St Paul of the Cross ~ Hunter of Souls

    I love this title of St. Paul of the Cross. He truly was a Hunter of Souls...and still is today! 

Icon by Michael Moran, C.P.

        I was visiting one of our Sisters who resides at a nearby nursing home and she was delighted to share with me a current copy of The Word Among Us. This Lenten issue features the vocation story of one of our very own - Fr. Cedric Pisegna, C.P.!  Fr. Cedric was instrumental in encouraging Sr. Rose Marie to make contact with our community as she discerned her vocation to religious life - specifically a community devoted to Jesus and Mary in their greatest act of love - a total self-gift to the Father on Calvary.

    In this article Fr. Cedric shares how the Holy Spirit worked marvels in his life through St. Paul of the Cross. Unfortunately, you can't read the whole article at the site unless you are a subscriber but these little booklets are so popular hopefully you can find one and read the rest of the story.

    Here's the intro...

Sometimes a friendship with a saint begins in a most unlikely way. For me, it started on a Friday afternoon, as I walked the campus of the large state university where I was a freshman.

My eyes were drawn to big, colorful posters on the lounge windows of one of the dorms: P-A-R-T-Y-! they spelled out—and a big one, too, with college girls coming from all over the state!

That evening I got dressed up in my best blue jeans and angora sweater. as I looked at myself in the mirror, I decided to add a sterling silver cross and chain, a gift from my mom as I left for college. It glistened in the light as I slipped it on over my sweater.

I knew there was something special about the cross—I’d been born and brought up Catholic—yet at that time in my life, I treated it as a kind of lucky charm. I was hoping it would separate me from all the other guys at the party...

    Fr. Cedric's vocation story is so inspiring - don't miss it!

Paul was so drawn by the cross that he meditated on the Passion constantly and spoke about it every chance he got. For him, Jesus' suffering and death were the greatest sign of God's love. 'Immerse yourself in the sea of God's love,' he would tell people. And he would urge them to go to Confession, where he knew God would touch them as he had been touched..."

~ From Fr. Cedric's story

     Saint Paul of the Cross ~ Hunter of Souls ~ Ora pro nobis!