CROSIER HERITAG - Canons Regular Blog

CROSIER 

HERITAG 

IN umber JTwelv e May 1984 

FOIE 

tt li 

Homily of Rev Richard Leliaert, O.S.C. 

for the Third Sunday of Easter as given at the 

Closing Liturgy of the meetings of the 

Crosier Heritage Association 

and the 

American Community of Canons Regular. 

Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 12, 1984 

Let's not use the word 'heritage' very lightly! In one of 

the talks today, the speaker used the word 'patrimonium' for 

'heritage'. It is true that the Lord Jesus has given all of us a 

heritage. First of all through our baptism by which he 

empowers each of us with the riches of the spiritual life. He 

came, as the Gospel says, that we may have life and that we 

may have it to the full. As Canons Regular we are stewards 

of that precious heritage given to us by Jesus, and in a special 

way. Today we symbolically enter into that heritage by the 

special symbol of celebrating the Eucharist in unity at the 

Lord's table here in the Cathedral Church of St. Augustine 

whose rule we follow and whose basic spirit is summed up in 

that one word—love. The type of love that we are 

celebrating makes one separate oneself from what is truly evil, 

and makes us cling to the only one who can fill us with life: 

Jesus. We are stewards of the manifold riches of the grace of 

Christ. As stewards we must be good shepherds. 

On my last birthday, some friends of mine gave me a 

party and the host told me to wait after everyone had left. 

He came out of the room and he was carrying what looked like 

an oversized cane. It was a very tall cane which turned out 

to be a genuine shepherd's crook about five feet high. It was 

the real McCoy—the kind of shepherd's crook they use in Wales 

and he said, 'This is your birthday present'. I don't talk about 

that too openly because people might misinterpret it as a 

bishop's crozier! But I really appreciate Bob's having given 

me that very thoughtful gift. It has nothing to do with 

ambition, but it is a kind of reminder that we are to be good 

shepherds. You all know that a shepherd's crook has two 

parts. The loop at the top is symbolic of the service we have 

to render in the spirit of Christ to those who need it, to those 

who may stray from the way, to those who may have been 

crippled in their spiritual life, to give them that gentle tug 

back to Christ, so £hat Christ may take them on his shoulders 

and lead them home. 

The other part of the shepherd's crook is the butt end 

with which you nudge the sheep who move apart, those who 

decide to follow their own way, or those who do not live out 

their baptismal commitment. In this day and age, I know 

know it is not considered kosher to reflect on this part of being 

a steward or shepherd. But sometimes we have to be like the 

apostles on Pentecost and stand up and call for renewal and 

reformation, not only of our own lives but of those to whom we 

minister. A fact that has never won popularity contests is 

that there is a right time for that end of the shepherd's crook 

and that makes the call to be a shepherd a kind of a Cross: 

We know that we human beings are weak and that our brethren 

need the support and strength of a shepherd. Yet, as Peter 

says in the second reading, we are called to set an example, an 

example not only of the risen Christ but of the suffering Christ 

who gives his life for the sheep. When the life of the sheep is 

threatened by any type of fad or conduct or lifestyle that is 

really opposite to the Gospel we need in our sense of 

stewardship as shepherds to stand up and call for reform and 

renewal. 

So the opening prayer of the Mass today is very timely 

for all of us. We ask our God that our own ears, hearts, and 

minds—our whole being—will be attuned to the sound of his 

voice and we may walk in the way he has shown. It's a very 

difficult challenge—in the days of the gospel, in the medieval 

period, and today. The voice of Christ the shepherd through 

the centuries calls all of us not only to renewal but also to 

truly enjoy savoring the manifold riches of the grace of Christ. 

My prayer is that we will recall our precious heritage and ask 

for the grace of wisdom from the Holy Spirit that we need to 

be attuned to the sound of Christ's voice so that we may walk 

in the path He has shown, not just for our sakes but for the 

sake of the People of God in. the call of the Spirit. May God 

be with you all, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of 

the Holy Spirit. Amen.o 

Some of those who attended the first meeting of the 

Crosier Heritage Association in Kalamazoo. Picture 

key on page 10

Ariicl es 

Thoughts on 

The Spirituality of the Order 

by Brother Dirk Wasserfuhr, O.S.Cr. 

tr by Rev Bernard Leisenheimer, O.S.Cr. 

