What is 426?
For the uninitiated, 426 comes from our home address, 426 N. San Felipe; the operative word being “home.”
For our students, 426 is the work in progress that is a Holy Cross education. A call to build a relationship with God through his son Jesus (Faith); an expectation that they see the dignity in all people (Respect); a true commitment to who they are and where they come from (Pride); an obligation to do the right thing regardless of what’s at stake or who is watching (Integrity); a desire to be the best and a willingness to put in the necessary work (Ambition); and forming an ability to learn the tough lessons that life often teaches (Wisdom).
For our alumni, especially those who have joined the 426 Scholarship Program, 426 is a way to say thanks and a way to pay our respects to the many men and women who made a Holy Cross education possible. Our alumni clearly understand that were it not for the love and dedication of the Holy Cross religious, many would not have been able to attend the school that they have grown to love. To be sure, a school run by the Congregation of Holy Cross and its members assured two things: a first-rate education and, because most of the teachers were Brothers, Sisters, and Priests, an education that was made affordable because of their sacrifice.
Ultimately, while we may find very few religious still teaching in our classrooms we can be very grateful and proud that we still have incredible lay teachers who have wholeheartedly embraced the mission of the Holy Cross Congregation, and an alumni base who we call the 426 whose monthly contributions do at once say thank you, and help do for others what was once done for them.