Meet the Sisters

Originally from France, sisters from the Congregation of Holy Cross came to America in the mid-nineteenth century to support the priests and brothers of Holy Cross in their educational mission at the University of Notre Dame. These pioneering women soon established their own school in nearby Bertrand, Michigan, founding Saint Mary's College in 1844 and eventually forming their own congregation within the Holy Cross "family".

An international congregation (Bangladesh, Brazil, Ghana, India, Mexico, Peru, Uganda, and the United States), the sisters advocate for social justice, nonviolence, and peace. Their lives and work often focus on issues that especially affect women, including health and education, unjust social and economic systems, violence, gender discrimination, and human trafficking. In combination with their rich heritage, the sisters' corporate stands on migration, the oppression of women, water as a right, and more have made and continue to make a global impact.