FRACRES 

CRUCI- 

SIGNATI 

SANCTI 

AUGUSe 

1NI++ + 

"IF YOU WANT TO BE A CROSIER, THEN TAKE UPON 

YOURSELF EVERYTHING WHICH IS THE CROSS." 

—(Prior General Petrus Pincharius, OSC written in the 

second half of the 14th Century in the VESTIS NUPTIALIS, 

page 325) 

This statement of Petrus Pincharius (died 1382) is 

indeed one of the most significant expressions of the Order's 

spirituality that has been handed down to us. That this 

"taking upon yourself" of the cross belongs to the very center 

and is indeed the life-giving source of the Order is obvious 

from the Order's history. Every time this key aspect of the 

Order's spirituality was lost or shoved in the background it 

meant a decline or even decay. 

It was in such a way that the Brethren of the Cross 

attempted to idealize and to realize their "vita mixta". In 

other words their prayer and contemplation, centering around 

the cross and passion, sought to be the foundation for their 

service of their neighbor on the one hand. In addition, this 

apostolate toward the suffering and needy allowed new 

perspectives and impulses for their prayer and worship. The 

contemplative and active elements of their ideal were 

correlational—their spirituality was not isolated within the 

walls of their churches, rather it permeated their entire living 

area. 

In the interest of a renewal and an enlivening of the 

spirit of the Order I would like to attempt a protrayal of how 

the past Brethren of the Holy Cross sought to express this 

spirituality in order to help inspire our contemporary life and 

apostolate. 

Numerous sources evidence the fact that our 

medieval monasteries very often had a place for giving alms, 

caring for the sick and travelers (of the book SIE TEILTEN 

MIT JEDERMANN, Bonn 1978, by Rev. Dr. Piet van den Bosch, 

OSC). The ideal of the "vita mixta" was at work here: the 

contemplative was to be mirrored in the active - in fact it had 

to be if the ideal was real and alive. By looking at what the 

early Crosiers did we can clearly trace a connection to their 

spirituality. 

The Cross and the Passion of Christ—the two pillars 

of the Order's spirituality—could find no better expression 

than in the care of the sick, the poor, the suffering and the 

needy. The person of faith knows who it is that he encounters 

when he serves such people, "and if you do this to the least..." 

(of Mathew 25:34-40). How does Christ better reveal himself 

as the suffering servant, the man of sorrows, than in all of 

these The repeated protrayal of the man of sorrows and the 

sorrowful mother (expecially those dating from the era of the 

"devotio moderns") in the oldest churches of the Order gives 

concrete expression to this notion. 

"The Man of Sorrows" 

Detail of a chasuble, late 15th Century embroidery. 

Crosier Monastery of Liebfrauenthaf, Ehrenstein. 

XII, 10, bw

Is it possible that the ministry of a religious or of any 

person of faith be fruitful and valuable without the strength 

found in prayer and worship In the same way prayer is 

senseless, and empty form, unless it finds expression in 

"doing". Keeping the conviction of Augustine's Rule in mind- 

-"When you pray...let your heart be attentive to what your lips 

are speaking." (Chapter 3)—we might continue: "What you 

pray should become visible in your deeds and what you busy 

yourself with should find its place again in your praying." 

Anything else would be a denial and ridicule of the deepest 

center of the "vita mixta" as spirit and charism of the Order. 

Detail of a baroque etching of the martyrdom of 

St OdUia with "Crosier Saints": (top) the Man of 

Sorrows with angels carrying tools of the passion; 

(from left to right) Quiriacus, Peter, Philip, Helena, 

Andrew, Augustine; (center) the Martyrdom of 

St Odilia. Printed in Cologne in the early 17th Century. 

As mentioned above, our monasteries and churches 

held numerous portrayals of the man of sorrows and the 

sorrowful mother—the Pieta'. If the suffering Christ 

concentrates our attention especially on physical suffering, 

then the figure of Mary reveals one who endured deep 

psychological pain: "and your very soul will be pierced with a 

sword." The Pieta1 combines these two sufferings. Was the 

Pieta1 the summary of all that the early Crosiers saw as their 

task: ministry to the whole person, the binding up of 

physical as 

The 

Pieta': 

Summary of ministry to the whole 

person. 

well as psychological wounds, a "nursing to health" of the 

whole person To do this the monasteries had to be open 

houses, as is evident by looking at the city character of our 

monasteries, most often near a gate, as well as the country 

monasteries, which were most often on "highways". We 

probably need not wonder for very long where the roots of 

hospitality in the Order are to be found. If the monasteries 

and those who live in them are not only there for their own 

salvation, then such hospitality will have to take a 

predominant place in their lives. 

