Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C., Ph.D.        
President, Holy Cross Family Ministries

Dear Friends in Christ, 

I hope you are experiencing a joy-filled Christmas season. Yes, it continues until the Presentation of our Lord on the 2nd of February! 

Since the last Global Newsletter, I have traveled extensively and met many of you in person. As I prepare this message, I am visiting Ghana and Uganda, then I am on to India and Bangladesh (if I am granted the needed visas). The amazing work in our ministry centers inspires me and ignites in me an even greater fire to serve those entrusted to us.  Thank you to all who make this work possible.

As the months evolve in my new role as President, I have spent much time praying and reflecting upon how the ministry has changed over the years, and what the Lord is calling us to do as we move forward. Holy Cross Family Ministries has grown in different directions and expanded to many different countries. These changes are a blessing and at the same time pose a challenge to articulate who we are, and what we do. I have spent a good amount of time trying to identify a finer way of articulating ourselves as an organization. I have shared my preliminary thoughts with the different levels of leadership in the apostolate. A definition that has been running in my mind recently runs as follows:

Holy Cross Family Ministries is an international Catholic apostolate, rooted in Marian spirituality, and under the sponsorship of the Congregation of Holy Cross, whose core mission is to educate families about the power of prayer and nurture the practice of family prayer.

Our primary goal is to live out and promote the message of our founder Venerable Patrick Peyton that, “The Family That Prays Together Stays Together” and “A World at Prayer is a World at Peace.”  To this, I would also add that, “A Home at Prayer is a Home at Peace.”

Looking at our past and the present, I have proposed six preliminary thoughts that I think will be of benefit to the organization as we move forward. I look forward to expounding upon each of these ideas in the coming issues of the Global Newsletter. The six points are:

1. Renew our Founding Trust in the Power of Prayer

2. Re-center the Rosary as our Organizing Principle

3. Rekindle our Missionary Spirit to Families

4. Give Closer Attention to Contextual Realities of families

5. Carefully Steward our Resources

6. Increase Closeness to the Congregation of Holy Cross and the wider Church.

Know how I am grateful to serve with each one of you in this role as President of Holy Cross Family Ministries. 

Together in Mission,

Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C.

Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., Archbishop Joseph Walsh, Very Rev. T. Garde, O.P., and Rev. G. Keenan, O.P.

April 1954, Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., with Archbishop Joseph Walsh, Very Rev. T. Garde, O.P., and Rev. G. Keenan, O.P., open wide the doors in Tuam, Ireland.  On April 25, the opening rally in the series in Ireland was held at the G.A.A. Stadium, with about 20,000 people attending to pray the Rosary and hear Father Peyton explain the benefits of Family Prayer, especially the Rosary.

Museum of Family Prayer opened wide their doors to St. John Paul II School class trip with 5th and 6th graders learning how to pray the Rosary and what it means to the students to pray to God.

In a scene from PRAY: THE STORY OF PATRICK PEYTON, the Vasquez family says grace before dinner, one of many ways to bring Christ into the home.

Catholic Momcast with Heidi Hess Saxton

Each week the Catholic Mom team shares perspectives on faith and family life, along with interviews with Catholic authors and creatives, on the "Catholic Momcast."

Find it at www.CatholicMom.com/Catholic-Momcast or your favorite podcast provider.

The Catholic Mom team, working with several Catholic partners, offered a great resource to Moms again this year. As busy parents have shopping to do and want to purchase quality products, the Catholic Mom Christmas Gift Guide is a great resource. This year’s guide had more than 175 products that families could confidentially purchase and enjoy.  From Advent and Christmas items to books and apparel, there was something for every member of the family. Christmas Gift Guide 2022 | CatholicMom.com Watch for it in 2023!