Basil Moreau

French priest

Basil Moreau, C. S. C. (February 11, 1799 – January 20, 1873) was the French priest who founded the Congregation of Holy Cross from which two additional congregations were founded, namely the Marianites of Holy Cross and the Sisters of the Holy Cross. Moreau was beatified on September 15, 2007 in Le Mans, France.

Basile Antoine Moreau was born on February 11, 1799, in Laigné en Belin, a small village near Le Mans, the ninth of fourteen children of Louis and Louise Pioger Moreau. His father was a farmer and a wine merchant. He grew up in the midst of the turmoil of the French Revolution. As his parents were devout Catholics involved in the underground Church, the aspect of the Revolution that most affected him was the suppression of the Church. Moreau was able to receive a good primary education by the generosity of his parish priest Abbé Julian Le Provost who tutored him. In 1814 Provost made arrangements for Moreau to enter the minor seminary at Chateau Gontier (today the Lycée Victor Hugo ). of the Diocese of Le Mans at the Old Visitation Convent Chapel of the Sacred Heart, while the Cathedral of St. Julien in Le Mans was under restoration. After ordination Moreau spent two more years with the Sulpicians in Paris, first at the Seminary of St. Sulpice and then at the Suplician Solitude at Issy.

In 1823, Moreau became professor of philosophy at the minor seminary of Tessé (today the Museum of Tessé in Le Mans). Then in 1825 he taught at St Vincent Seminary and later became the vice rector and spiritual director. As most of the pastors and teachers in France before the Revolution were priests and religious forced into exile, by the 1820s most of the nation was ill catechized, illiterate, and without benefit of the sacraments. Restoration of the Church was the principal theme and work of Moreau's life. While not technically religious because they had not made a novitiate or taken public vows, these young men were known as the Brothers of St. Joseph. Holy Cross, following the example of its founder, would be ultramontane in its outlook, even adopting at the behest of Pope Pius IX the Roman collar and the black cape for the priest (which is identical to the pope's, but in black).

There is evidence that Dujarié's dream was to found a religious community of three societies, priests, brothers, and sisters under one rule and one superior general. Moreau made good on that vision by founding in 1841 a third society within the Congregation, that of the sisters. In 1957, Moreau was declared a Servant of God. On April 12, 2003, Pope John Paul II proclaimed him Venerable. Moreau was beatified in Le Mans by Pope Benedict XVI on September 15, 2007, the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows, and feast day of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

Education is Moreau's lasting legacy. Moreau Seminary, located on the University of Notre Dame campus, is the main seminary for the American province of the Congregation of Holy Cross. In 1841, Moreau sent Edward Sorin and six brothers to the Diocese of Vincennes, Indiana to assist the bishop is setting up a school for boys. A year later, the bishop gave them land at the northern end of the diocese for a new foundation. Thus, Moreau is credited with playing a key role in the foundation of the University of Notre Dame as well as Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. Dozens of other schools, colleges, and universities around the world have been erected under the auspices of the four congregations of Holy Cross who continue to follow in the footsteps of their founder. In 1966, the Josephites (or Brothers of Holy Cross) founded the third institution of higher education in Notre Dame, Indiana to base its educational philosophy on the teachings of Moreau. Holy Cross College began as a community college with the mission of helping students with the intent to transfer into one of the other two institutions. However, in 2003 Holy Cross College became a residential baccalaureate liberal arts college with its own reputation for superior teaching. Basil Hall, a men's residential hall at Holy Cross College, is named in honor of Moreau. Holy Cross College's mascot, the Saints, is represented by a St. Bernard (dog) named Basil, in honor of Basil Moreau. St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas is a Holy Cross school and has a co ed residential hall called Basil Moreau Hall. The University of Portland in Portland, Oregon is run by the Congregation of Holy Cross. It features the Moreau Center for Service and Leadership, which connects students to service opportunities throughout Portland and beyond. Moreau Catholic High School is located in Hayward, California, about 25 mile (40 km) southeast of San Francisco. It is among nine Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Oakland, and it is sponsored by the South West Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Moreau Catholic is affiliated with many other Holy Cross educational institutions worldwide, but they are the only one named after the founder of Holy Cross, Moreau. The Holy Cross High School, New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana was founded by Moreau. It was once called Holy Cross College, but is now known as Holy Cross School. It is located on Paris Avenue.