Holy Cross H.S., Flushing, celebrated a special Mass in honor of the Feast of St. Joseph, on March 16.

St. Joseph is the special patron of the Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross, originally known as the Brothers of St. Joseph when founded by the Rev. James Dujarie in France in 1820.

During his homily, celebrant Father Walter Jenkins, C.S.C., Ed.D., president, noted that Joseph was righteous and challenged students to live their lives in the same way.

“What is it to be a righteous man today?” Father Jenkins asked.  “It’s answering the question ‘who will I be when God needs me?’  The idea that you live before God in the right way, and that what you do is pleasing to God, is what it means to be righteous.”

Father Jenkins explained that there are plenty of righteous people throughout history, citing such examples as those who took part in the Underground Railroad during times of slavery and the more modern example of a woman who put herself in front of a gunman’s line of fire to spare nearby school children.

“I bet, if you think about it, you can find these people in your own lives – whether they are your brothers sitting next to you, family members, or one of your teachers – who answer God with faith and love,”  Father Jenkins told the students. “It is always my prayer that you will be righteous men and do the right thing before God.  And slowly, slowly this will change the world.”

Following the Mass, and in honor of the Feast of St. Joseph, the school community presented the Brothers of Holy Cross in residence with a special gift in gratitude for their many years of service:  the commission of a local nursery to redesign and provide landscaping for their patio terrace.