Chief Mission Integration Officer's Monthly Message

December's Holy Cross Core Value – Educating Hearts and Minds

In preparation for this newsletter focusing on the core value of Educating Hearts and Minds, I did what all scholars in 2024 do: I asked ChatGPT. Surprisingly, typing “write a reflection about Basil Moreau’s quote ‘educating hearts and mind’” produces quite an articulate response, though it lacks some meaningfulness knowing it was created by artificial intelligence. To be clear, I was not intending to, nor did I borrow any of ChapGPT’s reflection, but the idea came to me when reading one of Blessed Basil Moreau’s quotes:

“How we educate the mind will change with the times; how we cultivate the heart is and will remain timeless.”

What would Moreau, who wrote Christian Education in 1856 as his guide for Holy Cross education, think of today’s education? Imagine trying to explain iPads and eBooks to Moreau. See if he could grasp the ability to learn anything with just a few clicks and an Internet connection. Show him ChatGPT’s summary of his Circular Letters (another good response).

Blessed Basil Moreau was right: education certainly has changed with the times. Indeed, Cathedral’s vision to be the Catholic high school of the future calls us to adjust with the times and to be innovative to anticipate the future just as Moreau wrote. Cathedral alumni and friends who have not been to campus in some time would surely feel just like Moreau with all the differences and changes over the years, both in the physical campus, as well as the instructional resources that promote our academic excellence.

But what about the heart? There is no prompt to A.I. that can come close to teaching empathy, kindness, or respect. There is no app or learning management system that allows students to experience the joy and fulfillment of helping others, lifting the lowly, and loving our neighbors. That all comes from embracing our Catholic call to community and experiencing firsthand God’s love through our interactions with one another. It comes from recognizing God’s presence in all things, including the mysteries of the sciences, the details and accuracies of mathematics, and the creativity and expression of the arts. It comes from understanding that our knowledge and skills are most fully realized when used in service to God and others. If we could show Blessed Basil Moreau how Cathedral students are engaged and thoughtful on their retreats, how they think deeply on ways to serve in the community, how their small acts of donating toys will bring the tremendous joy of Christmas to the school communities of Immaculata and Asheville Catholic in North Carolina, who were devastated by hurricanes, all in efforts to reveal God’s greater love, he would surely know that cultivating the heart in the Holy Cross tradition is indeed timeless.

Please join me in congratulating our Holy Cross Student and Educator for the Month of November, Mark Ugo ‘25 and Lisa Ford. Our Holy Cross Value for November was Option for the Poor, and Mark Ugo and Mrs. Ford live out this value with excellence and zeal!