Example of Congregation

The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, 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 (Le Mans, France), the Sisters of the Holy Cross, (Notre Dame, Indiana), and the Sisters of Holy Cross, (Montreal, Canada).
Basile Antoine-Marie Moreau, born at Laigné-en-Belan, 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 branches which will be nourished by the same sap and endowed with the same life.”
Spirituality
“We pray with the church, we pray in community and we pray in solitude. Prayer is our faith attending to the Lord, and in that faith we meet him individually, yet we also stand in the company of others who know God as their Father.” Blessed Basil Moreau formed the Congregation of Holy Cross, exhorting his religious to conform themselves to Christ
• by trusting in Divine Providence
• by finding hope in the Cross of self-emptying love
• by standing by others as the Mother of Sorrows stood by her son
• by working together zealously as educators in the faith.
the priest’s spiritual life is centered around his service as celebrant of the Mass and as one who brings the sacraments to the people of God.Blessed Father Moreau called upon the spiritual aid of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, giving to each of the three groups he established a patron from the Holy Family.
• He consecrated the priests to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
• He consecrated the brothers to the pure heart of Saint Joseph.
• He consecrated the sisters to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
And he also established Mary, under her title of Our Lady of Sorrows, as special patroness for all of Holy Cross. Learn more about the congregation’s devotion to Our Lady and embrace of spiritual practices.