You Make It Possible: Office of the College Chaplains

Changing Needs, Constant Support
The Office of the College Chaplains works to maintain a welcoming and inclusive environment where members of the Holy Cross community feel empowered to awaken, explore and strengthen their spiritual lives. In providing opportunities for worship, service, contemplation, conversation, examination and fellowship, the chaplains ensure that the spiritual lifeblood of the College continues to blossom, and that our commitment to Jesuit values are held at the forefront of our thoughts and actions.
Your financial and spiritual generosity has allowed our chaplains to continue to serve the needs of our students, those constant and changing, with depth, grace and competence. In recognizing the increased hunger for community and the interconnectivity of mental and spiritual health, our office has become more proactive in our outreach, and comprehensive in our service. In doing so, our community has responded to the myriads of ways that faith and service in God's name can enrich, center, unite and heal. Your investment has been critically impactful in adding layers of depth to each program and initiative, and ensuring that transformative opportunities for retreat, reflection, immersion and service are not impeded by financial limitations. Through you, God's presence is known. Thank you for all that you are making possible.
A Thank You from the Office of the College Chaplains
We are profoundly grateful to those alumni, parents and friends who have supported the the Office of the College Chaplains, including significant support from:
- John B. Fisher '79 and Diane Medeiros Fisher '80
- James R. Menza P01
- Sandra Logan-Mullman and John P. Mullman '82 P07
- Kathleen A. Paul P01
- Cara Corbett Rinaldi '98 and Matthew Rinaldi '01
- Michael and Susan Stuart P10, 09, 06
- Carol and Joseph V. Vicidomino '75 P08, 03
- Patricia and John K. Figge '59 P93, 91, 88, 83 †
- Mary Catherine and Robert H. McCooey '52 P92, 91, 89, 87 †
- Ellen B. and John V. Burke Foundation
- Elizabeth A. '83 and Kevin D. Cox '81 P13, 08
- Jacqueline H. and George A. Paletta '84 P15
- Barbara and Don Taggart P03
2024-2025 Highlights

On April 11, 2025, the Chaplains' Office teamed up with Table Talk Pies as a part of the College's Purple Goes Green initiative. In addition to enjoying delicious pies from this Worcester-based company, participants learned about the ties between spirituality and environmentalism, and had the chance to support the Catholic Climate Covenant.

In addition to the various ways in which our students engaged with their faith and spirituality, weekly Mass attendance saw a rise of over 33% during the 2024-2025 academic year. This uptick, the first in decades, is yet another signal of the vibrant faith community on campus.

In a continuous attempt to engage with the community, inspire spirituality and offer intentional ways in which students can live the mission, the Chaplains' Office hosted the first annual Campion Calling on the Hoval on September 5, 2025. Complete with food trucks, games and a DJ, the event introduced the chaplains to students and shared ways to create meaningful connections and community during their time at Holy Cross.
Prayer and Worship
The chapels of the College are welcoming spaces for all members Holy Cross community, regardless of their faith. This year, nearly 200 students added joy and life to liturgical services as singers, instrumentalists, lectors, greeters and Eucharistic ministers.

The Mass of the Holy Spirit for the Class of 2028 took place on Aug. 22, 2024.

The Mass served as an opportunity to welcome the 835 members of the class of 2028 to Mount St. James

Baccalaureate Mass at the Hart Center Arena at College of the Holy Cross on May 23, 2024.

Holy Cross held its 11th Annual Multifaith Community Prayer on Tuesday January 21st in the Mary Chapel.

The College's 46th annual Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols took place on Dec. 5, 2024.

Arrupe Immersion Program
The Arrupe Immersion Program provided life-changing opportunities for 122 students to put the Jesuit mission into practice by building relationships, sharing their gifts and bringing about a mutual understanding of humanity with brothers and sisters in different parts of the country.

After a year of intense commitment and faith-based preparation, 20 Arrupe student-interns led teams of students to 17 domestic sites. In total, 122 students (23 seniors, 19 juniors, 41 sophomores, 39 first-year students) participated in immersion programs at groups of four sites, including those in Appalachia, Disability Rights sites, Urban Immersion sites and Sustainability sites. Pictured here is the group in Ossining, New York.

We added a new partnership with L'Arche Tahoma Hope in Tacoma, Wash. This L'Arche site has a farm on its campus and provided five students with the opportunity to learn about both disability rights and environmental sustainability. Students also met with former Holy Cross president, Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., while on the site.

While standing in our Catholic and Jesuit identity, we offer opportunities to serve, to expand our understanding of humanity, to explore and deepen our relationships with God, and to discern who we are called to be. It is through these endeavors that our students can find the purpose and hope through which they will truly thrive. You have given our chaplains the resources to reach out, serve and inspire our students to be beacons of faith and light, and to ensure that our Ignatian mission – the cornerstone of Holy Cross – continues to flourish.

Expanding the Embrace of Chaplaincy
This year, the College welcomed three new chaplains to enhance its ministerial services. These chaplains allowed the Chaplains' Office to expand offerings and campus partnerships and increase invitations to faith-based communities and engagement.
Faith Formation
- 16 Holy Cross students were baptized or confirmed by by Bishop McManus on April 27, 2025.
- 5 Anna Maria College students were confirmed on the same day.
- 6 Assumption University students were also confirmed.