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
Mary Jane DeLaney Endowment Fund 2025-26 Projects Preview
Every year, the Holy Cross Mission Center (HCMC) facilitates the Mary Jane DeLaney Endowment Fund grant cycle, which supports vulnerable women and...
International Apostolic, Justice & Peace 2025-26 Project Preview
The Holy Cross Mission Center (HCMC) recently invited Holy Cross religious from six different countries to apply for the annual International...
Community Outreach Updates: November 2025
The Holy Cross Mission Center (HCMC) is grateful to take this opportunity to share how we have engaged with the community in the past month. Baraka...