On Aug. 19, 2026, Holy Cross welcomed 860 first-year students from 39 states and five countries for Move-In Day. Spirits were high as students moved into their new homes and celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit, coming together as a community for the first time.
College President Vincent D. Rougeau addressed the class of 2030, emphasizing that college is a time of formation, of discovering one's individual right path and of learning how — not what — to think.
"Some of you may have arrived this morning with a plan — what you're looking to do, who you're looking to become. Hold onto that plan — but hold it loosely," Rougeau said. "Some of the most important things that happen to you here will not be on it. A course you took to fill a requirement. A professor who asks a question you cannot answer and will not let it go. A conversation at 11 p.m. with someone whose life has looked nothing like yours. That is not your plan going wrong. That is your education working."
"Our classes here are small, which means there is nowhere to hide — in the best possible way," he continued. "You will be known. You will be asked what you think, and then asked why." (Visit the College's Instagram account for more sights and sounds.)
