The Holy Cross Tradition - "Educators in the Faith" since 1857

The Holy Cross tradition of operating a school and teaching young people began in post-revolutionary France. Christian Education was a crucial concern. When Father Basil Moreau took on the direction of the group of laymen founded by Father James Dujarie, he saw these men as educators primarily. For Father Moreau, the vocation of teacher was a special call from God as important as God's call to religious life in the congregation.

Father Moreau defined a Holy Cross education when he said in his book Christian Education that true education was forming the hearts of young people. He truly believed that the first duty of a teacher was to develop Christians. He said, "Society has a greater need for people of values than it has for scholars." This is not to say that he believed knowledge and scholarship to be unimportant. His philosophy was quite the contrary. Knowledge and scholarship have great importance, but only if placed in a context of values. Without this context, they are useless and meaningless.

The tradition of the Holy Cross School has flowed to the present from the earliest Holy Cross foundations. It has taken expression in various forms, but usually in a philosophy that promotes education of the whole person - spiritual, intellectual, artistic, physical, social. Father Moreau was an educator who introduced some revolutionary ideas into the Catholic educational system of the time. Prior to his contribution, education was modeled on the seminary. Father Moreau believed and practiced that physical activity, social activity, music and artistic activity were educationally valuable in themselves and should not be relegated only to periods of relaxation from school. Liberal education for Father Moreau was a much broader term than just the classical education practiced in seminary schools.

Father Moreau tried to show society that there was no sacrifice of "excellence" as defined in that time in this new education. Holy Cross schools were required to maintain the highest level of accreditation possible and to involve students in local community or town life even from the earliest years.

Throughout all of his writings, however, the organization of a school takes second place to the quality of persons teaching in a school. His belief that teaching is a call from God took expression in his understanding that teachers teach only when they interact with young people. Teachers are life models for young people and will be effective Christian educators only insofar as they are faithful, knowledgeable and caring Christians in themselves. He often told teachers that they could not give to others what they did not possess themselves. The personal qualities of the teachers in a Holy Cross school are what make Father Moreau's vision of education work. Without these personal qualities of reverence, knowledge, zeal, vigilance, self-control, meekness, patience, prudence and firmness, teachers will not be able to carry out their call to develop young people into Christians and the schools in which they work will be ineffective.

Father Moreau's call to educators can be summed up in the following words: "You can conclude that your mission as a teacher is difficult and requires hard work. It requires of you great devotion in order to continue in your calling as a teacher. With the eyes of faith, consider the greatness of your mission and the wonderful amount of good which you can accomplish."

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