“I LOVE TO TRAVEL AND SEE THE WORLD. SAINT MARY’S HAS GIVEN ME THOSE OPPORTUNTIES.”
Hail O Cross, our only hope
Ave Crux Spes Unica is a Latin pious expression or motto meaning "Hail to the Cross, our only hope." The expression has a long history in Catholic piety. It is the motto of the Congregations of Holy Cross.
The origins are thought to be a stanza of an ancient Roman hymn to the True Cross of Christ dating back to the Sixth Century, Vexilla Regis Prodeunt. The ninth stanza is as follow:
Crux ave, spes unica,
hoc Passionis tempore!
piis adauge gratiam,
reisque dele crimina.
which roughly translates:
O hail the cross our only hope
in this passiontide
grant increase of grace to believers
and remove the sins of the guilty.
As a stand alone motto the expression can appear as Ave Crux Spes Unica or as in the original hymn, O Crux ave, spes unica, meaning essentially the same. The cross is a reminder of Jesus’ spiritual courage; hope calls us to stand tall in the face of challenge; hope draws forth our greatest competence: the ability to transform lives.
The name, Spes Unica Hall, was chosen because it embodies the hope and dreams for what will happen in this building. In the spirit of a Holy Cross education, the mind and heart of each student can grow. Students will receive information, be formed and transformed to become agents of change in the world. For all alumnae and for those who will use Spes Unica Hall there is a connection with the Sisters of the Holy Cross and a call from Saint Mary’s College to be people of hope.
We are called to be people of hope.