Our mission sends us across borders of every sort.  Often we must make ourselves at home among more than one people or culture, reminding us again that the farther we go in giving the more we stand to receive.  Our broader experience allows both the appreciation and the critique of every culture and the disclosure that no culture of this world can be our abiding home.

                                                                        ---Constitutions, No. 17

The faith must be expressed and lived in language and culture.  Language is actually only a small part of communication.  Culture includes all of the expressions, rituals, customs, traditions, etc. that help express who we are, how we describe God and all the things and people who are important to us.

These powerpoint presentations were used in the Diocese of Austin to help people think about culture. Although it is most common to use them to think about Hispanics or Latinos, they are helpful for all of us because all of us are influenced by a variety of cultures: ethnicity, regions, social class, etc.

Have you ever wondered why we have soirées in Holy Cross? Why aren't they called socials?