CROSIER FATHERS

The Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross, commonly known as the Crosier Fathers, were founded, according to their tradition, by Theodore of Celles about 1210. The name Crosier is derived from the French croisès (Latin crucisignati ); the literal medieval English rendering of the word was crutched (crossed) Friars. The designation refers to the spirituality of the order and, in particular, to the distinctive mark of the Crosier habit, namely, the crusader's cross worn on the scapular. The history of the order may be divided into three periods: the medieval period when ascendancy was shared by the houses at Huy (Belgium) and Paris; the period following 1410 when the newer monasteries of the Low Countries, especially the monastery of St. Agatha, spearheaded a general reform; and the modern period of revival, which is dated from the year 1840.

Medieval Period. The early period of the founding and first growth is represented in history by only fragmentary evidence. Theodore is known to have come from Liège, Belgium, the city of prince-bishops and numerous canonries. There is a tradition that as a young cleric he had accompanied his bishop on the Third Crusade. Disillusioned by the military adventure, Theodore joined the spiritual crusade against the albigenses. He preached in and around Toulouse, France, where (the tradition continues) he met and worked closely with St. dominic. The best history of the early period, the Chronicon Cruciferorum

by H. Russelius (Cologne 1635), is all too brief and uncritical in its account of the founding, but recent research has shown that on the whole it is trustworthy.

Theodore and four companions, desiring to live a common life according to the Rule of St. Augustine, withdrew to a country place called Clairlieu. This was located not at Huy, as previously thought, but near the village of Seyl (of which Celles is a derivative), seven and a half miles from Huy on the Meuse River in Belgium. They were soon joined by dedicated laymen and laywomen (beguines) in their apostolate of liturgical prayer and hospitality (running of hospices). In 1248, when full approbation was granted by Innocent IV, five Crosier houses were already in existence, including one in England. The decisive establishment, however, quite different from that of Clairlieu, was made at Huy (1248) under the direction of Peter of Walcourt. He drew up a set of constitutions modeled in part on those of the Dominican Order. The apostolate of preaching was given more stress but, unlike the Dominicans, Peter retained as primary the traditional concern of canons regular for the liturgy and laid little emphasis on scholarship or attendance at the universities. By 1270 the community at Clairlieu had broken up, while the foundation at Huy prospered and became the motherhouse. Important houses were founded in Paris and Toulouse (which grew into quasi-provinces), as well as in the Rhineland and in England.

Fifteenth-century Reform. The reform of 1410 marks one of the decisive turning points in the order's long history. The newer monasteries of the Low Countries had become centers of the spiritual movement known as the devotio moderna, which inspired a new development in Crosier spirituality. It was typified by a personal devotional faith such as is found in the imitation of christ and the Vestis Nuptialis. This new feature remained the dominant one for centuries; only recently have the order's spiritual writers reemphasized the role of the liturgy and the mystery of the triumphant cross. The centuries of religious conflict, that began with the Reformation and terminated in the general persecution of religious orders during and after the French Revolution, swept away most groups of canons regular. Those houses that remained to the Crosier Order in the Rhineland, France, and Belgium were confiscated or destroyed during the Napoleonic occupancy. For a time only St. Agatha and Uden (in Holland) remained, empty monasteries awaiting the repeal of the law forbidding the acceptance of novices. Four old Crosiers acted as caretakers; the order was, in truth, on the verge of extinction.

Modern Period. When the law was finally repealed in 1840, a surprisingly large number of diocesan clergy and seminarians joined the four Crosier fathers who still held the thread of a continued tradition. The former rector of the Latin School at Gemert (Holland), Henricus van den Wijmelenberg, was the first to receive the habit. Shortly afterward he was appointed a superior, and then elected master general (1853–81) of the revitalized order. While reestablishing houses in Holland and Belgium, Van den Wijmelenberg looked also to the mission field. He sent priests to England, the West Indies, and, in 1850, to Wisconsin at the invitation of Bp. John Henni, of Milwaukee. In all, nine Crosier priests and brothers accompanied various groups of Belgian and Dutch immigrants that settled around Green Bay, Wis. Edward Daems attempted to establish a monastic community at Bay Settlement. At the start of the Civil War, several of the fathers and brothers returned to Holland, and the attempt was abandoned. Daems founded a group of religious sisters, the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Cross, and served as the first vicar-general of the Green Bay Diocese.

The order did not sustain its effort under Van den Wijmelenberg or succeeding master generals. It was not until Henricus Hollmann became master general (1899–1927) that Crosier communities began to flourish once again. Besides establishing new houses in Europe, Hollmann successfully undertook mission ventures in the U.S. (1910), the Belgian Congo (1920), and Java (1926). Despite disastrous setbacks in Minnesota—caused largely by the drought of 1910—the Crosiers remained to serve scattered parishes in the northern dioceses. In 1922 a small monastery was built at Onamia, Minn., and a minor seminary was opened for the reception of seven candidates. From this unpretentious beginning, the order has spread in the U.S. In 1957 the U.S. Province of St. Odilia was created. The Crosier Fathers are located chiefly in Europe and the U.S., with a growing presence in Africa (Congo) and Asia (Indonesia and Japan).

Bibliography: OSC, Official Catholic Directory #0400. h. van rooijen, De Oorsprong van de Orde der Kruisbroeders of Kruisheren (Diest, Belg. 1961). j. w. rausch, The Crosier Story: A History of the Crosier Fathers in the U.S. (Onamia, Minn. 1960). m. vinken, Lectures on Crosier Spirituality, tr. j. fichtner (Wawasee, Ind. 1957); The Spirituality of the Crosier Fathers, tr. j. fichtner (Wawasee, Ind. 1958). a. ramaekers, The Crosier Indulgence, tr. b. van gils (Huntington 1950). j. m. hayden, "The Crosiers in England and France," Clairlieu 22 (1964) 91–109.

[j. w. rausch/eds.]