Crosier order turns 800

Founded in 1210, religious order has its sights set on the future

By Andrew Junker | Sept. 17, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

The foundation of the Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross — or, more simply, the Crosiers — occurred so long ago that much of its history is shrouded in legend and myth.

In 1210, Blessed Theodore de Celles, a former crusader, gathered with some companions at a church outside the Belgian city of Liege called Clairlieu — a “place of light.”

The order grew rapidly, ministering to the faithful across Europe, living in community and celebrating Mass and praying the Liturgy of the Hours together.

Later, the French revolutionaries suppressed the order and at one point, in the early 19th century, there were only four Crosiers left in the entire world.

But, if the order has shown anything over the past 800 years, it is an ability to reconstitute itself and adapt to the needs of the times.

Nowhere is that more clear than in Phoenix, where the Crosiers moved their provincial headquarters in 2007. As they kicked off a year of celebration with their patronal Feast of the Holy Cross Sept. 14, they were afforded some time for both retrospection and looking toward the future.

Crosier Father Tom Carkhuff, provincial in the United States, first heard of the order when he was studying to be a diocesan priest in Minnesota. He was sent to a school that the Crosiers operated in Onamia, Minn., and was immediately struck by the order’s sense of fraternity.

“I came from a small town in Minnesota, but there’s a real sense of community spirit in the town. I also come from a large family, so when I got to Onamia, I really experienced the sense of community these men, these Crosiers lived,” Fr. Carkhuff said.

He was also struck by the “sense of quality and dignity” in the Crosiers’ public praying. It was enough for Fr. Carkhuff to rethink his vocation to the diocesan priesthood and consider religious life.

He professed with the order in 1969, a turbulent time for the Crosiers, as it was for the whole Church. In 1967, the order revised its constitutions and when Fr. Carkhuff became a member, they were figuring out how to apply their charism to the modern world.

“At that time we were really focused on going out — community life was important, but the response to the needs of the time and the service aspect, I would say, were much more important than the common life together,” he said. “I don’t say that in a pejorative way, but the pendulum was really bouncing around.”

Crosier life

Basically, there are three main aspects to the Crosiers’ vita mixta or “mixed life”: community life, liturgy and service or ministry.

At one point in the couple of decades after Vatican II, as many as 40 percent of professed or ordained members of the Crosiers were living in parishes or by themselves, “and nobody thought much of it,” Fr. Carkhuff said.

“But there were a few voices saying we’ve got to pay attention to what our charism is about, what our vocation and profession are about,” he said.

Fr. Carkhuff said that in recent years the order has found “a much better balance and appreciation” for the communal life. Crosier Father Steven Henrich, prior of Phoenix’s two Crosier priories, agreed.

Being prior — or head of a local community of brothers and fathers — means helping “the members live the life we profess,” Fr. Henrich said. “It’s not so much being in charge as it is being available and helping people as they try to live out their own vocation.”

Each morning, the Crosiers gather for prayer and Mass before going out to do their various ministries. These include working at parishes, leading retreats, working with immigrants, working in jails and others.

Those who are able also gather together for midday prayer. In the evening, there is vespers. On Sundays the brothers and fathers join for Mass, evening prayer and supper.

Once a week, the community gathers for “chapter,” where they talk about all the community’s needs, plans, finances, prayer.

“Whatever it is, we shape the way we live and how we’re going to do things in dialogue,” Fr. Henrich said. “There’s a lot of wisdom and experience amongst the men in the group and by encouraging them to come forward there is often a richness that comes about.”

The renewed focus of communal life and prayer has been a boon for the Crosiers, Fr. Carkhuff said. When looking to move their provincial headquarters here a few years ago, he said they saw an opportunity to help show Phoenix an example of the religious life.

“When we were looking at the Valley, a big part was the witness of religious life. It was the witness as religious who are committed to God, who care about God and want to help others to understand and appreciate the presence of God in their lives,” he said. “That’s clearly one of the greatest gifts we and our men bring — whether it’s in the jail, in spiritual direction or in weekend liturgies.”

Fr. Carkhuff also said that in promoting the religious life, he has an ally in Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted.

“Bishop Olmsted has been very clear in conversations I’ve had with him about Crosiers being here and having the provincial headquarters here,” Fr. Carkhuff said. “He said the Church needs religious. He knows and he understands religious life.”

And as they look toward the future, the Crosiers hope to promote their religious life even more. They’ve begun a program called Companions of the Cross, where they train lay people in their charism.

Fr. Henrich’s vision of the future involves gathering all 20 or so local Crosiers at one location, like at a site the order purchased on Baseline Road and 33rd Street in south Phoenix.

“What I see there are men who are living the life they professed and doing it with joy, and there’s going to be enough visibility there of being able to draw people in to pray with us,” he said.

“I also see us as being a place that will serve immigrants, issues of the elderly, hospice as being a part of the campus,” Fr. Henrich said. “I see it as a large community — Crosiers and laypeople who are working together. We see this as a real opportunity.”