Holy Cross Seal (formal)
The Holy Cross four-color seal is reserved for special, formal applications only, as determined by the Office of Public Affairs. The formal seal should only be used on a white background, in the red, black, gold and purple color scheme shown here. The formal seal should only be provided by Public Affairs and should never be copied or recreated manually.
The formal seal—the third in the College’s history—identifies Holy Cross as an educational institution founded by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The outer circle of the seal states in Latin, College of the Holy Cross of the Society of Jesus at Worcester, Massachusetts. The inner shield contains an open book (denoting a place of learning) and a gold cross (symbol of Christian faith). The red and sable colors recall the ancient shield of Worcester, England. The upper part of the shield has in its center the emblem of the Society of Jesus, a blazing sun with the letters HIS, Jesus’ name in Greek. On each side is a martin, reminiscent of martins on the ancestral crest of Holy Cross founder Rev. Benedict J. Fenwick, S.J., second Bishop of Boston. The Latin motto in the book, “In Hoc Signo Vinces” (in this sign you shall conquer) is attributed to King Constantine the Great, a Roman emperor noted for his tolerance of Christians. According to historians of that time, King Constantine had a dream or vision of a flaming cross in the sky with this inscription, on the day preceding his decisive victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge (Oct. 28, 312). This victory led to his capturing Rome and convinced him of the importance of the Christian faith.
