Photo provided by Fr. Felipe Campos, C.S.C.
“But now I know that none of you to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels will ever see my face again.”—Acts of the Apostles 20:25
Years ago, as I preached my last homily at the conclusion of my first assignment in Texas, these words spoken by Saint Paul came to my mind. I recall ending my homily a bit earlier than I had anticipated, overcome by emotion as I turned away and returned to my chair. I had first served there as a deacon and later as a newly ordained priest, and over those years I had grown to love my people. It was the conclusion of three years — not simply of work, but of a life given and received. In that time, I shared in the joys and sorrows, hopes and fears of my parishioners, and in and through them discovered repeatedly Christ’s call in my life. I never asked to serve at St. Ignatius Martyr Parish in Austin, Texas, but Obedience led me there and gave me more than I could have imagined or deserved. Now, that same Obedience was leading me to a new chapter.
The life of a Holy Cross religious is the continuation of the apostolic ministry of the Apostles. Ever since that first assignment transition, I have turned to Sts. Peter and Paul as sources of inspiration, guidance and above all fellowship in my own ministry. Theirs was a life of obedience to the voice of Jesus, who constantly beckoned them to follow Him — into the unknown, into pain and into joy. Ours is an active life. Ours is an obedient life. We move from place to place, striving to follow Him as His first disciples did.
“Our mission sends us across borders of every sort. Often we must make ourselves at home among more than one people or culture, reminding us again that the farther we go in giving the more we stand to receive. Our broader experience allows both the appreciation and the critique of every culture and the disclosure that no culture of this world can be our abiding home.” –Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross 2:17
A few months ago, Obedience again called. Having served three years at Sts. Casimir and Adalbert Parish in South Bend, Indiana, the Lord invited me to follow Him in a different direction. As I look back at my time there, I recall not only my parishioners, but also the students of Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross College, whom I occasionally visited and ministered to. I remember the inmates at the St. Joseph County Jail, just down the street from our parish, for whom I celebrated Mass. I recall the faculty, staff and students at both of our local Catholic high schools, as well as those at Catholic Charities with whom I collaborated. It was not simply leaving an assignment. It was saying goodbye to a part of the great family of Christ — to a whole Church that had become home.
But God’s Providence is ever at work. I pray that those whose lives I was blessed to share will be enriched as much as they have enriched my own. Like Peter and Paul, I have come to discover that the subtle workings of grace often unfold through simple daily interactions. Greeting students, visiting the sick, feeding the hungry — individually, these moments can seem small and insignificant. In God’s hands, however, they build up His Kingdom, both now and in eternity. It hurts to leave, but joy follows in listening to the voice of God through Holy Obedience.
Paul was pained to leave behind his spiritual children and fellow workers in the vineyard. He knew that he was headed for his own cross, but trusted in the Lord’s call to fidelity and obedience. In this cross, in Christ’s Cross, he trusted to find his only Hope. Now, as I begin my new ministry as pastor of San Jose Catholic Church in Austin, I am filled with the joy of meeting new families, finding new challenges and preaching the Gospel to souls hungering for God. Christ continues to beckon me to follow Him, to seek Him, to serve Him. Through listening and obedience, among my people and within my community, He continues to reveal His face. In His call, in that invitation, I begin to find rest. It is not in any one city or among any particular people that I find my true and abiding home, but in following Him.
By Fr. Felipe Campos, C.S.C.
Published September 2, 2026 by the Office of Vocations
