From Le Mans to West Africa
Our History
Fr. Basil Moreau, C.S.C.
The Congregation of Holy Cross was founded in response to the need for education and evangelization in France following the devastation of the French Revolution. Blessed Fr. Basil Moreau, C.S.C., brought together a group of brothers, auxiliary priests and, for a time, sisters, to form a bold vision for a religious community modelled on the Holy Family.
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Fr. Jacques Dujarié
Rev. Jacques-François Dujarié was a key figure in the foundation of the Congregation of Holy Cross. His heroic determination to serve the material and spiritual needs of the poor in France helped to lay the groundwork for the mission of Holy Cross throughout the world.
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The Congregation of Holy Cross, Province of West Africa
1957
The Call & Arrival
Holy Cross briefly served in Algeria in 1840, but the Congregation's lasting mission in Africa began in December 1957 — the very year Ghana gained independence. At the invitation of Archbishop William Thomas Porter of Cape Coast, three Brothers from the Midwest Province arrived to run St. John's Secondary School in Sekondi: Br. Rex Hennel, C.S.C. (first headmaster), Br. Eduardo Michalik, C.S.C., and Br. Donald Allen, C.S.C.
Cultivating Vocations
Just five years after arriving, the Congregation opened a formal formation program attached to St. John's School to train young African men for religious life.
Mission to Liberia
Four Brothers were dispatched to Monrovia to administer St. Patrick's High School, serving through decades of growth until the mission was reluctantly closed in 1996 amid the Liberian Civil War.
Growing Ministries
The Congregation took on St. Augustine's College, Cape Coast (1965), then St. Augustine's Training College, Bogoso, and St. Theresa's Minor Seminary, Amisano (1969–70). In 1971, Br. Joseph Tsiquaye, C.S.C., became the first Ghanaian to profess Final Vows.
Skills Training Center
As indigenous vocations grew, the Congregation diversified beyond secondary schools. The Holy Cross Skills Training Center — now the Holy Cross Home of Hope — opened in Anaji-Takoradi, teaching trade skills to young school dropouts.
Formation for the Laity
The Holy Cross Continuing Formation Center opened at the Brafoyaw headquarters, Cape Coast, offering retreats, spiritual direction and leadership training for the lay faithful.
2022
A Province Is Born
With dozens of finally professed Ghanaian brothers leading their own institutions, the District of Ghana was formally elevated to the Province of West Africa at the 2022 General Chapter, based in Brafoyaw, Cape Coast, with Br. John Affum, C.S.C., as its first Provincial Superior.
The Holy Cross Charism Today
True to the vision of their founder, Blessed Basil Moreau, the Province of West Africa continues to focus on educating the mind and structuring the heart — combining strict academic and vocational standards with deep spiritual values, so that generations of young West Africans are formed not just as skilled professionals, but as values-driven citizens.
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