“Today, be very Catholic,” preached newly ordained Fr. Matt Kuczora, C.S.C., in his first Mass. “Allow Christ to touch you through your senses. Listen to Christ’s voice in the words of our prayers. Taste the bread and wine that are His Body and Blood.  See Him in your neighbor, both in the pews and then wherever you may go from here.” Read More

“To scatter the seed of God’s Word; to dispense his mercy; to nourish the faithful with Christ’s Body and Blood – these are three aspects of the priestly mission that I wish to reflect on with you in this homily,” preached Most Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades, the Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, at the Ordination of Fr. Matt Kuczora, C.S.C. Read More

"If you ask a Holy Cross Priest about the most memorable parts of his Ordination, I would venture that, at some point, he would talk about lying prostrate on the floor of the Basilica. It is a gesture that is packed with meaning—a gesture that calls together the prayers of those gathered in the Basilica as well as those who have gone before us in the faith," preached Fr. Gerry Olinger, C.S.C., in his homily at Lucernarium this evening, in final preparation for Matt's Ordination to the Priesthood tomorrow. Read More

"We know and believe that all that is sad will one day come untrue," writes Fr. Pete Jarret, C.S.C. "Our crosses, large and small, will end in gladness because of Christ’s victory over all sin and death. His dying and rising destroyed death forever and assured for us an eternal lifetime of joy." Read More

“Are we supposed to look past Good Friday like that?” asks Fr. Steve Lacroix, C.S.C., in his Good Friday homily. “Is that what Christian hope means? Yes, we know that Easter is just days away; but what about the times when we encounter suffering in our lives, and we don’t know exactly how long it’s going to last, or how bad it’s going to get, or what redemption will look like for us? What does Christian hope look like when the Cross becomes real in our lives?” Read More

St. John’s account of the Last Supper dramatically draws our attention to that very critical link between the Eucharist as the Real Presence of Jesus as Divine Love AND His mandate to service: ‘I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do,’ preached Fr. David Tyson on Holy Thursday. “By showing us what to do, and, at the same time, by giving Himself to us as sacrament, Jesus inextricably links the Eucharist to our service.” Read More

“Today is the day of great expectations. Jesus, thought by the masses to be the long-awaited Messiah, enters Jerusalem triumphantly,” preaches Fr. Hugh Cleary, C.S.C., in his Palm Sunday Homily at Stonehill College. “And we today, the heirs of those dreams: Who are we? What do we do we desire? … Where is our kingdom? Who is it who comes triumphantly into our hearts so that we might truly give ourselves over?” Read More

“People sometimes ask us what’s the difference between a C.S.C. or a Dominican or a monk or others priests, and why there are so many different kinds. I’ve given a lot of different answers,” preached Fr. Jim King, C.S.C., in his homily marking the end of Holy Cross week at Notre Dame. “But I’m going to give a little different answer today because even most other priests we get in discussions with about what we do think we’re crazy.” Read More

“When I tell my US friends that I live in Peru, most of them will quickly ask if I had seen Machu Picchu. Now I can say I have!” writes Fr. Don Fetters, C.S.C. “There’s a whole controversy over Machu Picchu that’s been brewing for the last century, and a book published last year … sums it up in two questions:  who discovered Machu Picchu and who owns it. After giving those questions their due, the authors bring a nice insight to the discussion:  possessing something has nothing to do with treasuring it.” Read More

“Somehow, I imagine that Lent will be a bit different here,” writes Seminarian Mark DeMott, C.S.C., from Holy Cross Lake View Secondary School in Uganda. “For the people of Uganda, meals are generally very simple – and almost always meatless.  At school, we eat posho, (imagine day-old Cream of Wheat that has solidified after a day in the refrigerator), rice, beans and bitter greens on a daily basis.  Perhaps most noticeably, almost everyone here can be considered to be ‘in need.’  … What is the place of fasting in a place like this?  What is the place of sacrifice?” Read More

“Father Moreau believed deeply that each one of us is called to live in God’s love by actively embracing and sharing the salvific mysteries of Christ’s life, especially the mystery of the Cross,” preached Fr. David T. Tyson on the Feast of Blessed Basil Moreau. “‘Making God known, loved, and served’ is essential to our charism, and essential to all of our ministries, wherever they may be. It fuels our zeal to be eager ministers of the Gospel, and it is the glue that seals our union.” Read More

“As I reflect upon the reality of our people and the anxiety and uncertainty under which they live now here with the drug cartels of Mexico, I think of Mary and Joseph and the people of Israel living in anxiety and uncertainty under the presence of the Roman army in their land,” writes Fr. John Herman, C.S.C., pastor of La Luz Parish in Monterrey, Mexico. “The people of Israel had endured so many difficult times as they waited for centuries for the Messiah to come.” Read More

Today we in the family of Holy Cross celebrate the Feast Day of our patroness, Our Lady of Sorrows. As our Constitutions state, "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" (8:120). Read More

On this 10th anniversary of September 11, we in Holy Cross and here at the Spes Unica blog join our nation — and others of goodwill from around the world — in remembering those who lost their lives on that fateful day, including those who laid down their lives to save others. Like so many others, we also offer our prayers this day for true peace and justice to grow and spread through our world. Read More

Thanks to the generosity of the Most Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades, Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, who presided at Rev. Mr. Matt Kuczora, C.S.C., Ordination to the Diaconate this past Sunday, we are able to share with you all on Spes Unica the amazing homily that Bishop Rhoades gave at the Mass. It is a powerful reflection on the ministry and service of a deacon. A huge thanks to Bishop Rhoades for sharing it us so we could share it with you. Read More

