College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross
Motto:
In Hoc Signo Vinces
Motto in
English:
In this sign you shall
conquer
Established:
1843
Type:
Private
Religious
affiliation:
Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Endowment:
$660 million[1]
President:
Rev. Michael C.
McFarland, S.J.
Faculty:
288
Undergraduates: 2,817
Location:
Worcester, MA, USA
Campus:
Urban
Colors:
Purple
Mascot:
The Crusader
Athletics:
27 varsity sports[1]
Affiliations:
AJCU, Patriot League,
WRC
Website:
www.holycross.edu
The College of the Holy Cross (also known
as simply Holy Cross) is an undergraduate
Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in
Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. Holy Cross
is the oldest Roman Catholic college in New
England and one of the oldest in the United
States.
Opened as a school for boys under the
auspices of the Society of Jesus, it was the
first Jesuit college in New England. Today,
Holy Cross is one of 28 member institutions
of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and
Universities and is part of a consortium with
other
Worcester
colleges,
including
Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Clark
University. On July 1, 2000, Rev. Michael C.
McFarland, S.J. became the current presid-
ent of the college. As of June 2007, the Holy
Cross endowment was valued at $660 mil-
lion.[1] Coordinates: 42°14′20″N 71°48′30″W /
42.23889°N
71.80833°W
/
42.23889;
-71.80833
History
Beginnings
Holy Cross was founded by Benedict Joseph
Fenwick, SJ, second Bishop of Boston, after
his efforts to found a Catholic college in Bo-
ston were thwarted by the city’s Protestant
civic leaders.[2] From the beginning of his
tenure as the second Bishop of Boston, Bene-
dict Joseph Fenwick of the Society of Jesus
aimed to establish a Catholic College within
the boundaries of his diocese.[3]
Relations with Boston’s civic
leaders
worsened such that, when a Jesuit faculty
was finally secured in 1843, Fenwick decided
to leave the Boston school and instead
opened the College of
the Holy Cross
45 miles (72 km) west of the city in central
Massachusetts where he felt th