Holy Cross Associates re-forming in Salt Lake

Intermountain Catholic

+ Enlarge

SALT LAKE CITY — In the not-too-distant past, many people in the Salt Lake area were closely involved with various ministries of the Holy Cross sisters, from the College of Saint Mary-of-the-Wasatch to Holy Cross Hospital. As these institutions closed or changed hands, that connection has diminished. However, the desire to support each other with prayer and compassion remains.

"At one time there were 100 Holy Cross sisters in Utah, now there are 13," said Holy Cross Sister Miriam Joanne. "We have a rich history here, but even though we don’t have our institutions any more, we still wanted people to know that we’re here, we’re connected and we want to share our spirituality with everybody."

As a result, Sr. Miriam and Mary Beth Vogel-Ferguson are re-forming the Holy Cross Associates. They plan to gather like-minded men and women to meet on a regular basis to grow spiritually, Sr. Miriam said. At the first meeting, on May 21, Holy Cross Sister Genevra Rolf, now assistant superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools, will share her story of ministry. The topics of future gatherings will be decided by the group.

In the past, the Associates were formed on a three-tier level, from those who prayed for the Holy Cross sisters to those who lived in community with them. The new group will be less formal.

Vogel-Ferguson envisions the Associates’ gatherings as a time to emphasize a spiritual aspect that often is missing in today’s world. "Most people who will be a part of this will already be ministering in multiple different ways," she said. "This is not going to be necessarily service oriented."

At the quarterly gatherings, she believes the people will talk about spirituality in their lives, because "there are not a lot of forums for that type of discussion," she said.

A number of people have indicated that they’re interested in re-forming an Associates group, Sr. Miriam said, adding that many of these were involved with the hospital.

Cate O’Hare Adams is one of those who is interested in the Associates’ gathering. She has multiple ties to Holy Cross: her uncle was a Holy Cross brother, and she previously was a Holy Cross associate.

The gatherings will be a different forum than the Associates of the past, and Adams said she likes the notion that they will start with some of the Holy Cross teachings, then the group will decide what it’s going to be.

"It allows the gifts and charisms of the Holy Cross community to be shared by lay people, which I think is exciting," she said.

WHAT: Holy Cross Associates

WHEN: May 21, 9 a.m. to noon

WHERE: Holy Cross Ministries, 460 East 4500 South #204, Salt Lake City

Contact: Sister Miriam Joanne, Miriam@hcmutah.org or 801-261-3440 or Mary Beth Vogel-Ferguson, mvogel@socwk.utah.edu, 801-581-3071