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Goals and Questions

In his sixth circular letter, Holy Cross Mission: Continuing to Cross New Borders, on 28 April 2024, Br. Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., Superior General, outlined the following goals for the Congregation’s Year of Mission:

1. To reflect upon the mission entrusted to us by our Founder, Blessed Basile Moreau, in light of the pressing needs of our Church and world;
   
   
2. To renew our missionary zeal and to find new ways of being faithful to our mission as men and women of hope and “educators in the faith” who make a “preferential option for the poor;”
   
   
3. To nurture within us a greater freedom and commitment to go wherever the mission calls us; and
   
   
4. To inspire our partners in ministry to embrace more deeply their own call to the Holy Cross mission.

Then in his 11 February 2025 open letter, Br. Bednarczyk presented the following three questions that he asked each jurisdiction, ministry, and apostolate of Holy Cross to respond to during the Year of Mission. The responses received at the year's conclusion will be summarized and then presented to Pope Francis, "showing how we, as the Congregation of Holy Cross, have been Pilgrims of Hope during this Year of Jubilee, crossing borders bringing hope to the poor, oppressed, and most forgotten."

1. In what ways has your jurisdiction/ministry/apostolate (school, parish, social service center, etc.) traditionally been effective in its mission of evangelization and outreach to the poor? How has your ministry been a source of hope for the people you serve?
   
   
2. What are the pressing and unmet needs of the neighborhood or society in which you live? Who are those who remain on the “peripheries” and who might benefit from the mission and hope your ministry brings? What are the borders must you cross in order to reach them?
   
   
3. What action(s) will your jurisdiction/ministry/apostolate undertake in order to meet the pressing needs you have identified? How do you foresee these actions as bringing hope to those who need it the most?

1. Year of Mission Discernment Guide: This guide lays out a simple process to identify where God is asking a ministry, apostolate, or jurisdiction to expand its missionary work during this Year of Mission.
2. Congregation of Holy Cross Mission Discernment Guide: This is a wider, more detailed guide that draws on the Holy Cross charism to guide a ministry, apostolate, or jurisdiction in any decision-making related to mission.