Asia
Where We Serve
In 1851, Propaganda Fide, the Vatican congregation that oversees the Church’s missionary work, asked Blessed Basil Moreau if Holy Cross would assume responsibility for the Church’s mission in East Bengal. Whereas other congregations had refused because of the region’s poverty and difficult climate, Moreau accepted. After the first group to set sail was forced to turn back in December 1852 due to a storm, a second group of priests, brothers, and sisters arrived to Calcutta on May 20, 1853. They made their way to Dhaka and Noakhali by June.
Notable Holy Cross Missionary in Asia
Servant of God Theotonius Ganguly
Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly was born in Hashnabad, which is in present-day Bangladesh, on Feb. 18, 1920, the feast day of his patron saint, St. Theotonius. His family added the Bengali name Amal, which means “spotless” or “innocent.”
Notable Holy Cross Missionary in Asia
Servant of God Flavian Laplante
Br. Flavian Laplante, C.S.C., was born on July 27, 1907, in St.-Louis-de-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada. He was the seventh child of nine to Honoré Laplante and Louise Théroux, who named him Doria.
“May love of God and of neighbor be the inspiration that urges us on to greater efforts in the service first of God and then of our fellow men.”
Servant of God Theotonius Ganguly
7 ways to support the international Mission of the Congregation of Holy Cross
“Our mission sends us across borders of every sort.” - Constitution 2:17 The ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross span 17 countries, with...
Outreach updates: July 2026
Photo provided by the Holy Cross Mission Center. Pictured from left to right are Michael Jezewak, Maria Kangapadan, and Rev. Joe Moyer, C.S.C. The...
Yancana Huasy strengthens home-based psychological care
Photo provided by the Holy Cross Mission Center. This summer, Yancana Huasy, a Holy Cross ministry in Peru that serves children with disabilities...