Hope on the Move: Congregation of Holy Cross Pastors and Principals Journey to Montreal
What happens when school principals and parish pastors trade meetings, emails, carlines, and recess duty for prayer and pilgrimage?
In late October, 16 Holy Cross pastors and principals from across the United States found out as they traveled together to the Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal to walk in the footsteps of Saint André Bessette. Their journey, orchestrated by the Alliance for Catholic Education, Institute for Educational Initiatives, and the Congregation of Holy Cross, was more than a trip or conference, it was a lived and inspired experience of pilgrimage. It was a sacred journey to deepen relationships, renew the Holy Cross charism, and bring home the spirit of Saint André to the schools and students that they serve.
Pilgrimage has long been part of Catholic tradition. It is a physical journey that mirrors the interior movement of the soul toward God. Pilgrimage echoes the congregation’s own missionary spirit to “make God known, loved, and served,” wherever the journey leads.
The goal of this particular gathering was simple but profound: Provide Holy Cross pastors and principals a chance to step away from their daily responsibilities at their schools and parishes and rediscover the heart of their shared vocation - to be educators in the faith, companions in hope, and co-workers in the mission of Holy Cross.
Cultivating Fellowship Through Encounter
A central goal of the pilgrimage was to strengthen the relationship between pastors and principals. Through shared prayer, reflection, and unhurried conversation, participants found time to deepen trust and mutual understanding often hard to nurture amid daily responsibilities. Together, pilgrims walked in the footsteps of St. André Bessette through the Oratory’s sacred spaces - from the votive chapel illuminated by 10,000 candles, to the quiet crypt church, to viewing the hundreds of crutches left behind by healed pilgrims. The journey was a spiritual and personal (and perhaps professional) encounter with the saint’s legacy of humility and healing.
“The pastor - principal relationship is at the heart of the Catholic school’s vitality,” said Fr. Bill Lies, C.S.C., Provincial Superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province. “When that relationship is healthy and rooted in mutual respect, prayer, and shared mission, students, teachers, and families experience something truly life-giving. This pilgrimage was a way to renew that bond in a sacred setting, guided by the example of St. André, who drew people to God through compassion and simple joy.” Much like the witness of St. André who tirelessly pointed the faithful to Saint Joseph and Jesus, everyday these principals and pastors do the same as educators in the faith.
Learning from the Spirit of Saint André and the Holy Cross Family
Throughout the pilgrimage, participants reflected on how St. André’s humility and perseverance can inspire leadership in contemporary Catholic education in the U.S. In formation sessions during the pilgrimage, they considered how healing and hospitality might shape their own school communities not only in moments of crisis, but as daily practices of welcome and care.
“St. André teaches us that healing is not only physical,” noted one principal. “It’s about restoring relationships, renewing hope, and believing in what God can do through even the smallest acts of kindness.”
Pilgrims were also invited to consider how to bring back the spirit of St. André and the Oratory to their home communities and schools whether through faculty formation and professional development, student service projects, or the incorporation of pilgrimage themes into school retreats and liturgies. Talk of honoring “Holy Cross Heroes” and establishing local pilgrimage walks or “holy doors” of prayer during the liturgical year took place over coffee and French croissants. Chatting also led to connecting classroom lessons about St. André and Holy Cross history with concrete opportunities for students to practice hospitality, service, and trust in God’s providence.
Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, saw education and parish life as the fundamental building blocks of society. A society that, at the time, was emerging from the wake of the French Revolution. His vision is no less powerful today. In so many ways, his message of hope in the cross is needed more today, than ever before. Holy Cross continues to place education, parishes, and missions as priorities for evangelization.
As such, participants on this pilgrimage represented the eight Holy Cross parochial schools across the United States:
Christ the King Catholic Church (South Bend, IN)
Holy Cross Parish (South Bend, IN)
Holy Redeemer Catholic Church (Portland, OR)
Sacred Heart St. Francis De Sales Parish (Bennington, VT)
St. Adalbert/St. Casimir Parish (South Bend, IN)
St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church (Austin, TX)
St. John Vianney Parish (Goodyear, AZ)
St. Joseph Parish (South Bend, IN)
Each parish was represented by their pastor and each school represented by their principal. The pilgrimage was organized by Katy Lichon, faculty in the Alliance for Catholic Education and member of the US Province Parish Planning Commission, and Chris Haug, Provincial Assistant and Director of Apostolic Mission & Charism for the US Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Like in a school setting, learning took place inside and outside the classroom. Days were filled with practicing French, touring Centre le Pèlerin, and walking the same hallowed halls that were familiar to St. André during his forty-plus-year ministry at Collège Notre-Dame, founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Learning and studying the impacts of mission integration and charism formation is also taking place at the University of Notre Dame. Matt Kloser, Hackett Family Director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI), John Staud, Executive Director of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), and Fr. Lou DelFra, C.S.C., Director of Pastoral Life for the IEI, “could not be more thrilled to see the intersectionality of Catholic education, Holy Cross formation, and the research of this mission being undertaken. Learning key lessons from mission transmission in the educational context and in the global Church is so important.” The IEI, ACE, and the Congregation of Holy Cross have long collaborated to support schools in this mission through formation programs, retreats, and professional learning communities. This pilgrimage marked another step in that shared and sacred commitment.
Bringing Pilgrimage Home
The pilgrimage served as a vivid reminder that the charism of Holy Cross is not confined to any one place or generation. It is a living gift passed on through relationships, stories, and shared experiences of faith. As the group prayed together at the tomb of Saint André, many found renewed clarity about their own callings as Holy Cross educators. The pilgrimage was not about adding another task to their to-do lists, but about returning to the roots of their mission: to educate both minds and hearts, and to prepare the world for “better times than these,” in the words of Blessed Basil Moreau.
As they returned from Montreal, participants carried more than souvenirs, selfies, and memories. They brought back a renewed sense of purpose and a spiritual practice to share. “Pilgrimage is about movement toward God, toward one another, and toward hope,” said a participating pastor. “Our task now is to help our communities see that this movement can happen anywhere: in a classroom, in a parish, in the quiet moment when someone feels truly seen and loved.”
The pilgrimage included one particularly special Mass in the lower crypt church of St. Joseph’s Oratory. In the solitude of this holy place, participants prayed together for their schools, their parishes, and for all entrusted to their care. Children and teachers from Holy Cross schools had been asked to write intentions that were then hand carried by the principals and pastors and placed at the feet of Jesus and St. Joseph.
In reflecting on the week, Fr. Bill Lies, C.S.C., captured the heart of the experience: “When we journey together as pilgrims, we remember that our mission in Holy Cross is not about programs or buildings - it’s about people. It’s about walking with one another in faith, forming communities of hope, and trusting that God is leading us, just as He led Saint André, through every open door.”
As these pastors and principals return to their schools and parishes, they do so not simply as colleagues, but as companions on the way . . . pilgrims of hope, bearers of a charism that continues to inspire hearts and minds across generations.
