The Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers, treasures the relationships we have with our friends and donors and we never want to betray the trust you have in us. Unfortunately, the U.S. Province was informed of a data security incident experienced by a former vendor, Blackbaud Inc., that may have involved personal information about our donors and friends. Blackbaud is a well-respected provider of cloud and data services used by more than 25,000 organizations in more than 60 countries. The U.S. Province used Blackbaud from 2015 to 2019.

Blackbaud has assured us that no social security numbers, financial account information, or payment card information were exposed. The U.S. Province never provided this information to Blackbaud.

Upon learning of the incident, the U.S. Province immediately and thoroughly investigated the incident and determined that the information accessed may have contained full names, dates of birth, contact information and giving history to the U.S. Province.

For more information on Blackbaud’s security response, please visit https://www.blackbaud.com/securityincident.

While none of us could have foreseen this incident, we are disappointed and regret that you and your trusted information may have been included. It is our sincere hope that you are unaffected by our past affiliation with Blackbaud. We estimate your personal risk to be low, and wanted to share the details of the incident as a precautionary measure.

Though Blackbaud has assured us that no credit card, bank account, or other information of that nature was compromised, we recommend, as a best practice, reviewing your account statements and credit reports closely and reporting any suspicious activities to the proper authorities. If you receive any suspicious requests for donations from us or other nonprofits, please call the number on the organization’s website to confirm the legitimacy of the solicitation.

• You can obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies once every 12 months, as well as requesting fraud alerts be placed on your credit reports by visiting http://www.annualcreditreport.com or calling toll-free, 877-322-8228.
  
• If you detect any suspicious activity, promptly notify the financial institution or company where the account is maintained. You also should report any fraudulent activity or suspected incidence of identity theft to law enforcement authorities, your state attorney general, and/or the Federal Trade Commission.
  
• To file a complaint with the FTC, go to www.ftc.gov/idtheft or call 1-877-ID-THEFT (877-438-4338). The Federal Trade Commission offers tips on how to avoid identity theft. For more information, please visit http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft or call 1-877-ID-THEFT (877-438-4338).

The U.S. Province sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience this incident may cause you. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact Brian Lohr, Director of Development, at or 574.631.0220.