The Crosiers

Who we are

The Crosiers are members of the Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross, one the Roman Catholic Church’s oldest religious orders. Our membership consists of priests and brothers who live together according to the Rule of St. Augustine.

An essential element of who we are is expressed in our name, the Order of the Holy Cross. Our spirituality of the Cross is rooted in the Paschal Mystery. We recognize that there is much suffering and pain in the world, but we also believe the resurrection of Jesus guarantees that we will find hope and healing even in our suffering and pain. Because of this, we emphasize the glorious, or triumphant, Cross.

The focus of our ministry is to touch suffering with hope. We do that by working to address the causes of suffering around us in our particular time and place.

The U.S. conventual priory is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona; we have houses in Phoenix and in Onamia, Minnesota. The international headquarters is in Rome, and Crosiers serve in the Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia.

Our Charism

For more than 800 years, the Crosier charism has centered on our commitment to live and work harmoniously in community, to celebrate the prayer of the Church, to serve the people of God and to welcome all with a spirit of hospitality. Each member gives himself to the life and unity of the community while respecting each man for the unique person he is.

Founded in faith, we recognize prayer is an essential expression and source of our life and work together. We live out this special Crosier vocation to foster the liturgy of the Church—both the liturgy of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours—by coming together to pray five times a day.

Our lives are spent in service. We serve Jesus by serving our brothers and sisters through our various ministries and through our most immediate apostolate—our community life. We are called to assist our brothers in charity and unity, by our prayers and through all of our daily activities. Crosiers actively minister to the needs of the Church and society through pastoral ministry, spiritual direction, chaplaincy, jail ministry, campus ministry, ministry to youth and young adults, immigrant services, ministry to the Hispanic community and elder care. 

What sets us apart from other religious orders is our ability to relate to people in a different way. By just being natural with people who enter our doors, they feel welcomed with a sense of peace and joy. After all, God gave us the gift to do so through our charism of hospitality!