Story of a Saint: Paul of the Cross
- USCCA Digital Communications Coordinator
- 19 hours ago
- 1 min read
October 19 and October 20 marked celebrations of the Feast Day of St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the religious order known as the Congregation of the Passion (also known as the Passionists, abbreviated as "CP"). As the University of Notre Dame's FaithND reports,
When he was 26 years old, Paul experienced a vision during prayer in which he heard God calling him to establish a new religious community dedicated to Jesus’ passion. In the vision, he saw himself clothed in the habit that his community would wear: a long, black robe with a white symbol stitched in the center—a white cross above a white heart that held the words, “passion of Jesus Christ.” The new community was grounded in poverty and solitude and had a mission to encourage people to meditate on the suffering and death of Jesus.
The Feast Day of St. Paul of the Cross is celebrated on October 19 in most countries; in the U.S., it is celebrated on October 20. To learn more about the history of the Passionists and their history of missionary work in China, we invite you to visit the Passionist Historical Archives website.
In service of our mission of mutual understanding, friends of the US-China Catholic Association are welcome and invited to share stories and reflections about history, theology, and the life of the Church in China. To submit your story, please email us at communications@uscatholicchina.org.
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