Along with the declaration on 11 February of the upcoming Year of Mission for the Congregation of Holy Cross, Br. Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., Superior General, also announced the release of a special hymn that had been commission for the occasion. Written by Mr. Steve C. Warner, former director of the University of Notre Dame Folk Choir, Let Us Be People of Hope is a celebration of the Congregation’s mission and the gift of hope.
According to Mr. Warner, who had previously written other hymns drawing on the spirituality of the Congregation, including Cross of Our Hope, the hymn “should be a piece that celebrated hope, one that brought with it many of the images and phrases embraced by the Congregation of Holy Cross, including the admonitions to move beyond all borders, to be anchored in service, and to minister to the vulnerable and to the marginalized.
“I turned, therefore, to one of the best and most inspiring sources: the Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross. And specifically, I spent much time reading and rereading Constitution Two [on Mission]. The result of this dialog is what you now see before you: Let Us Be People of Hope,” he continued.
The refrain rings out with the joy and zeal that are hallmarks of the Congregation’s mission:
“Let us be people of hope
our service anchored in love.
Beyond all borders, rooted in faith
may we bring God’s gifts to the world.”
The verses then draw out various dimensions of the Congregation’s mission, including the core of its spirituality, namely, hope in the Cross of Jesus Christ. That hope in the Cross comes from the Congregation’s founder, Blessed Basile Moreau, who selected as the motto for his religious family: Ave Crux Spes Unica, Hail the Cross our only hope.
For the release of the Let Us Be People of Hope, a recording was made by the Newman Vocare Ensemble at the Notre Dame Newman Centre in Dublin, Ireland. That recording is available for download as a mp3 on the Congregation’s website and has also been posted to the Congregation’s YouTube channel.
For parishes, schools, and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the hymn, its various language settings, and its instrumental settings are available for free download and use on the Congregation’s website. All others interested in using the hymn should reach out to the composer at warner.2@nd.edu
Listen to Let Us Be People of Hope
“It is with great joy that I share this work with the community I worked with for nearly all of my professional ministerial career,” wrote Mr. Warner. “May the words and the tune lift the spirits and embolden the actions of these noble servants of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
The Congregation’s Year of Mission officially begins on 28 April 2025, the 185th anniversary of Blessed Basile Moreau’s sending of the first Holy Cross missionaries outside of France in 1840. More information on the year, as well as resources to enter into it, are available on the Congregation’s website.