The "Crucified and Resurrected Christ" 

Detail of a chalice veil, early 16th Century, 

Gold-thread embroidery. 

Crosier Monastery of St Agatha near Cuijk, 

II, 

10, bw 

The Netherlands 

The Cross: middle point, pivot and sign of the 

Order. On the one hand the instrument of death and 

martyrdom, but in faith the eternal victory through pain and 

ignominy, over suffering and sin. Through death is death 

destroyed; through suffering is suffering annihilated. That 

was the good news the early Crosiers had to tell in their 

ministry to the suffering and needy: the cross, the sign of 

hope, of salvation, of life, of strength, of the way to joy: 

Life-giving hope is able to spring from hopelessness. 

Expression of this came again and again in figures of the 

resurrected Christ and the martyrs, especially those who were 

crucified. 

The cross is the new sign of salvation which Moses 

once raised in the copper serpent in the desert: all who look 

upon it will healed. All this found expression in the name of 

these brethren: cruciferi—those who bore the cross; those 

who helped the weak and needy to carry their cross, thus 

making it lighter. Cross-bearers in a literal sense. 

Is it not necessary to reflect anew on this early ideal 

and expression of the Brethren of the Cross today, to call it to 

mind once again It is more than obvious in our time, in our 

society, which seems to have everything to offer, that many 

are psychologically sick, empty, hollow. An indication of this 

can be found alone in the divorce rate, indeed in the inability,

The cry of loneliness: 

"Why have you forsaken me" 

is everywhere today. 

especially among the young people, to make any sort of 

committment at all. The incredible loneliness and resignation 

among young and old alike, particularly in the large cities, 

belongs to the everyday experience. It is a loneliness that 

leads to the cross again: "My God, my God, why have you 

foresaken me!" The echo of these words has grown in more 

and more people in our day. The burden of this cry becomes 

more deafening and hardly any one person can bear it alone. 

Is it a special call to us 

Likewise the consumer society had influenced the 

atmosphere of our hospitals and old folk's homes. Ultra 

modern in every technical sense, they are often lacking 

bitterly in the human and religious motivation (beyond the "job 

mentality',1) needed to really care for the physical and 

psychological needs of the sick, the old and the handicapped. 

The ministry to those on the lowest scale of the social ladder 

belong to this group as well. 

The spirituality of the Order might well find 

expression in renewed efforts to enliven the practice of the 

Sacrament of Penance, of "individual pastoral care" 

("Einzelseelsorge"). That is a hospitality that goes much 

deeper than merely eating and drinking (though it might 

include that as well). How can our monasteries become more 

and more "alms-houses" again What do we have to give 

Are we willing to give it These are questions we need to 

consider and answer. 

The "Finding of the Cross" by Saints Quiriacus and Helena. 

Detail of a chasuble, Neo-Gothic. Vii 8 bw 

Crosier Monastery of Our Lady of the Linden 

Uden, The Netherlands. 

But the final answer lies in our seriousness toward a 

renewed and enlivening practice of the "vita mixta". Only 

then can the above considerations bear fruit when we are 

ready to draw more deeply on the charism of the OrderJo 

Father Leisenheimer, O.S.Cr. 

6. IX. 1983

Norbert Of Xantetl... the peacemaker 

by Rev Theodore Antry, 0. Praetn.* 

The standard image that we have of St Norbert of Xanten 

needs to be developed a bit. He is usually seen as a proponent 

of the Blessed Sacrament, but there is another element that 

plays another theme in the early lives of Norbert. 

This year 1984 we Norbertines are celebrating the 

"Norbert Year". It is the 850th anniversary of his death— 

June 6, 1134. We have been celebrating it, not as the closing 

of a past event, but as a beginning. The committee of our 

June 6, 1984 

850th Anniversary of the Death 

of St Norbert 

abbey which has organized the program for this special year 

wanted to raise the consciousness of Norbert's charism, and by 

doing that we can make him a part of ourselves and thus to 

communicate him to those whom we serve. 

