Did you know St. Edward’s has its very own app for the Holy Cross Institute?
The Daily Moreau app is a way for anyone to deepen their knowledge or faith through the teachings of Father Basil Moreau, one of the founding fathers of Holy Cross. But what does that really mean, you ask? Who was Father Basil Moreau?
After the French Revolution, Basil Anthony Moreau, a priest of the Diocese of Le Mans, was overseeing a group of priests who taught in seminaries and preparatory schools. Soon after he was ordained, Moreau started the Auxiliary Priests to serve and teach in poor French villages. Moreau continued the work of Father Jacques Dujarié and joined together the Brothers of St. Joseph, who served educators in rural parishes. Together they became the Congregation of Holy Cross.
If some of this sounds familiar, it is because the group of priests who came together to form the Congregation of Holy Cross are the same brothers who founded St. Edward’s University. Le Mans, a city in France and Fr. Dujarié, one of the founding fathers of Holy Cross, were both the inspiration in naming two first-year dorm halls on campus.
Father Moreau sent six priests to the U.S. in 1841, including Father Edward Sorin. The priests began founding schools in Indiana, such as the University of Notre Dame and St. Mary’s College. By 1885, Father Sorin had made his way to Texas and founded St. Edward’s University. “Sorin Oak,” the 250-year-old tree on campus, was named in honor of the founder.
A few years ago, Brother Joel Giallanza, CSC, wrote a book called “Gravitating Towards God,” which contained a Moreau quote for each day of the year. The Daily Moreau app is essentially a digital version of this book. Each day, a new Moreau quote is provided. These quotes are searchable, so if you have a particular favorite, you can read it whenever you’d like. The app is available for download on both the Apple and Google app stores. If you prefer to use a computer, you can also access Daily Moreau online.
“It’s a positive message and I think in our humanity when we receive that positive message it’s a gift – we’re receiving a gift,” executive director Richard Bautch said. “It’s that kind of positivity that people can experience and live a little more fully each day thanks to the app. Some days maybe you read it and it just kind of washes off and then other days it may wind up being your intention for the day.”
Kim Garza, designer of Daily Moreau, detailed the process of brainstorming the idea.
“The Holy Cross Institute had this great little publication that wasn’t really seeing the light of day, which was 365 days of sayings from Blessed Fr. Basil Moreau, and we thought we should do something with that,” Garza said. “Because of the reach of the Holy Cross Institute worldwide and the dedication of educators around the globe, this app could be a really uplifting tool that could get in people’s hands in a different way than just a printed booklet.”
