Who We Are

We are the Catholic young adult community in the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth.

Our focus is to form young adults in the abundant way of Jesus in the context of deep community through the lens of the Catholic tradition. We work primarily at post-secondary institutions throughout the province of Nova Scotia but there are many involved with our community who aren’t students - any young adult seeking the abundant life is welcome

We exist to reveal the abundant way of Jesus

Christianity is more than a set of beliefs - it’s a way of life that takes practice, community, and commitment over the long haul. We believe that an intense experience of this way of life in young adulthood can lead a person to develop deep roots of faith that will last their whole life long.

This way is something lived and experienced, not taught. As a community, we intentionally practice our faith in a way that it is easy to invite others to practice it with us. This intentional witness of life with God is attractive, especially for those who have tried other ways and found them wanting.

We’ve experienced this way of life and we are convicted that it’s truly the best way to live. A life of following Jesus is life giving, transformative, and the necessary foundation needed to be sustained through life’s most difficult moments. A community committed to this way can make a beautiful contribution to the world through the witness of love.

Our Charisms

How we do what we do matters.

We know why we exist but we have to be clear on how we live out our purpose. These charisms or operating values give us a clear picture of what our culture on staff at Holy Cross Chaplaincy is supposed to look like so that we can model that culture in the community.

If we live these well, we will see fruit come from our work, as we have countless times throughout our story as an organization.

  • When we move, we move at the pace of the Holy Spirit. Everything we do starts with prayer, intently listening and giving God a seat at the decision-making table. We take our God-inspired decisions and act, always searching for continued confirmation that we’re living in His will or that it’s time to stop

  • Our ministry is about more than just discussing abstract concepts, it’s about giving people exposure to a tangible faith they can experience. Just as our faith is living and active in the Sacraments, we take an Incarnational approach to discipleship, relying more on experience and reflection than carefully crafted messages to teach.

  • Everyone can become, every day, more conformed to the mature man or woman in Christ God has created them to be. That might look different person to person but for each of them, maturity leads to fulfilling vocation and lifelong community. We’re not content with just sticking to the basics; we gently but boldly encourage every person to take the next step.

  • The life of the community is the setting for all our ministry, where we can know and be known by others and live out the mystery of God’s communal nature. Every touchpoint in our ministry flows from and builds to a shared, common life around the way of Jesus, where individuals can become part of a healthy Christian family.

  • The heart we work from matters as much as the work we do. Like the Apostles, who placed their identity first in friendship with Jesus, we understand that our calling is to follow Him before it is to do great works for Him. This gives us the freedom to work from a place of rest and to steward the authority we have with humility, knowing that the mission belongs to Him.

  • We can’t accomplish our calling alone. God uses our symbiotic relationships and partnerships to help us accomplish more as a team than we could as a single organization. Instead of doubling up on what someone else is doing, we double down for greater impact by partnering, looking for ways to create a mutual “building up” in Christ.