Dear Members of the Campus Community,
This weekend marks the staggered start to winter break for the Holy Cross community. Our entire city feels noticeably quieter, with students departing campuses in every direction. Whether your plans include restful time here at Holy Cross or time with loved ones, I wish you a well deserved break and very happy holidays.
This season, we celebrate the birth of Christ, the moment where the Word became flesh. We are invited to amplify this message of love and hope for humanity. Often, the simplicity of this season is overwhelmed by the demands of this time of year—a tendency that is also very human. This month is meaningful for Christians and Jews, with Hanukkah celebrations and Advent underway. For people of all faiths—and none—the new year offers an important moment for reflection, as we look ahead, with hope, for a new beginning.
If you too experience this season as a blur, it can be grounding to take time for reflection. What moments and memories defined this year? What did I learn? How can I carry these lessons forward into the new year?
I will share some of my early reflections. As we close 2023, I feel deep gratitude for our time together as a community. I cherished moments like welcoming our new students at this fall’s move-in weekend. I felt such pride inaugurating another year of our vibrant academic life at our first convocation with Provost Visconsi. I appreciated the many ways faculty, students and staff showed up for each other and contributed to our community throughout this semester.
I learned from so many Holy Cross families and alumni who joined us in conversation about Aspire and our hope-filled future. I look forward to carrying the energy and momentum of fall semester into spring, as we celebrate Holy Cross milestones like the 50th anniversary of coeducation and prepare for the time-honored hello and goodbye (albeit in reverse order) of commencement and reunion.
Importantly, at the center of all this reflection, I am grateful for you. I hope you feel pride at all that you have learned and accomplished this semester, together.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays,
Vincent D. Rougeau