Educational Resources

Explore our resources below for use with your school, student organization, residence hall, or parish community.

If you have created your own successful Holy Cross Missions resources to integrate Holy Cross missionary history into your community, we invite you to share those with us! Plus, our team can create custom resources to meet the specific needs of your audience.

To discuss these options, please contact a Holy Cross Mission Center representative at hcmc@holycrossusa.org or (574) 631 – 5477.

 

The Ganguly Exchange International Ministry Program

Program Overview:

For years, the Holy Cross Mission Center (HCMC) partnered with the Moreau Seminary & Scholasticate Formation Team to facilitate international summer ministry experiences for the U.S. Province’s 2nd- and 3rd-year temporarily professed men in formation. Made possible by the generosity of the Mendelson Foundation, their eight-week ministry experiences at international Holy Cross mission sites were and remain opportunities that strengthen the Congregation’s international bonds, increase intercultural competencies, and prepare men in formation for their lifetime of ministry. In 2024, this international ministry program was formally named the Ganguly Exchange.

Annual Timeline:

  • Fall: Ganguly Exchange Information Session.
  • January: Schedule private consultation meetings with the HCMC.
  • February: Holy Cross men in formation should submit international summer ministry proposal to the Moreau Seminary & Scholasticate Rector.
  • March – May: Pre-Departure Formation Meetings.
  • Late May / Early June: Departure for international ministry site for eight weeks.
  • Mid-June: Two-Week Check-In Videoconference with the HCMC.
  • Late July: Return to Notre Dame, Indiana, at least 3 days prior to the start of the Ganguly Exchange Debrief.
  • Late July – Early August: Ganguly Exchange Debrief.
  • August – December: Each participant should submit a written reflection to the HCMC and pursue personal “mystagogical opportunities” to share about how God was present during his Ganguly Exchange ministry experience.

Honoring Ganguly’s Legacy:

Since the Congregation’s founding by Blessed Basil Moreau in 1837, missionary zeal has guided Holy Cross’s ministries. Long before he was a Servant of God or even a Holy Cross priest, Theotonius Amal Ganguly was himself a beneficiary of those missionary endeavors.

Ganguly’s childhood faith formation took place at Holy Rosary Church in Hashnabad, Bangladesh, then administered by Holy Cross priests, and continued at Bandura High School & College run by Holy Cross brothers. It was in those environments that he heard God’s call, which led him to became a diocesan priest in Bangladesh. Shortly thereafter, he was instructed by his archbishop to pursue further studies at the University of Notre Dame, where he completed his Master’s Degree and Doctorate. The Holy Cross community in Indiana welcomed him, and after considerable discernment, Ganguly professed his First Vows to the Congregation of Holy Cross on August 16, 1952, in Jordan, Minnesota.

Fr. Ganguly, C.S.C., subsequently returned to his home country to serve as a Holy Cross educator, administrator, and, eventually, Archbishop of Dhaka during a critical period in Bangladesh’s national history. Surely his experience of Holy Cross communities on different continents only clarified his discernment to join the Congregation and live out its missionary zeal. For this reason, Archbishop Theotonius Ganguly, C.S.C., the first Bangladeshi on the Catholic Church’s path to canonization, is a fitting namesake for the Ganguly Exchange. 

Customizable Resources

  • Pre- and Post-Immersion Curriculum
  • Lesson Plans on Holy Cross Missionary History
  • Presentations
    • Example topics include:
      • Missionary Profiles: “Ganguly, McCauley, & Flavian: Future Saints from Holy Cross Missions”
      • Director Debriefs: “Holy Cross in Kenya Today”
      • Info Sessions: “Why Travel to a Holy Cross Mission?”

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Where Holy Cross Makes Its Home

Where Holy Cross Makes Its Home

The image above is Dandora, Nairobi, Kenya. As followers of Jesus, carrying the hope He offers, the men of the Congregation of Holy Cross set out to...