Our Charism Lived Out
Family & Spirituality
The Heart of Our Identity
A Religious Family
The Congregation of Holy Cross is not just an organization or a collection of institutions; we are a religious family. Founded in 1837 by Blessed Basil Moreau in Le Mans, France, our unique identity — our charism — is to be Educators in the Faith.
In the Province of West Africa, this identity is deeply alive. We bring our global spiritual heritage to life within the rich context of African community, hospitality, and communal brotherhood. We live together, pray together, and work together to make God known, loved, and served.
The Holy Cross Family
Our founder, Blessed Basil Moreau, envisioned the Congregation as a visible imitation of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. He brought priests, brothers, and sisters together to form a single, unified family of faith. In the Province of West Africa, our community life is our first witness — a sign that true brotherhood transcends tribal, national and cultural boundaries.
Brotherhood in Community
We share our lives, our meals, and our prayers in common houses.
A Family Serving Families
Because we are a family, we treat our students, parishioners and collaborators not as clients, but as our own kin.
Core Pillars of Our Spirituality
Ave Crux, Spes Unica
Hail the Cross, Our Only Hope. We do not look at the Cross as a symbol of despair, but as a living tree of hope. We companion those who suffer, firmly believing that the Resurrection always follows the Crucifixion.
Trust in Divine Providence
Blessed Basil Moreau guided his young community through political upheaval and poverty by trusting blindly in God's foresight. We believe God is actively unfolding His good plan for West Africa, even when the path ahead seems uncertain.
Apostolic Zeal
Zeal is the burning fire that drives us to action — the energy that will not let us rest while there is work to be done: ignorance to be enlightened, poverty to be uplifted, hearts to be healed.
Cultivating Minds and Hearts
Our Charism
To the Holy Cross family, education is a sacred work. Whether teaching in a secondary school or providing livelihood skills at a Holy Cross Training Center, our philosophy remains the same: the mind must not be cultivated at the expense of the heart.
“We shall always place education side by side with instruction… While we prepare useful citizens for society, we shall likewise do our utmost to prepare citizens for heaven.”— Blessed Basil Moreau
Instruction The Mind
We demand academic excellence, competence, and critical thinking so our youth can confidently build a better West Africa.
Education The Heart
We nurture values, integrity, deep prayer life, and a commitment to justice, preparing our young people to live with compassion and purpose.
Holy Cross Family Ministries
Holy Cross Family Ministries inspires, promotes and fosters the prayer life and spiritual well-being of families, encouraging family prayer, especially the Rosary, after the example of Venerable Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.
This ministry carries forward the legacy of Venerable Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., the "Rosary Priest," whose lifelong mission was to strengthen the spiritual life of families through prayer — encouraging the Rosary and family prayer as a source of unity, healing and hope.
Our Ministries
