Holy Cross Charism

In 1837 Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C., founded the Congregation of Holy Cross in LeMans, France. Despite many demands for personnel locally, Moreau was convinced that Holy Cross was destined to spread throughout the world. In 1841, he sent Rev. Edward F. Sorin, C.S.C., (pictured above) and a group of brothers to the United States. The following year they arrived in northern Indiana with $300, a team of oxen, and a deed to 524 snow-covered acres.

Within two years Sorin had established the University of Notre Dame as well as numerous other schools and parishes across the country. Holy Cross moved into Chile in the 1940s and in 1958 established its first missions in Ghana and Uganda. Over the next several decades, the community expanded to Peru, India, Brazil, Mexico, Kenya, and, in 2000, to Tanzania.

With nearly 2000 priests, brothers, sisters, and seminarians in universities, colleges, high schools, foreign missions, parishes, social justice ministries, and other apostolic works on five continents, Holy Cross is growing in the 21st century as Educators in the Faith. The community's seal is the cross and anchors with the motto Spes Unica, "the Cross, Our Only Hope." Its initials, C.S.C., are Latin for Congregatio a Sancta Cruce.