OUR COMMON VALUES
To live faithfully in conformity to Christ or life in Holy Cross must be marked by certain characters or common values that flow from our spirituality,mission and community life:
Trust in DIVINE PROVIDENCE that makes us dependent upon GOD in all things;
Union of HEARTS that recogniss the presence of Christ within and among us;
Compassion that shares, even as Jesus and Mary did, in the lives and sufferings of others;
Courage taht risks all for the Kingdom of God
Zeal that sets our hearts on fire, the audacity to make all things new, to make
CHRIST KNOWN AND LOVED;
Competence that marks every aspect of our ministry;
Promotion of Justice and concern for the poor;
Closeness to the people we serve and to ouSr lay collaborators;
Family spirit that binds our minds and hearts, in joys and sorrows, so that people will
'SEE HOW THEY LOVE ONE ANOTHER'.
We are called to re-evangelize and present the Christian faith in a new way.
We must restore its credibility in our cultures. We must find concrete ways to rebuild our societies.
The charism of Holy Cross is stikk contemporary and urgent; to renew the Christian faith, to regenerate society, to "Bring about better times" by constant response to the most pressing needs of the church and society.
The Holy Cross Charism
"Wherever through its superiors the Congregation sends us, we go as Educators in the Faith to those whose lot we share." (Constitution 2.12)
Since arriving in East Africa in 1958, Holy Cross has opened numerous parishes and schools in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Shown at right are five novices making their first profession.
• • • •
In the 19th century, new technologies and scientific discoveries seemed to explain away the need for a belief in God. The dominant world culture was particularly hostile to Catholicism and to a deeply spiritual and long-reigning pope who led the Church decisively. Many speculated that the ancient Church of Rome would not last the century. In this turbulent atmosphere, the saintly Rev. Basil Anthony Moreau, C.S.C. (depicted right) called forth priests and brothers to reestablish the Church in the French countryside.
Within a few short years, the community numbered in the hundreds. Many bravely sailed to Algeria, North America, and Bengal where they began the great work of spreading the Gospel to a radically changing world. At the dawn of the 21st century, with many similar challenges facing the Church, Holy Cross thrives as an international, family-like community of priests and brothers educating and evangelizing the next generation in the Catholic faith.
Holy Cross Ministries
"Our mission sends us across borders of every sort. Often we must make ourselves at home among more than one people or culture, reminding us again that the farther we go in giving the more we stand to receive." (Constitution 2.17)
The Congregation's general administration is headquartered in Rome, and its Superior General is the Very Rev. Hugh W. Cleary, C.S.C., reelected to a second six year term in July 2004. Responsibility for the administration of religious houses and the apostolic works of the community is largely entrusted to thirteen provinces and ten districts, covering the following countries:
Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Ghana, Haiti, India, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, Tanzania, Uganda, and the United States.
