One old timer Passionist shared this reflection on living in community:
“Reviewing and reflecting upon my own experience of life in my community of brother Passionists, I see it now, from the vantage point of both my age and experience, as a place of blessing in so many and various ways…A blessing of brother Passionists,–old and young and in-between,–who have tested and tried me, who have supported and endure me, enjoyed and encouraged me, loved me deeply and hated me mildly, corrected and challenged me, noticed and ignored me, told me off and turned me on, inspired and discouraged me. And yet, through it all, they have been and are and always will be brothers in Christ, who have always been there, –a constant presence that is occasionally frustrating, but generally supportive, and always blessedly unavoidable.” Fr. Thomas More Newbold, C.P.
Father Thomas More was the Rector of Mother of Good Counsel Passionist Minor Seminary when I started my freshman year of high school in 1959. He walked with dignity and presence, had bushy red hair and freckles and while mostly serious, had a smile that somehow told me I was ok. He was one of many such men that continue to attract me to the Passionist Community make me want to be like them and to share in the great work they do, i.e. help keep alive the memory of Jesus’ Cross.
We are a community of laymen and laywomen who, with vowed Passionists, seek to share in the charism of St. Paul of the Cross through prayer, ongoing spiritual formation, and proclamation of the message of Christ Crucified.
