{"id":149,"date":"2017-06-11T00:07:23","date_gmt":"2017-06-11T04:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/2017-pilgrimage\/?p=149"},"modified":"2017-06-11T00:07:58","modified_gmt":"2017-06-11T04:07:58","slug":"149","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/2017-pilgrimage\/2017\/06\/11\/149\/","title":{"rendered":"WELCOME HOME"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Holy Cross Heritage <\/span>Pilgrimage,<\/span> <\/span>for me, has been transcending. It has not only b<\/span>r<\/span>ought the \u201cNew World\u201d <\/span>close<\/span>r<\/span> to its heritage<\/span> but also connected the past to the present<\/span>; thus, transcending time and <\/span>sp<\/span>ace. <\/span>During <\/span>our first Mass <\/span>of the pilgrimage<\/span>, Fr. John DeRiso<\/span> CSC<\/span> greeted<\/span> the pilgrims<\/span>, \u201cWelcome Home! You\u2019ve done well.\u201d<\/span> <\/span>At that instant, I had <\/span>a<\/span> vivid imagine of Fr. Moreau <\/span>French-<\/span>embracing Fr. Sorin with those words. <\/span>While it was not Fr. Moreau<\/span>, it was another CSC; and it <\/span>was not Fr. Sorin who returned home, it was us!<\/span> <\/span>There we were, 175 years after the founding of the University of Notre Dame<\/span> (Notre Dame Trail! Shameless plug.)<\/span>, 19 pilgrims journeyed home.<\/span> To be welcome<\/span>d<\/span> home with <\/span>such proud<\/span> embrace w<\/span>as an enlightening <\/span>moment for me. It sparked a deep connection and a sense of purpose <\/span>in my collaborative work with the Congregation of Holy Cross and its coworkers. It rekindled the spirit within that burns for <\/span>the <\/span>zeal of <\/span>spreading of the Kingdom of God\u2014the very purpose of Fr. Moreau\u2019<\/span>s ministry. <\/span>It gave deep meaning and purpose to my ministry as a Rector.<\/span> <\/span>I am <\/span>a co-worker<\/span> in this ministry and mission with the many Holy Cross priests that came before and many who will follow. <\/span>It was real! An \u201cah ha\u201d moment if you will. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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As student affairs professionals,<\/span> we are<\/span> so often<\/span> caught up in the busyness of our daily lives that we don\u2019t<\/span> have time to take a step back to take a long view of the big picture, which prompts a poem that I have used to keep myself grounded:<\/span><\/p>\n

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. <\/span><\/p>\n

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.<\/span><\/p>\n

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent<\/span><\/p>\n

enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of<\/span><\/p>\n

saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.<\/span><\/p>\n

No statement says all that could be said.<\/span><\/p>\n

No prayer fully expresses our faith.<\/span><\/p>\n

No confession brings perfection.<\/span><\/p>\n

No pastoral visit brings wholeness.<\/span><\/p>\n

No program accomplishes the Church’s mission.<\/span><\/p>\n

No set of goals and objectives includes everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is what we are about.<\/span><\/p>\n

We plant the seeds that one day will grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.<\/span><\/p>\n

We lay foundations that will need further development.<\/span><\/p>\n

We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.<\/span><\/p>\n

This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.<\/span><\/p>\n

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an\u00a0<\/span>opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.<\/span><\/p>\n

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master\u00a0<\/span>builder and the worker.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are prophets of a future not our own.<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span>Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In the work of caring for our students, it can be <\/span>frustrating<\/span> and powerless at times because we don\u2019t know if all the late nights and early mornings will<\/span> bear any fruits<\/span>. Sometime it can<\/span> even<\/span> feel insignificant. As I am writing this, the awareness of self-knowledge and my understanding of God\u2019s providence and the mystery of salvation are being revealed. This grace is humbling. <\/span><\/p>\n

Self-center<\/span>ed<\/span>nes<\/span>s can creeps up on <\/span>us<\/span> in this ministry\u2014<\/span>\u201c<\/span>no one is dealing what I have to deal with!<\/span>\u201d<\/span> Thus, we can get discouraged, feeling self-centered, to see <\/span>our<\/span> insignificance in our<\/span> <\/span>work<\/span>, to think of what <\/span>we<\/span> can or cannot do, and <\/span>forget<\/span> about God and <\/span>God\u2019s<\/span> will and providence.<\/span><\/p>\n

One thing is certain, God never forgets! <\/span>God<\/span> knows our significance, our dignity and our worth. But <\/span>God<\/span> also expects us to accept, as from <\/span>God\u2019s<\/span> hands, the daily situations <\/span>God<\/span> sends us and to act as <\/span>Jesus<\/span> would have acted and the grace to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps, Fr. Moreau and Fr. Sorin <\/span>felt<\/span> these turmoils<\/span> 175 years ago when they were establishing the University of Notre Dame mission<\/span>. Perhaps not. But I am <\/span>confident that<\/span> we share the same frustrations, helpless, and powerlessness <\/span>in this work collaborative work<\/span>. But <\/span>taking<\/span> step back, I<\/span> wonder if Fr. Moreau could have ever<\/span> image<\/span>d<\/span> this great harvest that is the University of Notre Dame.<\/span> The seeds that was planted, namely by sending Fr. Sorin to this Northern Indiana Mission, are being watered and hold future promises\u2014the hope of the Cross.<\/span> O<\/span>ur work is not yet complete<\/span>d<\/span> and hopefully, our spirit is enlivened <\/span>by this pilgrimage <\/span>and home coming <\/span>to continue this work as co-workers <\/span>in God\u2019s vineyard, <\/span>working <\/span>to catch a<\/span> glimpse of heaven on earth at the University of Notre Dame. <\/span>Heaven\u2014our <\/span>ultimate home, the destination of every pilgrim\u2014God!<\/span><\/p>\n

Written by Nhat Nguyen<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Holy Cross Heritage Pilgrimage, for me, has been transcending. It has not only brought the \u201cNew World\u201d closer to its heritage but also connected the past to the present; thus, transcending time and space. During our first Mass of the pilgrimage, Fr. John DeRiso CSC greeted the pilgrims, \u201cWelcome Home! You\u2019ve done well.\u201d At … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “WELCOME HOME”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1475,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/2017-pilgrimage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/2017-pilgrimage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/2017-pilgrimage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/2017-pilgrimage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1475"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/2017-pilgrimage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/2017-pilgrimage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":151,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/2017-pilgrimage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149\/revisions\/151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/2017-pilgrimage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/2017-pilgrimage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/2017-pilgrimage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}