First of all, I would like to confess that it was not the figure of Blessed Basile Moreau that first challenged me to be part of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, but rather the mission of the members of his religious family—priests, brothers, and sisters—originally from Haiti and Canada. As a teenager, I attended a school run by the Congregation, Collège Notre-Dame du Perpétuel Secours du Cap-Haïtien, located in the north of Haiti. I was struck by the mission of the religious of the Congregation, including their education in the faith of children, young people, and adults and their commitment to social justice in a country where it is a struggle to gain the respect for social rights.

It was, in fact, at the novitiate of the Congregation in Haiti that my adventure with the figure of Fr. Basile Moreau as the founding priest of the Holy Cross Family truly began. Then my experience as a companion in vocational ministry and as a formator in the postulancy and novitiate programs offered me the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of Fr. Moreau and the mission of his religious family. I sought to identify in the vocational history of our founder what might resemble mine. For him, as for me, the family, the parish, and the school were places where our vocation to the religious life and priesthood could blossom.

Now, as Rector of the Shrine of Blessed Basile Moreau for almost six years, I have welcomed my mission as an invitation to make the figure of Fr. Moreau known to the parishioners of Notre-Dame de Sainte-Croix and to the wider Church, and to propose him as one of their intercessors. Yet, I had to ask myself this question: How can I propose Blessed Basile Moreau as an intercessor to others, if he is not first for myself? Thus, in my mission as rector, I learned to regularly resort to his intercession and to find strength in it.

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I would like to share some testimonies from people who frequent the shrine and who nourish my relationship with Blessed Basile Moreau as an intercessor: “Father, I am praying the novena in preparation for the feast of Blessed Basile Moreau because I have obtained everything I asked him for in prayer.” “I feel something very strong when I pray before the recumbent statue of Blessed Basile Moreau.” “Things got better for my sick child when I was invited to seek the intercession of Blessed Basile Moreau.” “I found myself in a complicated situation and since my time at the Shrine, things have evolved positively.”

What amazes me today is the fruitfulness of what the Lord allowed Fr. Moreau to sow during his earthly life. One hundred and fifty-two years after his death, fruits from this seed are still visible in close to 20 countries, including Haiti, my country of origin. I give thanks for it.

In reference to this fruitfulness of Blessed Basile Moreau’s faith in the Lord, I find that these two extracts from Saint John and the motto of the Congregation shed light on his life: “He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit” (John 15:5). "If the grain of wheat falls to the earth and does not die, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (Jn 12:24).“Hail, O Cross, our only hope.”

Indeed, it was not the trials that marked Blessed Basile Moreau’s life that had the last word, but the fruitfulness of his faith in the Lord. Magnificat! In our seeking to respond to Jesus’ call and to follow in His footsteps, Blessed Basile Moreau is offered to us by the Church as a model of apostolic life and an example of fidelity. I have become ever more convinced that those who choose Blessed Basile Moreau as their intercessor will not be disappointed.

May our Lord make our relationship with Blessed Basile Moreau contagious wherever we live and may we work for His greater glory.

Fr. Paul-Elie Cadet, C.S.C., a member of the Province of Our Lady of Perpetual Help of Haiti, has served as the Rector of the Shrine of Blessed Basile Moreau in Le Mans, France, for the past six years. In that role, he has also been the Pastor of Notre Dame de Sainte-Croix Church. He wrote this reflection for the Feast Day of Blessed Basile Moreau.