Holy Cross
So, I was driving around New Orleans today looking on the wrong side of the levee for a geocache when I came upon The Holy Cross School in the 9th Ward. Now I have just recently started getting out of my little work-home-grocery store-bank bubble, which makes the fact that this school is not far from my home not really a big surprise to me, however I am interested and now that I have found it I want to know more.
I have always been fascinated by all-boy schools or all-girl schools for that matter. I find it hard to imagine myself without friends of the opposite sex especially in middle and high school. I have also secretly wanted to go to a boarding school when I was younger, but that is another story.
Sparked by the architecture and this sign I decided to do a little research, turns out The Fathers of the Congregation of the Holy Cross came to New Orleans in 1855 specifically to establish a manual industrial school for orphaned boys who had been made homeless by the terrible yellow fever epidemic of 1853. The school being founded in 1879 makes it the oldest boy’s school in New Orleans and the second-oldest Holy Cross institution in America behind Notre Dame University.
The school is still run by the Holy Cross Brothers, which are headquartered in Austin, Texas. The Holy Cross Brothers seem to be a religious group of Brothers who believe that they walk side by side with their priests and with the people they help no one is above anyone else. They dedicate themselves not only to God but also to their communities and strive to become advocates for the poor.
The historic school buildings received much damage during Katrina and have since been exploring new buildings and have announced plans to move but as yet, I could find no answer to where they are planning to move. Classes began again last January in temporary trailers on the school’s property. As of now on their web site the new school year has begun and their address remains the same.
Although I could find no solid answers to this question, I hope they stay in their old buildings. The buildings are beautiful. With over 100 years of history there how could you leave? To me this sounds like the perfect opportunity for the Brothers and the students to rebuild their school and help rebuild a community all at the same time.
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If you’re wondering about “where they are planning to move” I suggest checking the front page of today’s Times-Picayune.
Holy Cross is not the oldest boy’s school in New Orleans. Jesuit was founded in 1847.
Isn’t Holy Cross moving to Jeff. parish? What will happen to the those buildings?
Why do you assume because you go to a single sex school that you don’t have friends of the opposite sex?
The Holy Cross Brothers don’t “seem to be a religious group” they are a religious group.
Our Catholic all-boys and all-girls schools are a long-standing tradition in New Orleans.
You sound HOT! Well, maybe not you. But you conjured up memories of dating girls at the All-Girl catholic schools! I miss those days. Cabrini, to Xavier Prep, to Holy Angles, to Dominican, to Ursuline, whoa. Those were the days! :\
Wow ponce, you seem a little defensive there. I think she said “seems” because she’s researching and reporting not writing from experience. And as far as the rest I don’t think she’s foolish to think you would have less friends of the opposite sex as a kid if YOU HAD NO KIDS of the opposite sex in your school.
Just an observation.
I’ve heard that Holy Cross is planning to move to Jeff Parish and they have just narrowed it down to a few sites hence the Times Picayune article.
I am not sure what is going to happen to those old buildings but hopefully they are not further distroyed.
GNOME I did some more research and true Jesuit is the oldest All-Boys School. However Holy Cross is the oldest all- boys high school as Jesuit does not become a separate high school till 1926 when they were officially separated from the College.
I should have clarified that Holy Cross is the oldest all boys junior and senior high school in New Orleans.