The Holy Cross Mission Center is pleased to report that we have continued to engage our community through the following initiatives:
- Stonehill College and Holy Cross Community at Stonehill College Visit in Easton, Massachusetts: During her visit to Easton, Massachusetts, Outreach Coordinator Maria Kangapadan connected with staff and students at Stonehill College. She met with Katie McGillivray, Assistant Director of International Programs, to discuss potential collaboration between the college’s international programming and the Holy Cross Mission Center (HCMC). Maria was also invited by Rev. Ryan Kerr, C.S.C., to sit in on Campus Ministry’s Search group, where students gather to discuss some of life’s biggest questions and build community. She met with Colleen Schoeck, Campus Minister for Faith Immersion, to learn more about her role and Stonehill’s H.O.P.E. Service Immersion Program, which gives the Stonehill community opportunities for cross-cultural service experience. Maria presented to students who had participated in the winter semester H.O.P.E. immersion in Monterrey, Mexico, and also met with students preparing for an upcoming immersion in Peru during Spring Break. In these conversations, she shared about the mission of Holy Cross and how its identity is expressed at ministry sites connected to the immersion programs. While in Easton, Maria was hosted by the Holy Cross community at Stonehill, joining the priests and brothers for morning prayer, meals, and social gatherings, and attending Mass at Stonehill College. We are grateful to the Stonehill and Holy Cross communities for their warm hospitality during her visit, especially Rev. Neil Wack, C.S.C., the Superior, and Rev. Tim Mouton, C.S.C., the Assistant Superior.
- Connecting with Holy Cross Parishes in Easton, MA: Maria met with Fr. Neil, who also serves as the Parochial Vicar at Immaculate Conception Church, and with Rev. Brad Metz, C.S.C., Pastor of Holy Cross Parish. In these individual conversations, she discussed the programs offered by the Holy Cross Mission Center with them, including the Twinning Program which connects parishes with Holy Cross ministries around the world, as well as the HCMC’s Lenten Almsgiving Initiative. Maria also had the opportunity to participate in Mass at both parishes, deepening her connection with the local Holy Cross community. We are grateful to Fr. Neil and Fr. Brad for taking the time to meet with her and learn more about opportunities to engage their parishes in the global mission of Holy Cross.
- Meeting with Holy Cross Family Ministries to Explore Collaboration: At Holy Cross Family Ministries (HCFM), Maria spent a day meeting with members of the ministry’s leadership and program teams to learn more about their work and explore opportunities for collaboration. The day began with a welcome from Stephanie Whelan, Director of Operations for Family Rosary USA, followed by participation in the organization’s monthly all-staff meeting, which included a presentation by Rev. Charles McCoy, C.S.C. (Vice President), and Lisa Gulino (Director of the Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life) on their recent trip to visit HCFM ministries in India. Maria also met with the team from Catholic Mom, a women’s ministry that focuses on offering a community of encouragement and support for the vocation of Catholic motherhood, including Allison Gingras (Director of Digital Evangelization), Margaret Dwyer-Hogan (Business Manager), and Victoria Hassan (Social Media Specialist). She then participated in a rosary and Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and joined the team for a reception afterward. Throughout the afternoon, she connected with several leaders across the ministry, including Fr. Charles, Lisa, Meigs Turgeon (Special Assistant to the President), and Craig Dyke (Director of Programs and Mission Outreach for Family Rosary USA). In these conversations, Maria learned more about the cause for canonization of Venerable Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., the Holy Cross priest who promoted family unity through the daily prayer of the Rosary. The day concluded with a tour of The Father Peyton Center, led by Amy Dyke (Director) and Archivist David Goodrich, offering Maria a deeper look into the history and ongoing mission of the organization and the life of Venerable Patrick Peyton. She also briefly met the President of HCFM, Rev. Fred Jenga, C.S.C., during breakfast with the community the next morning. Thank you to everyone at HCFM for the gracious and warm welcome you gave Maria!
- Bengal Bouts Tournament: The University of Notre Dame’s Bengal Bouts boxing tournament began with the quarterfinals on February 17, Showcase Night on February 19, and the semifinals on February 24. For 170 years, the priests, brothers, and sisters of Holy Cross have provided educational and health services to millions of people in need in Bangladesh, and Bengal Bouts remains a powerful student-led effort in support of the Congregation of Holy Cross’s missions. We are grateful to all the boxers for investing their time and dedication to this cause through their fundraising efforts for Holy Cross ministries in Bangladesh. Thank you as well to everyone who stopped by our table to chat with Maria and our Director, Rev. Tom Eckert, C.S.C. As Chaplain of the club, Fr. Tom blessed each boxer before they entered the ring. The tournament isn’t over, and Phil Pollice, the 2025–2026 Bengal Bouts President, invites you to join the Notre Dame community for the final night of the 2026 Bengal Bouts tournament on March 28, 2026, at the University of Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion. Read his invitation on our blog. We look forward to seeing you there!
- HCMC at the Holy Cross Convocation: Assistant Director Michael Jezewak attended the Holy Cross Institute’s Annual Convocation in Austin, Texas, from February 23–25, 2026, on behalf of the Holy Cross Mission Center. The gathering brought together over 300 Holy Cross educators and representatives—both lay and religious—from around the world to reflect on this year’s theme: Seasons of Hope: Past, Present, and Future. While there, Michael gave a presentation titled, “Catholic Holy Cross Education in a Tech-Statured Time,” which combined insights from Jonathan Haidt’s research presented in The Anxious Generation with opportunities for holistic student formation through immersion experiences at Holy Cross’s missions. (Visit immersions.holycrossmissions.org for more information).
Provided by the Mission Center, March 2026
