Every Catholic religious order was founded to address a particular problem of a time and locale. In the case of the Congregation of Holy Cross, that problem was the devastation wrought by the French Revolution, which had led to suppression of public worship and the shutting down of many Catholic communities. Nearly two generations of French Catholics were ill-informed about their faith. Basil Moreau’s band of priests, brothers, and sisters formed in order to be dedicated educators in the Catholic faith; that is the work the Church acknowledges that they do, and what their constitutions say they are to do. That is the principle of Holy Cross charism; several other charisms in the “DNA” of Holy Cross men and women fuel their audacious task. Among these are zeal (an unwavering spark for and commitment to living out their call), reliance on Divine providence (understanding that God can and does use any circumstance or human choice to reveal something of God’s love to a world ravenous for meaning and purpose ) and hospitality (commitment to be the face of Christ to all who show up and, perhaps more importantly, to see the face of Christ in all who show up).
“Did You Know?” is a sort of regular feature in upbeat intended to help staff and faculty understand dimensions of this Catholic, Holy Cross university. You can send questions to Fr. Jim Gallagher (Campus Ministry) or Karen Eifler (Garaventa Center).