Congregation of Holy Cross – Charism

The Congregation of Holy Cross finds its charism in the life and witness of its holy founder, Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau. It is to evangelize as educators in the faith. This is the gift given by the Holy Spirit to Father Moreau, and through him to our Institute, for the good of Christ’s Body, the Church.

“Wherever through its superiors the congregation sends us we go as educators in the faith to those whose lot we share, supporting men and women of grace and goodwill everywhere in their efforts to form communities of the coming kingdom.” (Constitutions, 2:12)

Educators in the Faith

In a climate of secularization and suspicion of religion following the French Revolution, Father Moreau’s particular inspiration was that education was the pathway to evangelization. To educate was to share the Gospel of Christ. It was an education in the faith that encompassed both the development of the mind and the cultivation of the heart.

“We shall always place education side by side with instruction; the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart.  While we prepare useful citizens for society, we shall likewise do our utmost to prepare citizens for heaven.” Blessed Basil Moreau

Cultivating both mind and heart

For Father Moreau, an education in the faith begins with a rigorous and full development of the mind. The Congregation’s schools, from Father Moreau’s time to today, are known for their comprehensive curriculums and academic excellence. Only a rigorous education of the mind gives the background necessary to engage with faith the pressing needs and questions of the day and thus be real Gospel leaven in the world.

Father Moreau’s vision of education in the faith also included cultivating the heart. Having grown up in the wake of the French Revolution, Father Moreau witnessed firsthand the injustices that people with sharp intellects but under-formed hearts were capable of committing. In the Congregation’s schools, parishes, and missions, the cultivation of the heart consists principally in the spiritual and vocational formation necessary for people to live out their baptismal call. At its core is the frequent celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist.