Congregation of Holy Cross

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The Congregation of Holy Cross (C.S.C.) is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by the Venerable Fr. Basil Moreau, CSC in LeMans, France.

Father Moreau also founded the Marianites of Holy Cross, now divided into three independent congregations of sisters. The Congregations of women who trace their origins to Father Moreau are the Marianites of Holy Cross (LeMans, France), the Sisters of the Holy Cross, (Notre Dame, Indiana), and the Sisters of Holy Cross, (Montreal, Canada).

Contents

History

Historical background

Earliest foundations

Holy Cross founded as a religious congregation

Basile Antoine-Marie Moreau, born at Laigne-en-Belin, near Le Mans, France, on February 11, 1799, founded the Congregation of Holy Cross. Basile Moreau saw a visible image of the Holy Family in this Congregation of Holy Cross which he had conceived as an Association of religious men and women working together on equal footing for the building of the reign of God. He intended that this Congregation, composed at its origins of three distinct Societies, namely, Sisters, Priests, and Brothers, be an apostolic institute. As Father Moreau stated in one of his letters, he envisioned that: “Holy Cross will grow like a mighty tree and constantly shoot forth new limbs and new brancheswhich will be nourished by the same sap and endowed with the same life.”

Global Growth

Separation of the Marianites of Holy Cross from the congregation

New missions in the 20th century



Notable members

Superiors General

  • Fr. Basil Moreau, CSC (1837-1866)
  • Fr. Pierre Dufal, CSC (1866-1868)
  • Fr. Edward Sorin, CSC (1868-1893)
  • Fr. Gilbert Francais, CSC (1893-1906?)
  • Fr. James Wesley Donahue, CSC
  • Fr. James Burns, CSC (1938?-1950?)
  • Fr.
  • Fr. Christopher O'Toole, CSC (1961?-1973?)
  • Fr. Tom Borosse, CSC (1973-1985)
  • Fr. Claude Grou, CSC (1985-1997)
  • Fr. Hugh Cleary, CSC (1997-2009)

Location

Holy Cross Priests and Brothers can be found across the globe, including these countries (date of first appearance in parentheses):

  • France (1820)
  • United States (1841)
  • Canada (1847)
  • Italy (1850)
  • Bangladesh (1853)
  • India (1853)
  • Chile
  • Peru (1961)
  • Haiti
  • Brazil
  • Ghana
  • Kenya
  • Uganda
  • Tanzania (2003)


  • U.S. (1841), Canada Italy and India

Institutions founded by Holy Cross

Higher education

Secondary schools

France

United States

Canada

Bangladesh

Chile

Brazil

Haiti

India

Ghana

East Africa

External links

nl:Congregatie van het Heilig Kruis