Catholic Identity

Header Image

Guided by the Church.

Pursue justice—and feel the support of 1.2 billion Catholics around the world. Serve the community—and feel whole. Pray the rosary—and relieve the stress of everyday life. Our identity isn’t formed by going through the motions—it’s formed by the intentionality of assisting every girl on her unique spiritual journey.

The Academy’s mission to develop women of courage, compassion, and scholarship is rooted in Catholicism and links directly with the philosophy of the founder of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau.

Our Guiding Principles

We believe that our mission is rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church.
We believe that the educational philosophy of the Sisters of the Holy Cross provide our girls with a firm commitment to the creation of society founded on justice, love, and peace.
We believe that our graduates develop an appreciation for and understanding of the Catholic faith and how it applies to their daily lives.
We believe that Holy Cross girls are respectful, accepting of differences, and guided by Catholic values of honor and respect in all areas of life.

“How we educate the mind will change with the times; how we cultivate the heart is and will remain timeless.”

– Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau

Hand in hand. Firm in faith.

Sacraments

Prayer

Our efforts to nurture and sustain the spiritual development of our girls include an emphasis on strong prayer life. The entire school participates in daily prayer in the morning, at lunch, and at the end of day. Depending on the day of the week, girls are welcome to participate in spiritual activities at lunch, such as group prayer, guided meditation, reconciliation, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and Mass.

OUR SENIORS in Peer Ministry ASSIST THE CAMPUS MINISTER AT THE ACADEMY—FROM SERVING IN MASS TO LEADING RETREATS TO WRITING MORNING PRAYERS.

Retreats

Holy Cross girls attend a class retreat where they grow closer with their classmates and with God. Each class’ retreat is led by their peers, who give talks and lead small group discussions. The class retreats culminate with Kairos, a four-day overnight retreat during the girls’ senior year. Featuring spiritual talks from students and faculty and small group discussions, Kairos is based on St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises. Through the presentations and group activities on Kairos, our girls make lifelong friends, learn the benefit of self-reflection, value trust and openness, and discover how to live the message of Christ every day.

RETREAT THEMES BY YEAR

Freshman - Discerning the Voices in Our Lives
Sophomore - Love
Junior - Journey
Senior - Kairos

Peer Ministry

Campus Ministry Committee

Juniors and seniors who want to take a more active role in Campus Ministry may sign up for Campus Ministry Committee (CMC). They help with the liturgies, prayer life and service activities. They offer their time and talents to serve the faith life of the campus by committing one free period a week to the Committee. CMC provides opportunities to develop faith life through service to the Academy.

In This Section