The Congregation of the Holy Cross has a new leader in Rome, and he'll arrive from Notre Dame.
Director of Campus Ministry Fr. Richard V. Warner was elected on July 16 to become the 12th Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Rome.
Warner graduated from Notre Dame in 1962 and received an honorary degree in 1987 from the University. He also studied theology at Catholic University in Santiago, Chile, and was ordained a Holy Cross priest in 1966.
"Fr. Warner has served Notre Dame with distinction in many and varied capacities, and we are collectively — and I am personally — indebted to him for his wise counsel, witness to the Gospel and service to our campus and broader community," University President Fr. John Jenkins said in a press release.
After his ordination, Fr. Warner returned to Chile to teach English for six years before becoming the provincial treasurer for the Indiana Holy Cross Province. In 1979, he became Provincial Superior for the Indiana chapter.
Warner, a counselor to then-University President Fr. Edward "Monk" Malloy, became director of Campus Ministry in 1989 and has held the position for more than 20 years.
In his new position, Warner will succeed Fr. Hugh W. Clearly. He will oversee the international missions and operations of the Congregation, founded in France in 1837 by Blessed Basil Moreau. Warner will work primarily from Rome, according to the release.
The Congregation of Holy Cross is an order of more than 1,500 priests and has founded eight colleges and universities in the United States, including Notre Dame, and 45 secondary schools worldwide, the release said. In addition to education, the Holy Cross is actively committed to parish work and missionary outreach. The Holy Cross currently has a presence in 16 countries on five continents.
"The General Chapter has made an astute decision in electing Fr. Warner to lead our congregation and, while we will miss him and his ministry at Notre Dame, we rejoice that his talents will be shared in new ways around the world," Jenkins said in the release.
Please see page 16 for a related letter from Fr. Thomas Doyle, vice president for student affairs.
