Life in Community
Religious life in Holy Cross is built around community. Brothers pray together, share meals, and support one another in ministry. This rhythm of common life shapes how we serve as Educators in the Faith and how we welcome men who are weighing a vocation. Return to The Brothers of Holy Cross homepage for news, ministry highlights, and vocation resources across the site.
Common Prayer Each Day
Morning and evening prayer anchor the brother’s day. In local houses and campus residences, brothers gather for the Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharist when schedules allow, and quiet time for personal prayer. Shared worship keeps ministry rooted in Christ rather than in individual effort alone.
Community prayer also trains men in formation. Postulants, novices, and professed brothers learn to listen together, intercede for the people they serve, and carry the needs of the province before God. That habit continues through every stage of religious life.
Meals, Household Life, and Fraternity
Brothers live in residences attached to schools, parishes, or provincial centers. Shared meals are simple occasions for conversation, encouragement, and honest friendship. House responsibilities rotate so that each member contributes to the good of the whole.
Living side by side reveals strengths and limits. Brothers celebrate milestones such as professions and jubilees together, and they walk through illness, grief, and demanding assignments as a fraternity. This daily companionship is one reason candidates are invited to visit before they apply. Read Explore Your Vocation for first steps in discernment and stories of brothers who have made lifelong commitments.
Ministry Shared Among Brothers
Holy Cross brothers serve in classrooms, campus ministries, social outreach, and parish programs. Priests and brothers often collaborate on the same campus or mission, but the brother’s vocation is distinct: a lay consecrated life dedicated to fraternity and service without sacramental ordination.
Community life makes that service sustainable. After demanding weeks in ministry, brothers return to prayer and household routines that restore perspective. To see where this service takes place in schools and missions, visit Our Ministries. For the congregation’s history and identity, see Who We Are.
Visiting a Holy Cross House
Men considering religious life are welcome to schedule a visit, attend Mass with the community, and speak with a vocation director. Observing prayer, meals, and recreation offers a concrete picture of brotherhood that brochures alone cannot provide.
Call the Holy Cross Hotline at (512) 442-7856 or use the Contact Us page to reach the Moreau Province. You may also browse the Resource Library for prayers and vocation materials before your visit.