We have struck a commemorative medal on which is 

perhaps the standard picture of Norbert, portrayed, as he 

usually is, holding a cup and bread or a monstrance or some 

other form of eucharistic symbolism. But on the reverse side 

of the medal we have the words, "Minister of Peace and 

Concord. Exhorting and Reconciling Enemies. Reducing old 

hatreds to Peace." Those words come from the early life of 

Norbert, called "Vita A". Most of us who would have read the 

life of Norbert would wonder about the connection between 

those words and what we know about Norbert. Norbert was 

the founder of the Norbertine Order and archbishop of 

Magdeburg in Germany. He is a reformer of clergy and of 

canonical life, and a defender of the Blessed Sacrament. 

So what is this about peacemaking Every once in a 

while it is good to go back and read the sources. When we go 

back we find that sometimes we are seeing something different 

than we had previously imagined. Sometimes the sources have 

been used in a particular way throughout history and perhaps 

there is something more that hadn't been noticed. What do I 

mean Since the late 16th century Norbert has been 

portrayed as a eucharistic defender. Part of this was due to 

the fact that during this time the real presence in the 

eucharist was being denied by some. We needed somebody to 

foster the doctrine of the real presence and to bring out the 

importance of the Eucharist in Catholic life. Norbert was 

portrayed with that image. It was indeed a valid image—a 

very valid image, because Norbert was the promoter of the 

Eucharist. Norbert had preached against the eucharistic 

heresy in Antwerp. This particular emphasis took on extra 

Norbert has been portrayed 

as a eucharistic defender. 

proportions because of the Protestant Reformation and 

because at the time orders were being founded for specific 

purposes rather than for a lifestyle, and this eucharistic image 

could be given as a rationale for the existence of our order. 

We were to foster the Eucharist, and we were to have a special 

devotion to the Eucharist. But there are other images of 

Norbert, and I suggest that we reread the sources, that we go 

back to the early lives of Norbert. We may find that in 

different periods of history different elements of our heroes 

are emphasized. In a sense, we can rewrite history. In the 

16th century it was rewritten to emphasize the Eucharist, and 

I propose that we rewrite it again to look at this new Norbert. 

From the 14th century we have two pictures of Norbert. 

A small wood cut from the Abbey of Schlagl in Austria and is 

dated 1482. There is also a fresco from a former abbey of the 

Order in Italy from the 14th century. Both picture him with a 

book, rather than the Eucharist. These images of Norbert 

postdate him by 300 years, but they still come from the period 

before the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation at which 

time orders emphasized particular reasons for their existence. 

Perhaps they represent a truer image of Norbert and what he 

stood 

for. 

There are also two early lives of Norbert, refered to 

simply as "A" and "B", with "B" being the earlier known. "A" 

wasn't discovered until about 1856 when it was published in 

Monumenta Germania Historica. It is a briefer life of Norbert 

than "B", with "B" expanding everything at "A" contains. 

"A" is considered more historically correct, while "B" is more 

homiletical and scripturally oriented, illustrating the events of 

Norbert's life. In these works Norbert is presented as a 

preacher. There are 23 chapters in the Vita A, and 11 of 

those chapters speak expressly about Norbert going out to 

preach, with Hugh of Fosse as first follower, going from town 

to town with crowds coming out to him. It's as if the word 

goes out before him from town to town and the people come out 

to meet him. Five of those 11 chapters speak of him as a 

peacemaker. The entire Chapter Seven is devoted to one 

story of his peacemaking, and half of Chapter Eight is devoted 

to another story. The author of Vita A is very explicit in 

these stories, and to give an ideal of the way Norbert worked, I 

would like to follow one story step-by-step. 

Norbert enters the town of Fosse where Hugh came from 

and where he is well known. The people gather around him 

and refer to him as a man of peace. They report and there is a 

dispute in the town which is very destructive. People are

losing their land, their crops, because of the opposing parties. 

There have been at least 60 people who have been killed. 

While they are telling Norbert the facts, a man approaches 

whose brother was killed the week before. Norbert goes up to 

him, and says, "lama stranger in this place, and I will soon be 

passing on, but I would like to ask you a favor. I would like 

you to forgive those who killed your brother." The man is 

moved by Norbert and says, "Father, I see you are a man of 

God, so I will do this. I will grant them forgiveness." The 

following Saturday the opposing parties come together and 

Norbert is there, but first he just prays in his room for a long 

time, almost to the point where the people are beginning to 

wander away—they are getting tired of waiting for him. 

