past
A number of the University’s legendary Holy Cross fathers have passed away over the years during the month of December, including:
Fr. Arthur Schoenfeldt, C.S.C., died on December 9, 2007 at Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Indiana. He was 77 years old. Known to students, alumni, faculty, and staff alike as “Padre,” Fr. Schoenfeldt served and lived at the University of Portland from 1978 until a few months before his death. In the earlier of these years he served as resident director of Christie Hall, but his ministry to students and staff continued through his years of residence in Mehling Hall and at Holy Cross Court and he came to know many students by name and family even when he had no formal connection. He was a native of Portland and graduated from Columbia Prep when the school was still located on the Bluff. Schoenfeldt Hall, a student residence funded in part by a gift from his family, is named in Padre’s honor.
Fr. Michael O’Brien, C.S.C., died on December 16, 2003, at the age of 92. He had served at the University of Portland as a faculty member in the English department, as chairman of the department, and as vice president for academic affairs from 1969 to 1976. He enjoyed a reputation as a popular, inspiring, and witty member of the University community. He had earlier served as the dean of studies under an older title and as resident director of the Salzburg Program.
Father John L. VanWolvlear, C.S.C., died on December 21, 1995 at Notre Dame, Indiana, at the age of 73. He was playing a game of tennis at the time, “and no doubt Van was winning,” according to Rev. George Bernard, C.S.C., in his eulogy for his good friend. Fr. Van, as he was universally called, came to Portland in 1965 and served in several posts, notably as director of admissions. He remained at Portland until 1973 when he was appointed resident director of the Salzburg Program. Many alumni will remember his booming voice and habit of roaring with 
laughter at the conclusion of his many stories.
Also, the Christmas season has always had special meaning to the University, most obviously due to its long association with the fathers and brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross. For many years the University hosted an annual Christmas party for children of faculty and staff, complete with visits from Santa Claus. The duty of putting on the Santa suit was shared among University faculty and administrators for a number of years, but during the 1960s and 1970s the suit was most often donned by University president Rev. Paul Waldschmidt, C.S.C., who had a special gift for channeling the spirit of Olde Saint Nick, both in personality and physical build.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all from the marketing and communications staff.
