Where and Why?

We named this unique first-year program for the mountain of Montserrat in Spain, a site that has special meaning for Holy Cross because our education is based on Jesuit values. In 1522, St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, chose Montserrat as the place to lay down his soldier's weapons and begin a new life devoted to study, teaching, service, faith, and purpose. St. Ignatius climbed Montserrat. Now this new program will give you the chance to climb your own mountain in a journey of academic exploration and self-discovery.

As a gateway to a liberal arts education, the Montserrat program encourages students to ask big questions and to strive to integrate the different dimensions of their education. Montserrat works by making connections:

• Individual seminars connect to other seminars through common readings, lectures, events, and other intellectual experiences
• Interdisciplinary clusters  connect the specific topics that students explore in each seminar to a range of broader questions and themes
• Experiential learning opportunities outside the classroom  help students to connect three parts of college life — learning, living, and doing — that may sometimes be seen as separate activities
• Students form long-term, meaningful connections professors and other students in a lively intellectual community, as classroom discussions are extended to the residence hall and beyond

Each summer, faculty members and staff at Holy Cross take part in a pilgrimage to visit important sites in the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, including Montserrat. Read some of their personal accounts and reflections.