Travel Opportunities at Holy Cross College
The International Experience
Overseas travel is not a new concept in education. The Holy Cross College International Experience is, however, a new way of incorporating overseas travel into education.
The Holy Cross difference is where students are required to go, and the fact that going is required for those seeking a Bachelor’s degree. (Of course, if health issues prevent long travel, other arrangements are made.) And the bill for this adventure is taken care of with tuition!
Students meet their international experience requirement by taking a course which ends with travel to one of four sites: Ghana, Peru, Mexico or India. These locations were chosen because they are places where Holy Cross College students can connect with the Congregation of Holy Cross network where Brothers, Sisters and Priests are serving worldwide. While on location, students stay at Holy Cross retreat centers and each day experience life in these developing countries, and what an amazing life it is! Struggle amidst poverty, modern change amidst ancient tradition, faith amidst suffering – students encounter a new world and most are changed and challenged by what they see.
During these trips, which last anywhere from one to three weeks, students are accompanied by faculty chaperones and are also well taken care of by the local Holy Cross communities in those countries. When the International Experience program began, some students were apprehensive of the travel. But after they went, it became one of the favorite experiences of their lives! Now, the International Experience is a cornerstone of a Holy Cross education.
Ghana
approx. July 20 – August 7 each year
In the summer of 2000, a group of 12 bold pioneers led Holy Cross College into Africa. Since then, HCC has offered this 3 credit course that is now part of our growing International Program, and each student who graduates with a B.A. is required to go on one of our international trips. The Ghana course focuses on experiencing that great land through eyes of faith. We spend over two weeks alongside the amazing Holy Cross Brothers, a group of young, vibrant men of faith. They host us at a beautiful retreat center and accompany us as we explore Ghana.
We encounter some of the world's most profound places: the old slave prisons that held untold numbers of Africans when the coast of Ghana was the center of the slave trade. We also visit the world famous Kakum Rain Forest, home to a unique canopy walk--rope bridges that allow us to walk along the treetops! We also will encounter the deep Christian faith that has the Church there literally dancing for joy.
Professor Michael Griffin's Ghana Blog
The Congregation of Holy Cross celebrates 50 years in Ghana
Peru
approx. July 20 – August 7 each year
For years, colleges associated with the Congregation of Holy Cross have traveled to Lima, Peru to experience the ancient Inca culture and the incredible work of the Priests, Brothers and Sisters there. Our eyes of faith see spectacular things. For example, the Congregation of Holy Cross in Peru operates one of the largest parishes in the entire world — over 200,000 people! Also, they run a school for poor children that educates the minds and the hearts of thousands each year. We help at this school, helping to teach English and Religion. We also work with the Holy Cross ministry for persons born with severe birth defects, who often are neglected by family and society. Lastly, each year the Holy Cross College group takes special concern for a very poor chapel in the parish. We do manual labor there, helping to improve the church building, which is in constant need of attention and repair.
Professor Michael Griffin's Peru Blog
Mexico
approx December 15 – 23 each winter break
Holy Cross runs a parish in Monterrey, a rapidly growing city in northern Mexico. The parish there runs several ministries. On the trip, we experience the Church’s preferential option for the poor and discuss issues of poverty and justice. The group also enjoys the rich cultural heritage of Mexican Catholicism, especially devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and the practice of Las Posadas, which take place in the days before Christmas. The group also will look at the issue of immigration. Many in Monterrey have personal and family experience with crossing the border. Thus immigration and the Church’s perspective will be a sub-theme of this trip.
India
approx December 27 – Jan. 10 each winter break
For over 150 years, the Congregation of Holy Cross has served in Asia. Beginning in Bangladesh and then moving to India, this is one of the fastest growing area for the Brothers, Sisters and Priests of Holy Cross. In India, though Christianity is a minority religion, the Church is very active. Holy Cross is involved in several schools, parishes and other ministries, which we will see and serve at during our trip there. We will see the cities of Delhi and Bangalore, both of which are rapidly growing and connected to the global economy. Yet we also will meet those left behind in all of the progress, the urban poor and the large numbers of rural farmers who eke out a subsistence living.
Off-Campus Learning Opportunities
The American Southwest
Take a fall or spring break trip that you’ll never forget! “Geology of the American Southwest” is now being offered in both the fall and spring semesters. This class features a 10-day mid-semester “field trip” through Utah and Arizona. In Geology of the American Southwest, some of the United States’ greatest National Parks and other unforgettable locations become our classrooms in which students earn lab science credits while learning geology hands on and enjoying some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. Students interested in a physical challenge, and who are visual types of learners will thrive in this course. Geology 110 is taught by Mr. Dan Cochran, who has lived, studied and traveled extensively in the Western United States. Interested students must complete a course application. Enrollment is limited.
Rome
It’s one of the most famous cities in the world, a reputation Rome truly deserves, and you can go to the “Eternal City” this spring break! The sojourn to Rome coordinates with a class at Holy Cross College: Rome Through the Ages. The class is taught by a Holy Cross priest and Holy Cross College professor, Father Michael Sullivan, who lived in Rome for 12 years. He also serves as “tour guide” on the trip.
Holy Cross Service Corps
The Holy Cross Service Corps (HCSC) is a post-graduate international service program that provides an opportunity for volunteers to offer a year of international service to the mission of the Holy Cross Brothers. The HCSC is committed to the foundational core of the Congregation of Holy Cross, founded by Blessed Basil Moreau. Since 1837, the Congregation has collaborated with laypersons to "educate hearts and minds, with a preferential option for the poor."
The HCSC program is offered through Holy Cross College as an opportunity for students to continue their Holy Cross experience after graduation. The program is an exapnsion of the popular and successful under-graduate international experience. The HCSC is open to graduates of St. Mary's College and the University of Notre Dame, who meet certain requirements.
For more information, please email hcsc@hcc-nd.edu.