Student Contest
Each year, Midwest Holy Cross Associates (MHCA) sponsors an Essay and Video Contest for the students in Holy Cross High Schools. This contest gives students an opportunity to reflect on their Holy Cross High School, the impact that it has on their lives, and ways they have developed “the competence to see and the courage to act.” Questions have ranged from the influence of the Brothers of Saint Joseph to Blessed Moreau’s Vision on Family being lived out.
2024-2025 Contest
Gifts Given, Gifts Shared
“‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’” (Matthew 25:21)
The parable of the talents serves as a powerful reminder that each person is called to invest their talents, not to bury them. The true measure of success lies not in accumulation, but in the willingness to give and share with others. This is reflected in the Congregation of Holy Cross vision of education, where educators help students recognize and cultivate their gifts to contribute to the common good and to use their talents in service to others. Through a Holy Cross education, students are called to utilize their gifts to actively engage in their communities and to support one another in faith, hope, and love.
As Father Moreau, the Congregation’s founder, writes: “It is not one alone who builds; nor is it one stone, or one single beam of wood that forms it. Each worker contributes something from his own trade; each stone is cut to fit into its one appointed place; and each piece of wood is arranged and placed so as to enhance the general effect of the entire building.” Circular Letter 14.
Today, our Holy Cross schools share in this heritage by emphasizing the importance of recognizing, nurturing, and utilizing students’ God given gifts. Fr. Moreau’s vision encourages a holistic approach to education and personal development.
Reflect on how your Holy Cross school helps individuals discover, develop and use their God-given gifts.
Consider the following questions to help you:
- What role do parents, educators, and administrators play in this process?
- How can you align your personal gifts with the mission of the Congregation of Holy Cross and your school?
- How do you feel called to share your gifts with others in the future?
- What personal experiences have you had in using your gifts in the service of others?
- What gift did you receive in return?
Essay and Video Guidelines
Choose between two methods of submission:
- Essay Entry- Written essay, in English, between 500-1,000 words. Submitted in PDF form. The essays will be judged on originality, creativity, message content and strength of writing.
- Video Entry- Submitted via YouTube link, video to be no longer than 5 minutes. The videos will be judged in terms of creativity, originality, message content and technical organization (sound and picture quality). Students must obtain all the necessary rights, including music rights, consents, authorizations, and licenses for all copyright protected material included in your video. You must also obtain permission to use the image, likeness, or audio recording of any individual that has a speaking role or is otherwise distinctly featured in your video submission.
Requirements:
- This contest is for students enrolled in Holy Cross High Schools, grade 9 through 12.
- There is no entry fee for this contest. Only one submission per student.
- All entries must be submitted on the HCA website, www.holycrossassociates.org, essays in PDF form and video entries via a Youtube link, with registration information, including parent’s signature.
- Due to the number of entries received, only winners will be contacted with the results.
Prizes:
4 Cash Prizes, 10 Honorable Mentions Awarded with Certificates.
The Four Finalists will present their essay or video at the Nation Conference on January 25, 2025
All entries are due November 15, 2024
MHCA 2024-2025 Contest Timeline
September 15, 2024 – Contest Opens
December 10, 2024– Contest Closes All Essay and Video Entries, with completed registration forms must be submitted
January 5, 2025 – Top 3 Finalist in each category announced
January 25, 2025 – MHCA Region Conference Finalist will present their entries to conference participants, via Zoom
Excerpts and Quotes from Student Submissions
Embodying the oak in the face of adversity, Father Dujarié and Brother Andre Mottais instructed young men, then called the Brothers of Saint Joseph, and sent them out to teach. Bl Basile Moreau continued Father Dujarié’s mission, establishing the Congregation of the Holy Cross…My own high school, St Francis High School, was founded by the Brothers of Holy Cross, exemplifying the establishment’s far-reaching positive impact. In my own life, I strive to embody the oak tree-like resilience of the early brothers and their fight to spread God’s word by acknowledging their original virtues.
The Holy Cross Associates Essay and Video Contest not only has provided me a great opportunity to more deeply explore my faith as it is reflected in my school, but also to attend the Holy Cross Associates Conference where I can learn from the informational testimonies of various Associates across the country. I am…blessed that Holy Cross Associates have offered this chance for spiritual enrichment. I am grateful for the experience!
[Hoban] has helped grow my sense in family because not only through everyone’s words, but also through their actions. They showed me you don’t have to be blood related to be family. Family is people who show up whether it be for a game, practice, club, play, or academic reason. We all are there for each other. Hoban has a great family made up of our amazing students, staff, and parents…Even though I am new to the Hoban Family, I could not ask for a better support system full of people who devote their time to helping me grow to be the best version of myself. When we all get under that …Golden Dome, we are one big family.
…the spirit of Blessed Basil Moreau rings even in the most basic interactions. No matter what, everyone at Holy Cross always takes the time to say “Hi” and ask how you are, even if you have not talked to them in months. That is the beauty of the Holy Cross. Community without expectation.
…band class enabled my sense of family to grow enormously….Blessed Basil Moreau communicated, “one worker alone does not build it,[a building] nor is it constructed from a single stone or beam of wood… the various workers make their separate contributions.” This is like our band when all the different instruments work together in coordination to make a piece sound well done. When we, the band, do not collaborate, everyone hears that we are not connected. The marching band has to be connected to stop collisions from happening on the marching field….Mrs. McCullough and the whole band are one family.
Many young people regard school as nothing more than a place to obtain knowledge that allows them to get a job or simply put – a means to an end. However, Fr. Moreau strived for education to be so much more. He wanted school to be a place for students to not just memorize facts, but to apply their knowledge, to grow in their faith, and to become truer to themselves as they make their way in the world. Hoban has done all of this and much more for me, truly following in Fr. Moreau’s footsteps.
Past Participating Holy Cross High Schools
Moreau Catholic High School • Cathedral High School • The Academy of the Holy Cross Bishop McNamara High School • Archbishop Hoban High School St. Frances High School • St. Edward ’s High School • Gilmour Academy Holy Cross High School (Waterbury, Connecticut) Holy Cross High School (Flushing, New York) • San Juan Diego Catholic High School
All competition entries become the property of Holy Cross Associates. Holy Cross Associates reserves the right to use any and all information related to the contest, including submissions provided by the contestants, for editorial, marketing and any other purpose, unless prohibited by law. Participants hereby grant Holy Cross Associates a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide license to broadcast, publish, store, reproduce, distribute, syndicate, and otherwise use and exhibit the Submission (along with their names, voices, performance and/or likenesses) in all media now known and later come into being for purposes of trade or advertising without further compensation. Participants represent and warrant that they have full legal right, power and authority to grant Holy Cross Associates the foregoing license and if applicable, have secured all necessary rights from any participants in, and contributors to, their Submission in order to grant such a license. Holy Cross Associates are under no obligation to use any Submission or return the Submissions to participants. By participating in the competition, you agree to release Holy Cross Associates and their respective a liates, subsidiaries, employees, directors, o cers, and agents from any and all liability, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for injuries, damages or losses to persons and property which may be sustained in connection with your participation in the competition. Holy Cross Associates are not responsible for late, lost or misdirected email or for any computer, online, telephone or technical malfunctions that may occur. If for any reason, the competition is not capable of running as planned, Holy Cross Associates may cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the competition.
Student Contest
Each year, Midwest Holy Cross Associates (MHCA) sponsors an Essay and Video Contest for the students in Holy Cross High Schools.