The religious congregation that came to be known as Holy Cross began in France when Basile Moreau joined the Brothers of St. Joseph to a small band of priests he had gathered to work in the diocese of Le Mans, France. The early Brothers of Holy Cross were an energetic group, dedicated to teaching in small parish schools.

Eventually Moreau sent them to missions in Algeria and Indiana where they thrived, often under harsh pioneer conditions. Based on their letters, Klawitter has reconstructed the lives of eleven of these courageous men whose apostolic work brought hope to children on...