- December 30, 2025 Motherhouse
Hello, I'm Mark Cross, and I'm honored to join the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ) as your new province operations administrator. After a few weeks here, I'm still very much in a learning phase, but I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share a bit about my journey to this position.
My story begins in Washington state, where I was born and raised. My entire family still lives there, and I maintain close ties not only to them but to the landscapes that shaped me — the mountains, trails and wild spaces where I love to hike, run and bike. The outdoors is how I relate to the world and to God's creation.
I came to St. Louis through Saint Louis University, where I received a joint degree in health administration and law. My first job out of graduate school was with the Religious Sisters of Mercy, and I worked with them as a hospital administrator for ten years, in Springfield, Missouri, throughout the Americas, and in South America and Guyana. Those ten years were probably the most formative of my life, both professionally and personally. The sisters nurtured me in ways that integrated faith, spirituality and professional work in a way I'd never experienced before. When I eventually left, it felt like leaving the womb. I knew I needed to go, but it was difficult to leave such a nurturing environment.
When I saw the position here with the CSJs, it felt like an opportunity to close the circle in a way, not only to return to working directly with a religious congregation, but also to explicitly integrate faith and spirituality into my professional life again. I've worked primarily in not-for-profits throughout my career, always with a desire to keep gospel values at the forefront. But in many places, the spiritual side was implicit rather than explicit. I wanted to return to a place where it's right here, in front of us: How do we live it? How do we present ourselves to the world in that way? How does it influence our relationships?
The role of province operations administrator, or POA, which I admit sounds mysterious even to me sometimes, is essentially like a chief operating officer. The operational aspects of the organization will eventually flow through this position, freeing the sisters in leadership to focus on other critical matters: mission, charism, ministries and legacy.
First and foremost, I hope you've already noticed in my brief time here that I am a listener. I enjoy hearing other people's stories, and I want to hear them fully. Along with getting to know each of you, I'm committed to this message: we are here to assist and support the sisters in their mission, in the charism, in their ministries.
Collaboration is equally important to me. As we work together, I want us to exemplify gospel values by working across departments and across ideas. The overarching goal is always: How do we support the sisters as we move forward? How do we continue to support the mission, the charism, the legacy? I love that our tagline is "Together, we are more," as it speaks directly to this vision.
Religious sisters in North and South America have made incredible contributions to the growth, development and spirituality of these societies. You paved the way for others, particularly for women going forward. What concerns me now, given current demographics, is: How do we expand and enlarge that charism so it continues to touch others even when the physical presence of the sisters changes?
Those who know me will tell you I'm drawn to sports that feature endurance and resilience. For a period of time, I ran ultramarathons, races over 26.2 miles, some as long as 50 miles. One of my favorite challenges was a two-day rim-to-rim-to-rim traverse of the Grand Canyon. Beyond being an expression of who I am, these experiences have taught me about hanging in there for the long haul.
This work we're called to — addressing social justice, eliminating racism, living gospel values — are things I wish would happen overnight, but obviously don't. How do we continue that good fight? How do we endure in the midst of challenges and still maintain our own humanity, spirituality and faith?
I'm looking forward to meeting more of you and hearing your stories. Please feel free to stop by my office anytime to introduce yourself or to share your thoughts and concerns.
I want to acknowledge openly that this is new territory for all of us. The POA position represents a significant shift, with the sisters placing great trust in a lay person to make decisions that have traditionally been made differently. I don't take that trust lightly. We're all figuring this out together, and I'm committed to holding this responsibility in the most collaborative and gospel-centered way possible.
This is a year of transition, and what we're doing now may look different in six months or a year, and that's okay. I want to be open to being surprised, to discovering different approaches and possibilities. The goal is to create systems and processes that not only serve you well now, but that embody who you are as a province, so that even when you're not in the room, you're still present in spirit and values.
Thank you for welcoming me into this community and for the opportunity to serve alongside you in continuing this vital work.
Mark's Contact Info
To reach out and welcome Mark or ask him any questions, you can contact him at:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 314-678-0307