Following the words of Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C., “We shall always place education side by side with instruction; the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart. While we prepare useful citizens for society, we shall likewise do our utmost to prepare citizens for heaven.”
As educators in faith, the Congregation of Holy Cross United States Province of Priests and Brothers strives to live out its mission in many ways, including a commitment to quality Catholic higher education. The University of Notre Dame, University of Portland, Stonehill College, and King’s College are all institutions guided by the principles, philosophy, and spirituality of Holy Cross along with being sponsored by the U.S. Province. The Office of Apostolic Mission and Charism has created educational programming and outreach opportunities for members of the four institutions to guide them in their leadership roles in the Holy Cross tradition.
Presidents’ Forum Weekend
In the fall, a Presidents’ and Board Chairs’ Forum Weekend was held at the University of Notre Dame. The purpose was to convene intentionally to create a shared dialogue among key leaders. During the weekend, discussions focused on the role of mission and charism integration, Catholic identity, and encouragement of mutual collaboration and support among our institutions and leaders.
“Key takeaways, after hosting this inaugural gathering of our presidents and board chairs, is that they are thirsting for this sort of gathering. The headwinds facing higher education are significant. Stonehill, King’s, Portland, and Notre Dame have the explicit advantage in a very competitive environment because they are part of the Holy Cross family of higher education. Forums like this are vital to the success of all our sponsored higher education apostolates. Rooting our institutions in their Holy Cross heritage and shared charism helps root us to our ‘why’—which is our mission as educators in the faith,” shared organizer and Provincial Assistant and Director of Apostolic Mission & Charism Chris Haug, Ed.D.
Turnout for the inaugural event was strong with 100% participation from all of the presidents and their board chairs from our four U.S. Province-sponsored institutions. Visitors provided ideas for future gatherings and suggested topics that would build upon the dialogue that began during this initial gathering.
“We opened the weekend with a Friday evening reception and dinner in Rev. John I. Jenkins’, C.S.C., box at the Notre Dame Stadium. After a Saturday morning breakfast together at the Morris Inn, the presidents, board chairs, and spouses, gathered for a panel discussion on mission & charism with external experts, followed by a roundtable on mission integration. Before lunch, the presidents and board chairs moved into an executive session with the Provincial Superior and myself where they discussed matters of importance related to mission integration on their campuses. The afternoon was spent taking in a Notre Dame football game at the stadium. After the game, we all gathered at the Log Chapel for a special Vigil Mass, where Rev. William M. Lies, C.S.C., served as celebrant. Fr. Bill’s homily provided inspiration and hope for our attendees as they wrapped up their weekend with us. Rev. Robert Dowd, C.S.C., Superior of the Corby Community at the time, hosted our guests for a post-game dinner with the Corby Community which was greatly appreciated,” said Haug.
A special event during the weekend’s activities was a Mission Pinning ceremony where specially made lapel pins, blessed by Fr. Bill Lies, were gifted to each of the presidents and their board chairs. This well-received exercise deepened attendees’ sense of commitment to the Holy Cross charism.
Throughout the weekend, organizers focused on providing a forum for presidents and board chairs to consider the role and commitment of Catholic and Holy Cross identity at their institution. They discussed opportunities for future board member formation around mission and identity in the Holy Cross tradition.
“A panel of distinguished higher education experts were present including Rev. Michael Garanzini, SJ (former president of Loyola Chicago and current executive director of the Association of Jesuit Colleges & Universities); Sister Andrea Lee, IHM (former president of Saint Catherine’s University and Alverno College, and former Board Chair of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities in Washington, DC); and Nathan Hatch, Ph.D., (former president of Wake Forest University and provost of Notre Dame and current Notre Dame board member). The panel was moderated by Fr. Bill Lies, and an engaging question and answer session followed with the attendees,” noted Haug. “The collective expertise of this distinguished group really set the backdrop for rich discussions and brainstorming together as the morning continued.”
According to Haug, during the session on mission integration, Sister Andrea Lee, IHM, provided attendees with ideas for mission-in-practice. They discussed both the philosophy of that work, along with practical steps to ensure the integration of the Holy Cross mission throughout an institution, from the on-boarding of new board members to faculty recruitment, to student orientation, and more.
“Deepen the sense of and commitment to the Holy Cross mission among our key campus leaders (presidents and board chairs), provide a forum for discussion of the role of mission integration, charism, and Catholic identity within a Holy Cross institution, and encourage mutual collaboration and support among our sponsored institutions and leaders,” said Haug were the goals for the forum. Another forum weekend is planned for November 2024 with college and university provosts invited to attend alongside the presidents.
Annual Holy Cross Higher Education Event
Recently, the U.S. Province hosted a dinner and reception during the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) annual meeting in Washington, D.C. This event was co-hosted with the Holy Cross Institute at St. Edward’s University. Over 30 leaders representing all 8 Holy Cross-sponsored institutions in the U.S., along with the Provincial from the U.S. Province were in attendance for an evening of collaboration and networking.
Upcoming Events
The inaugural launch of the Moreau Mission Collaborative is planned for the summer of 2024. This new mission-integration institute is a signature event of the United States Province which aims to deepen and enliven the Holy Cross charism across our higher education apostolates. The composite of the first cohort includes vice presidents, provosts, directors, deans, and tenured faculty. The institute is co-directed by the Chair of the U.S. Province Higher Education Commission Rev. Daniel J. Issing, C.S.C., and Provincial Assistant and Director of Apostolic Mission and Charism Chris Haug, Ed.D. Katie Bugyis, Ph.D., (University of Notre Dame), Steve Mayer, Ph.D., (University of Portland), and Jim Ambury, Ph.D., (King’s College) will serve as Team Fellows and assist with the planning, programming, and formation.
Photos provided by Chris Haug, Ed.D.
The Presidents’ and Board Chairs’ Forum Weekend was held at the University of Notre Dame with the purpose of convening intentionally to create a shared dialogue among key leaders.
During the weekend, discussions focused on the role of mission and charism integration, Catholic identity, and encouragement of mutual collaboration and support among our institutions and leaders.
Turnout for the inaugural event was strong with 100% participation from all of the presidents and their board chairs from our four U.S. Province-sponsored institutions.
The U.S. Province hosted a dinner and reception during the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Leaders representing Holy Cross-sponsored institutions in the U.S., along with the Provincial from the U.S. Province were in attendance for an evening of collaboration and networking.