Hugh goes in and says to him, "The people are asking what is 

happening to you." He answers, "God has to be served 

according to his ways, not the ways of man." Finally Norbert 

comes out and celebrates the mass of the Virgin Mary; then he 

celebrates a mass for the deceased to have been killed in the 

dispute. Then he holds a long sermon on the theme of the 

Scripture that the Lord sent his disciples out with the 

instruction to say "Peace to this house!"; if there is a man of 

peace who lives there, peace will rest upon the house. Finally 

the relics of the local church are brought out, and the 

disputing parties gather on either side and by oath they decide 

to put aside their discord, and peace as been brought about. 

I think we can take that story as a general pattern of 

how Norbert would have proceeded when he went from town to 

town, although the author merely reports that Norbert went 

preaching from town to town and reconciling disputes. 

There is another story in Chapter Eight in which Norbert 

goes to a town where two noblemen ask Norbert to make 

peace. He speaks to one man and asks him to be reconciled. 

He says, "God looks over you, and he wants you to be a man of 

peace. The man agrees. Then Norbert goes to the other 

man, but sees that he is very wild, a man of fighting temper and 

angry. Norbert says that this man is mad and will never make 

peace, but that he foresees the end of this man. The author 

of Vita A says that within a week this man had been attacked, 

taken prisoner, and killed. 

The early image of Norbert is that of a preacher holding 

a book. He has in our time been known as the Apostle of the 

Blessed Sacrament, Defender of the Eucharist. In our own 

time, when peace is such an issue and when we must deal with 

the nuclear threat, we need a man of peace. We need a 

patron of peace in the world. There are many patrons, and 

perhaps we have not been looking to saints for assistance, but 

as began this year looking at our founder, looking back at our 

roots, trying to see what those roots have to offer, trying to 

In our own tine, 

Peace is such an issue 

that we need a man of peace. 

understand the charism of Norbert, I think we can try to take 

on, at least in our own order, the sense of Norbert as 

peacemaker, and to try to pass this word of peace on to others. 

A good householder can look in his pantry for both the old and 

the new. This image of Norbert is new, but it is in a sense an 

old one as we see Norbert preaching from town to town the 

proclamation of the Word of God, a message of peace.© 

♦Father Ted Antry is prior at Daylesford Abbey in Paoli, 

Pennsylvania, and novicemaster. This paper was presented on 

May 11,1984, in the Symposium on Canons Regular at the 19th 

International Congress of Medieval Studies at Western 

Michigan University. 

The Cathedral Liturgy... 

A Canonical 

Future 

by Rev Gaston Fontaine* 

Canon Regular of the Immaculate Conception 

Part I: History of the Liturgical Function 

of Cathedral Chapters 

The new Code of Canon Law, in effect since 

November 27, 1983, defines chapters of canons thus: 

"The Chapter of canons, whether cathedral or 

collegial, is a college of priests, whose role is to 

celebrate the more solemn liturgical functions in a 

cathedral or a collegiate church. It is for the 

cathedral chapter, besides, to fulfill those roles 

a entrusted to it by law or by the diocesan bishop." (1) 

The whole history of the life of clerics is recalled 

with this definition, from their origins which established the 

basic principle of liturgical prayer in each particular church, 

to the most recent changes in the chapters and in canonical 

communities. I would like to note briefly here some phases of 

this historical evolution. 

1. Let us take note, as our point of departure, of the 

decisive influence that the monastic rules, since Cassian (c. 

435) and above all St. Benedict (c. 540) exercised on the 

Divine Office of other churches, taking into consideration the 

general organization, of its structure and elements.

2. The Ecclesia or Basilica senior, where the bishop 

had his chair (cathedra) was the center of all religious activity 

for the clerics, who remained closely united to the bishop. 

