OVERVIEW of the 2025 STUDENT ESSAY CONTEST

Who is eligible?

Students at schools, colleges, universities, or parishes in the United States who complete an immersion experience at one of the Congregation of Holy Cross’s apostolates outside the U.S. between the dates of September 1, 2024, and August 31, 2025.

What are the prizes for applicants and the international apostolates that they visited?

The top 3 applicants will receive a cash prize from the Office of Apostolic Mission & Charism of the U.S. Province of Priests and Brothers and the Holy Cross Mission Center will make donations in their names to the Holy Cross apostolates that hosted them. See the 2025 prize structure below.

*The corresponding International Holy Cross apostolates will be eligible to receive their awards through the HCMC’s online grant application process.

What are the essay contest expectations?

In a personalized essay of 600 to 1200 words, compose a thoughtful response to one (1) of the approved essay prompts listed below. All applications should be completed using the 2025 Application Form (click to view) by August 31, 2025. Incomplete applications and essays that do not respond to one (1) of the approved essay prompts will not be considered. 

What are the submission instructions?

Please email the completed application to hcmc@holycrossusa.org with the subject line “2025 Student Essay Contest application” no later than August 31, 2025, to have your application reviewed by the committee. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Who are the past winners?

Learn more about the 2024 Holy Cross Missions Student Essay Contest winners here!

2025 HOLY CROSS MISSIONS STUDENT ESSAY PROMPTS

• Connecting Moreau’s Writings to the Congregation’s Mission Today

How do the writings of Blessed Basil Moreau (including Circular Letter 14, considered the foundational text for Holy Cross religious) reflect the mission and values lived out at the Holy Cross apostolate you visited? Choose a specific passage from one of his works and analyze how its themes are embodied in the daily life and service of the Congregation of Holy Cross at this ministry.

• Holy Cross’s Constitutions and Mission in Action

Select a paragraph from Constitutions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 8 of the Congregation of Holy Cross. How is this principle actively lived out by the Holy Cross priests and brothers (and possibly the wider community) at the Holy Cross apostolate you visited? Provide concrete examples from your experience to illustrate its impact.

• The Role of Lay Collaborators in Holy Cross

Identify a key lay collaborator at the Holy Cross apostolate you visited and explain his or her role in supporting, contributing to, or advancing the Congregation of Holy Cross’s Mission to live as “educators in the faith” who make a “preferential option for the poor”. How does his or her work contribute to the ministry’s overall impact, and what does this reveal about the importance of lay participation in the Congregation of Holy Cross’s Mission?

• Renewing Faith Through Cultural Practices

What practices, behaviors, routines, traditions, or customs from the Holy Cross apostolate you visited would be valuable to bring back to your community in the U.S.? How could these practices enhance your own and your community’s ability to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ in various social circles (family, friends, teammates, etc.) or community organizations (school, parish, organizations, etc.)?

• Educators in the Faith and the Preferential Option for the Poor

How does the Holy Cross apostolate you visited embody the Congregation of Holy Cross priests’ and brothers’ commitment to being “educators in the faith” who make a “preferential option for the poor”? Provide specific examples of how those pieces of the Holy Cross Mission are put into action, and reflect on their significance for the broader Mission of the Church.

Posted: April 7, 2025