“I would encourage anyone who ever considered religious life, ever considered joining Holy Cross, to remember that it begins, first and foremost, with the idea of knowing yourself as loved, as treasured by God, as desired by God, and being okay with yourself, being weak, fragile, and not knowing exactly where you’re going in life. Be patient. God is immensely patient with you and God will bring you to himself no matter what,” is the belief that brought Rev. Felipe Campos Reséndez, C.S.C, to religious life and a conviction he shares with all those he meets.
Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Fr. Felipe’s family moved to Laredo, Texas, when he was a child. He, his brother, and his sister were part of a predominately Catholic community, with ninety percent of the population being Mexican. After high school, he entered the University of Notre Dame, which opened his eyes to a whole new world of diversity, culture, and faith — his time at Our Lady’s University had a lasting impact academically and spiritually.
Journey Inspiration
Living in O’Neill Family Hall at Notre Dame, he found a tight community and formed many close friendships. He also studied abroad in London and loved living in a flat with a group that got together regularly to share meals, travel the countryside, and even clean together. These opportunities were his first moments of living in a community of men who supported one another and he found this brotherhood mirrored in the Congregation of Holy Cross.
“I remember this as my first introduction to priests and brothers. They had a personal side to them, and they had a family side. I could tell that they not only were friends, but were brothers, and that was something that really attracted me to the Congregation of Holy Cross. That was a huge thing for me just to be able to see,” said Fr. Felipe.
Joining Holy Cross fulfilled his longing for community, a desire for family connection, and the hope to spend the rest of his life in a brotherhood of men bringing hope to the world.
“The faith side of it and the way that Holy Cross priests preach,” noted Fr. Felipe, was one reason why he was drawn to Holy Cross. “Growing up, God always seemed like a distant figure. I never had a negative experience of God, but the idea was you praise God, you give thanks to God, and you try to avoid offending God, but I never got the real sense of God loving me until I came to Notre Dame. In the way that I heard Holy Cross priests preaching, I heard about a Jesus who actually wanted to have a relationship with me. The fact that Jesus died for me became a personal thing. It wasn’t a theological statement; it was a personal, real lived reality.”
The Sacrament of Reconciliation with a Holy Cross priest was also a different experience from his interactions with diocesan priests. Fr. Felipe encountered very holy diocesan priests who were amazing men who seemed to be missing a deep personal connection to Jesus Christ. Their evangelical invitation was missing.
“Confession was always something that, as a little kid, I was afraid of, I was ashamed of. You misbehave; you go and tell the priests the bad things that you did. In meeting a Holy Cross priest for the first time, it was not only a sense of mercy but a sense of healing I felt. It’s not about who the priest is who I’m confessing; it’s feeling like I’m having a conversation with Jesus Christ. Jesus is there looking at my sinfulness and not just forgiving the bad things I’ve done, but then helping heal where I’ve gone astray, helping me heal and grow as a Christian. That was something that was amazing.”
Called to make God known, loved, and served by bringing the Gospel to the world, Fr. Felipe began his journey to the priesthood in 2014. He professed his First Vows on August 1, 2015, his Final Vows on September 4, 2020, and was ordained on April 10, 2021.
Ministry Experience
“My very first ministry was in St. Adalbert’s when I was a postulant,” said Fr. Felipe. “I was a teacher for First Confessions and then for First Communion, so I would come on Saturdays with another postulant, and we would co-teach a class to our candidates.”
A poignant moment on his journey and one of his favorite places to do ministry work was at Catholic Charities in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“Mornings were nice and simple; you would get there, wash dishes, and just do what was needed. There were two of us cooking and cleaning. It was great, but what I really loved was in the afternoons, once we were done cleaning, we would go on something called ‘heart walks.’ We would go out in pairs, and one of us would carry a backpack loaded with water, socks, and pamphlets. The goal was to walk out into the whole city, walk out into parks, into the river area, walk out under bridges, and find homeless people who either did not know about Catholic Charities and share with them information, share water, share socks, or if there were people who were banned from Catholic Charities, we would still share food, water, and socks. It was a way to show them love even if they were banned for whatever reason, and we got to meet a bunch of really, really neat people there.”
“While at the novitiate, I was a hospital chaplain, and I was a chaplain at an Alzheimer’s facility. That was very interesting,” recalled Fr. Felipe. After final vows, he spent time working as a jail chaplain at the St. Joseph County Jail in South Bend, Indiana. “That was an amazing experience to be with the people, do catechesis on Saturdays, and then participate in Sunday Mass. It was a very powerful and moving experience.”
Fr. Felipe ministered at Saint André Bessette Catholic Church (formerly known as the Downtown Chapel) in Portland, Oregon. In this role, he often worked as a porter greeting guests in the morning, getting them nametags, helping them get processed into the building, and spending time talking and praying together. Fr. Felipe served his first three years after ordination at St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, where he encountered parish life and ministered to the church community. He attempted a pastoral year in Mexico, but it was cut short due to COVID-19.
Currently, Fr. Felipe serves as the associate pastor at St. Adalbert and St. Casimir Parishes in South Bend, Indiana. Working between two places keeps him busy and constantly moving.
“A good chunk of my time is dedicated to marriage preparation and different forms of counseling, either personal marriage counseling or working with people who are facing a lot of difficult moments in their lives. Unfortunately, our families work very long hours. Many of them are in different statuses when it comes to their legal status in this country and there are a lot of families that are separated, so there’s a lot of stress on them,” said Fr. Felipe.
He explained many work long hours for little pay causing outbreaks of violence, abuse, and unfortunately neglect. A cycle is created of people not learning how to parent children, spouses unable to show love, and generations hurting.
“A lot of what I do is helping redirect that, helping people to actually love one another, trust each other, be a parent, or be a husband or a wife. Just being a listening ear and then trying to provide some guidance for a lot of pain,” said Fr. Felipe of his community work. He also visits the sick, dying, or people who haven’t seen a priest in a while because they are homebound. Fr. Felipe also spends a great deal of time celebrating Sacraments between the two parishes, giving talks to church social groups, or participating in retreats.
Fr. Felipe is also active with the school community assisting with the morning drop off, visiting classrooms, teaching or speaking when needed, joining assemblies, being present at the afternoon announcements, and saying goodbye to students and families at the end of the school day. He has even been called upon to act as a mediator in certain situations and as a translator for teachers and families.
“I hope to be able to reach or give that reality to others, to have them know that they are loved and treasured by God. God hopes to one day be with them forever in heaven, and that begins right now. God seeks to love them beyond anything they can imagine, beyond anything they can ever earn, and that doesn’t start in heaven, but that starts right now,” said Fr. Felipe.
Published October 2024
