" EDUCATING HEART AND MIND "
In 1837 Fr. Basil Moreau, the founder of the congregation of Sainte Croix, (Holy Cross), envisioned education as the main source of empowering the young for a better and brighter world and to uplift the broken society of France. He Prepared men and women religious, who wanted to see the world as he saw it, developed and empowered. To this end he founded a congregation of priests to do pastoral and educational ministry. Marianite sisters to do educational and domestic ministry and he incorporated the Brothers of St. Joseph to do formal and non formal education. These three branches were brought under the one umbrella of Sainte Croix (Holy Cross). Thus Fr. Basil Moreau became a visionary who constantly spoke on the theme of unity as a family to keep the members focused on this meaningful mission of sowing the seed of LOVE and PEACE. France: In 1789, the French Revolution, which rebelled against the political and religious oppression of the day, stripped the country to the bare minimum and created destruction and chaos throughout France. It was a time of great confusion and division in the church, a period of uncertainty and fear, a period of execution and persecution, and a period when the churches, schools and seminaries were all nationalized. Religious congregations and organizations were banned.In 1802. Napoleon’s Concordat made a breakthrough for the revival of the church organizations to answer to the needs of charismatic persons and organizations to answer to the needs of the devastated situation of the society. Education was one of the greatest needs of the time. The religious leaders focused all their resources on education and on restoring the fallen society. One such religious leader was Basil Anthony Moreau, born on February 11, 1799 to Loui and Louis Moreau. He was the ninth of their fourteen children and showed a quick intelligence and qualities of leadership along with a pious character. He was ordained as a priest on August 12, 1821, at the age of 22. Since the formation of the clergy was one of the urgent needs of the time, he was asked by his bishop to train and educate the youth of his time for the priesthood. Thus he become a professor at the philosophy house of the seminary in the Diocese of Le Mans, France.
