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We have an equally rich and magnificent heritage to celebrate. We are
offered a unique opportunity to grow in God’s grace by a renewal of our
charism, thus promoting hope in the Cross of Christ. Through Basile Moreau’s
legacy, we are called to a radical identification to Christ, and to
cultivate in our own lives union of hearts and zeal for the mission.
The life of Basile Moreau fills us with hope, giving us confidence to
pursue our human destiny through a life of generous and zealous service to
others. It is in our communion with them that we find our union with God,
here and now.
At the heart of Father Moreau’s spirituality lies his deep conviction
that all of us are called to share in the saving mysteries of Christ’s
life, that we be one in Christ.
“I have been crucified with
Christ;
it is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me.”
(Galatians 2:20)
This desire for the salvation of all prompted Basile Moreau to found the
Congregation of Holy Cross, calling men and women to be, by their
consecrated lives, a communal presence of Christ and to make this presence
real and effective through their apostolic works.
In the mystery of the Holy Family, Basile Moreau found the model for the
unity he sought in his own religious family: a unity of thought, of
sentiment and of action that reaches beyond ourselves to embrace all those
with whom and for whom we minister today.
The symbol which Father Moreau employed to express the unity he sought
was the image of the three hearts united: the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the
Immaculate Heart of Mary and the pure Heart of Joseph. In this union of
hearts, the members of Holy Cross find the model for the unity of mind and
heart that we are called to cultivate among us today.
The sense of family that Father Moreau sought to inculcate in the
religious is characteristic of Holy Cross around the world. Throughout our
history, members of the Congregations of Holy Cross have shown an
exceptional capacity for living where we are sent to minister as
trustworthy, friends, brothers and sisters. Whatever border we may have
crossed, we have been able to embody the charism of Holy Cross in such a
way that it has embraced the people among whom we minister.
As we celebrate this year in honor of Basile Moreau, may he help
us to renew ourselves in the great mysteries of Christ’s life so that we
can be part of a new world evangelization through our work for justice,
and education, through our prayer and compassion. May Basile Moreau
grace us with renewed confidence in the Cross as the foundational hope of
our lives. As faithful members of Holy Cross, may we proclaim by all that
we are and all that we live, our trust in Divine Providence and our faith
in the creation of better times through zealous service.
Father Basile Antoine Marie Moreau, C.S.C., will be beatified on
a date to be determined by the Vatican. Let us celebrate together the life and the rich legacy
of our founder. During this year of spiritual animation and grace,
let us recommit ourselves to our extraordinary vocation as apostolic
consecrated religious of Holy Cross.
May we humbly and gratefully rejoice in this graced moment in the life
of Holy Cross. May this be a profound occasion for the deepening of our
faith and commitment to God’s call at the service of God’s people.
United in Holy Cross,
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