Even when, after the sixth century, the worship and 

ecclesiastical administration underwent a decentralization, 

the liturgy of the churches, both urban and rural, remained 

dependent on that of the cathedral church. All clerics 

remained attached to the service of that church presided over 

by the bishop; they formed his presbyterium, even if they 

performed permanent or occasional ministry in other places of 

worship in the city and its environs. The liturgical office was 

distributed among these different places of worship and their 

clergy. The cathedral was the place where the liturgical 

celebration reached its most complete development, because it 

profited from the presence both of the bishop—principal 

liturgist and leader of prayer—and of a more important 

presbyterium. The clerics of all orders had to participate in 

these celebrations, at least on certain days, each according to 

his rank. 

3. St. Chrodegang, bishop of Metz from 746 to 766, 

undoubtedly found the model for the canonical organization of 

the Divine Office in the liturgy of the great basilicas in Rome 

which were served by monastic communities. His program 

was demanding: he wanted "all clerics to come to the Divine 

Office (at the cathedral) for all the canonical hours" or to 

make up for it privately. (2) These demands were not fully 

adopted immediately by all chapters of canons, but this 

program was a guide for the future. 

This was one of the major elements of this canonical 

life which royal, imperial, and synodal chapters strove to 

restore. The Divine Office became one of the most important 

functions of priests and clerics in cathedrals, collegial 

churches, and other important places of worship. One after 

another, the provincial councils of the ninth century "insisted 

on the organization of the 'canonical1 life for all clerics in 

terms of the duty incumbent upon them to be at the service of 

their church, and their obligation to participate in the choral 

office." (3) The Roman Synod of 826 established the 

principle; there could not be a church without regular 

celebration of the Divine Office. (4) 

4. As a matter of fact, during the succeeding 

centuries, a very sensible evolution of the obligation to recite 

the Office became a reality, and its private recitation became 

more and more frequent and even normal for many clerics, 

because of the demands of the ministry, studies in the 

Universities, itinerant preaching, outside duties, and also 

because of negligence and lack of fervor. Nevertheless, 

innumerable provincial councils, synodal constitutions, and 

episcopal decrees from the 13th to the 16th centruy 

maintained the tradition of the choral office and its obligation. 

(5) The Decretals of Clement V (1305-1314), while again 

insisting upon the obligation of solemn celebration, established 

a distinction (dating back to the Council of Vienna) between 

the "cathedral, regular, and collegial churches, where it was 

necessary to chant with devotion at the prescribed hours, and 

other churches where the celebration of the daily and nightly 

office took place in a suitable manner and according to the 

rule (but more simply)." (6) 

At its 21st session on June 9, 1435, the Council of 

Basle prescribed that "in all cathedral or collegial churches 

the canonical hours be chanted by all in common at the 

prescribed hours, not in haste and quickly, but very calmly and 

slowly with reverence." (7) 

5. The Council of Trent would recall twice the 

obligation of the choral office even in parish churches: 

"In all parish churches or those that have baptismal 

fonts, in which the people are so numerous that one 

rector alone is not sufficient for the administration 

of the sacraments of the Church and for the 

performance of divine worship, the bishops...will 

oblige the rectors to take as assistants...as many 

priests as necessary for the administration of the 

sacraments and celebration of divine worship" 

(Session 21, Decree of reform, canon 4). (8) 

In Session 24 the Council offered the participation in 

the cathedral office as the first obligation of canons. (9) 

By publishing on July 9,1568 the Bull, "Quod a nobis," 

Pius V imposed the celebration of the new Breviariurn 

Romanum on "all churches, monasteries, orders, and places, 

even those that were exempt, in the entire world where the 

Office of the Roman Church was compulsory or was said 

according to custom." 

6. The institution, on the one hand, of orders and 

congregations who did not have the obligation of choral office, 

for example the Society of Jesus; and on the other hand, the 

orientation of 17th century spirituality ("the breviary became 

a priestly 'devotion,' tied to reception of sacred orders" (10)); 

and as a result, the general practice of private recitation of 

the Office, all these things which profoundly marked the 

Church's life in these last three centuries, make clear by 

contrast the privileged, ideal, and exemplary nature of the 

choral celebration of.the liturgy in cathedral chapters and 

canonical or monastic communities. 

Part II: The Solemn Celebration of the Liturgy 

1. Before the reform of Vatican II, liturgical books 

called "a solemn Mass" a Mass: 

—celebrated with a certain number of ministers: bishop or 

priest, deacon and subdeacon, acolytes, thurifer, and master 

of ceremonies, if necessary; 

—and sung throughout: celebrant's prayers chanted, sung 

readings, sung propers and ordinaries. 

