Basile Antoine-Marie Moreau was born at Laigné-en-Belin, near Le Mans, France, on February 11, 1799, in the final months of the French Revolution.

When Moreau decided to enter the priesthood, he was forced to undergo his seminary training in secret for fear that the French government would arrest him.

[2] In 1835, Moreau had formed a group, which he called "Auxiliary Priests", to serve the educational and evangelization needs of the Diocese of Le Mans.

On July 15, 1820, a priest of the Diocese of Le Mans, Jacques-Francois Dujarié, brought together a group of zealous men to serve the educational needs of the people in the French countryside.

In 1837, Moreau made the decision to combine his two communities into one society so that the priests and brothers could share resources and ministries in common.

In 1840 this changed when Moreau received a request to send a delegation from his society to Algeria with the purpose of establishing schools and a seminary.

It was at this point that Moreau shifted the focus of Holy Cross and after the first missionaries left in April 1840 the association took on the identity of a religious institute.

As part of his plan to form this religious institute, Moreau also brought together the first group of women who would become the Marianites of Holy Cross.

In 1841, he sent a group to the United States, establishing the first Holy Cross institution in North America at Notre Dame in Indiana.

He intended that this Congregation, composed at its origins of three distinct Societies, namely, Sisters, Priests, and Brothers, be an apostolic institute.

He also established Mary, under her title of Our Lady of Sorrows, as special patroness for all of Holy Cross, whose members in their several congregations continue to cherish these devotions.

[4] As Moreau stated in one of his letters, he envisioned that: "Holy Cross will grow like a mighty tree and constantly shoot forth new limbs and new branches which will be nourished by the same sap and endowed with the same life.

"[5] Holy Cross Priests and Brothers can be found across the globe, including these countries (date of first appearance in parentheses):

The Church territory was officially called the Vicariate of East Bengal, set up in 1845 by the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith at the Vatican.

Additionally, the District administers Colegio Nuestra Señora de Andacollo, located in the older sector of Central Santiago.

With improvements to the physical plant and the strong Holy Cross commitment, the school has been able to reach new heights academically.

Fred assumed the pastoral responsibility for a large parish in Ahuacatlan, San Luis Potosí, Nuestro Padre Jesús.

In 1987, the Southern Province assumed the responsibility for the pastoral care of Santo Tomas Moro parish in the Archdiocese of Monterrey, Nuevo León.

In 1993 the Southern Province founded a program of vocation promotion and initial formation for young Mexican men who believe they are called to religious life and priesthood in Holy Cross.

Their offices serve as a "hub" for the growing Holy Cross apostolate of fostering family prayer, especially the rosary, as well as devotion to Mary throughout Mexico.

In 2000, the local Holy Cross community in Monterrey established an immersion program at La Luz parish.

It is offered principally to students from Holy Cross universities, high schools, and parishes in the United States.

The Bishop of the Diocese of Ciudad Valles offered this parish to Holy Cross in part because of the indigenous community's need for pastoral care and evangelization.

In 1982, within the boundaries of Lord of Hope Parish in Canto Grande, the Congregation established "Yancana Huasy" (literally "House of Work" in the language of the Incas).

Yancana Huasy attends to the needs of children who live with physical and mental challenges, including Downs' Syndrome, and their families.

Soon thereafter Holy Cross began administrating St. Leo's College, a high school in Kyegobe, Fort Portal diocese.

Christopher O'Toole, CSC, the superior general of Holy Cross, that missionary Vincent J. McCauley was to be made Bishop of Fort Portal.

By 1989, Holy Cross and a consortium of religious congregations and societies established the Queen of Apostles Philosophy Centre in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jinja ("PCJ") due largely to the political crises between Kenya and Uganda.