Today at 2 p.m. ET in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Mr. Matt Kuczora, C.S.C., made his final profession of religious vows in the Congregation of Holy Cross.  Now he is one of the spiritual sons of Blessed Basil Moreau forever. Receiving Matt's final vows and presiding at the Mass was Fr. David T. Tyson, C.S.C., Provincial Superior of the United States Province.  Fr. Tyson graciously shared his powerful homily at the Mass with us at Spes Unica, and we now share it with you. It is a deep reflection on the meaning of the evangelical counsels in our world. Read More

With the celebration of Lucenarium this evening at Moreau Seminary, the 2011 Final Vows Weekend for the United States Province officially began.  Tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Mr. Matt Kuczora, C.S.C., will be professing forever the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience according to the Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Read More

Today, on another continent, we celebrated the final profession of five of our religious from the District of East Africa. With the Rev. David T. Tyson presiding, Changwe Constantine, C.S.C., Macharia Timothy, C.S.C., Mbusa Vicent, C.S.C., Muhindo Luke, C.S.C., and Tumwine Patrick, C.S.C., professed forever the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience according to the Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross.In a Spes Unica blog exclusive, we share with you today the homily given by Fr. Tyson at the Mass. Read More

This morning at Sacred Heart Parish in Colorado Springs, Colo., six Holy Cross novices from the United States Province of Priests and Brothers made their first profession of religious vows to Rev. David T. Tyson, C.S.C., the Provincial Superior of the United States Province. The homily at the Mass was preached by Rev. Kevin Russeau, C.S.C., who spoke powerfully of the vows being an imitation of Jesus -- one that we are formed and strengthened for by our families, both our birth families and our Holy Cross family. Read More

Today the Congregation of Holy Cross celebrates one of its patronal feast days, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  The Sacred Heart is the special feast day of all the priests and seminarians of Holy Cross.  To help us celebrate this day, we are posting a reflection written by Fr. Bob Epping, C.S.C., who is the Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Colorado Springs, Colo. Read More

Basically every summer, all Holy Cross priests in the United States who have been ordained for five years or less gather for the Early Years Workshop. These days of prayer, faith sharing, and fellowship at our Holy Cross Center in La Porte, IN, offer a wonderful opportunity for our young priests to reconnect with their peers in the community as well as to continue growing in their priestly ministry and identity. The only catch is that none of our young priests refer to the event as the “Early Years Workshop”; they all affectionately refer to it as “Baby Priest Camp.” Read More

It took us a little while to make good on our promise, but today we are proud to post for you the text from Fr. Frank Murphy, C.S.C.'s homily at Holy Cross' annual Mass of Thanksgiving for its Jubilarians.  It was well worth the wait to get this Spes Unica exclusive as it is a masterful homily underscoring what it means to be a Holy Cross priest or brother serving God's people.  Join us one more time in giving thanks for our Holy Cross Jubiliarians and their 1,110 faithful years of service!  Read More

Moments ago in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Fr. Paul, with the Holy Chrism on his hands less than 24 hours old, preached the homily at his First Mass. Although Mass is still going, as with Fr. John’s homily, we have for you as part of our exclusive Ordination Week coverage the text of his homily. In a few hours, on the ND Prayercast website, you will be able to watch Fr. Paul’s first Mass as well. It is clear both of these men are going to be great priests for Holy Cross and for the Church! Read More

First out of the gate of our newly ordained in terms of presiding at Mass is Fr. John Britto, C.S.C. Moments ago in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Fr. John preached the homily at his First Mass. While Mass moves into the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we have for you as part of our exclusive Ordination Week coverage the prepared text of his homily. On the Catholic TV website, you can watch Fr. John’s first Mass as well. Read More

We conclude our Holy Week homilies this Holy Saturday with the homily that Fr. Kevin Grove, C.S.C., Associate Pastor of Christ the King Parish, South Bend, gave this evening at the Easter Vigil in the parish. Read More

We continue our Holy Week homilies this Good Friday with Fr. Jim Lies' homily given this afternoon at Christ the Teacher Chapel on the campus of the University of Portland. Fr. Lies is the Exeuctive Director of the Garaventa Center for Catholic Intellectual Life and American Culture. Read More

Today the intensity of Holy Week deepens as we enter into the Triduum with the celebration of Holy Thursday. Continuing our series of Holy Week homilies on our blog, we share the powerful homily that Fr. David T. Tyson, C.S.C., the Provincial Superior of the Indiana Province of Priests and Brothers, gave on the connection between the Eucharist and service this evening at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame. Read More

With Palm Sunday today, we have entered into the holiest of holy weeks for us followers of Christ.  To help us enter into this week through our blog, we have lined up homilies from our Holy Cross apostolates as they celebrate the Liturgies of this Holy Week.  Setting the stage for the week for us is Fr. Peter Rocca, C.S.C., the Rector of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame.  He reminds us that Jesus’ journey is our journey. Read More

To help us all dive into this Lenten season, such a powerful time for us to deepen our relationship with the Lord and thus further our discernment, Fr. Tom Gaughan, C.S.C., the rector of Stanford Hall at the University of Notre Dame, wrote the following reflection for us. Read More

From all of us here in the Office of Vocations, a blessed and grace-filled Christmas to you!  Know that you are in our prayers on this holy day and in this holy season.  As part of your Christmas celebrations, we share with you the homily Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C, the Director of the Office of Vocations, preached this evening at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame.