Westville Education Initiative

Westville Education Initiative renamed Since 2013, faculty and staff from Holy Cross College and the University of Notre Dame, along with the Bard (College) Prison Initiative (BPI), and the Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC), have partnered to offer a rigorous college education at the Westville Correctional Facility in Westville, Indiana. To honor Blessed Basil Moreau (the French priest who founded the Congregation of Holy Cross) and the seminal role he played, and to reflect the Congregation’s enduring educational commitment and message of hope to those at the margins of society, the faculty steering committee and administrations of each partner institution join to officially rename the program historically known as the Westville Education Initiative (WEI), to the Moreau College Initiative. The Moreau College Initiative continues to provide many men with a new start and the ability to make positive improvements to their lives. The mission of Holy Cross College and the University of Notre Dame is to educate the heart and mind. In Westville, the program strives to bring that same spirit to the table. This is done by showing that the Initiative is truly about helping these students realize their fullest potential as children of God. The Congregation of Holy Cross, the founding religious order of both Holy Cross College and the University of Notre Dame, draws its spirituality and charism from its founder, Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C. In all the Order’s ministries worldwide, these religious brothers, sisters, and priests seek to educate in the faith by developing the mind, cultivating the heart, enkindling a zeal for service, and encouraging hope, while making it a priority to reach out to the margins of society and demonstrate merciful love to those who are often forgotten by the world. It is this charism that underlies a unique partnership between Holy Cross College and the University of Notre Dame. Holy Cross and Notre Dame faculty, whose excellence in teaching fulfills the mission of each of these institutions founded by the Holy Cross Congregation, are committed to offering incarcerated students the opportunity to earn Associate of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Holy Cross College. Dove tailing beautifully with Catholic social teaching, the Moreau College Initiative aptly fits the mission of the Congregation of Holy Cross, as Congregational constitutions specify a preferential option for the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed. The Initiative is a systematic way that partnering Holy Cross institutions specifically fulfill the mission of education by serving one of the most marginalized groups in our society, namely prisoners.