The capitular or conventual Mass normally had to be a 

solemn high Mass or at least a Mass with singing throughout. 

When speaking of a "solemn office," one usually 

called to mind one or other or all of the following elements: 

—an exceptional or important occasion, a great religious or 

civil festival; 

—particular dignity of the president (bishop or prelate); 

—the presence of a number of clergy, with dignitaries; 

—the presence of a number of acolytes and choir boys; 

—magnificent singing, ordinarily polyphonic, and instrumental 

music (organ, orchestra); 

—auspicious decorations: hangings, banners, bunting, 

flowers, lamps. 

The people present were evidently not considered, 

they were reduced to the role of mute spectators!

2. Happily, the liturgical reform of Vatican II has 

established some more serious norms for "solemn" celebration 

of the liturgy. 

Here are three major texts: 

2.1 Article 113 of the Constitution on the Liturgy 

enumerates three elements which constitute the "forma 

nobilior" (nobler form): 

"Liturgical worship is given a more noble form 

—when the Divine Office is celebrated solemnly with song, 

—with the assistance of sacred ministers, 

—and the active participation of the people" 

(the text is taken up again word for word in the 

Instruction "Musicam sacram," n. 5). 

2.2 According to the Instruction "Musicam sacram" 

(March 5, 1967), n. 11: 

"The true solemnity of liturgical worship 

—depends less on a more ornate form of singing 

—and a more magnificent ceremonial 

—than on its worthy and religious celebration, which takes 

into account the integrity of the liturgical 

celebration itself, and the performance of each of its 

parts according to their own particular nature." 

2.3 In short, regarding singing, the General 

Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours, n. 273 establishes the 

principle of "progressive solemnity," which 

"--admits several intermediate stages between the singing of 

the Office in its entirety and the simple recitation of 

all its parts." 

"—This principle offers a considerable and pleasing variety;" 

—it permits in each part of the celebration a re-discovery of 

"its meaning and original function;" 

—it admits a realization "of the day or the hour which is being 

celebrated, (...) 

—of the numerical importance or the character of the 

community." 

3. From these texts and from other documents of 

the liturgical reform, the principle of solemn celebration can 

be established in the following way: 

3.1 The solemn celebration is the model celebration, 

where the liturgical action attains maximum expressiveness, 

significance, and effectiveness. 

3.5 Every enhancement of the liturgy requires as 

much research as possible into the full, active, and conscious 

participation of the faithful, both interiorly and exteriorly. 

This participation is "required by the very nature of the 

liturgy" and it is "a right and duty for the Christian people." 

(15) 

3.6 The eucharistic celebration "is the center of 

the whole Christian life for the Church, both universal and 

local, and for each member of the faithful." It is the supreme 

liturgical act to which "are linked all other actions and works 

of the Christian life" which find in it "their source and their 

end." (16) 

3.7 The most excellent form of this celebration is 

concelebration. This form does not exist merely in order to 

"enhance the exterior solemnity of the rite, but also to 

illuminate with greater clarity the mystery of the Church, 

which is the sacrament of unity." (17) 

3.8 "The more complete solemn form of liturgical 

celebrations" includes the singing of all singable parts "with 

respect for the style and form required by their own proper 

character." (18) 

3.9 Between the liturgical action wherein as much 

singing as possible takes place and the "most simple form 

wherein no singing occurs, there can be several degrees, 

according as singing is given more or less prominence." (19) 

This progressive solemnization must take into 

consideration: 

—the importance of the feast, 

—the real abilities of the assembly and its ministers, 

—the nature and importance of the parts to be sung. (20) 

3.10 Through the liturgy of the hours, "the prayer 

of Christ is continued in the Church without interruption." (21) 

"The ecclesial celebration appears with maximum 

clarity—and this then is recommended with the greatest 

insistence—when it is accomplished by a particular Church, 

(...) with its bishop surrounded by his priests and ministers. 

This celebration, even when it is done in the absence of the 

bishop, by a chapter of canons or by other priests, should 

always be done 

—by observing the true character of the hours, 

—and, insofar as possible, with the participation of the 

people." (22) 

3.2 This state of being a model concerns all the 

elements in the celebration: persons, actions, places, times, 

things. Nothing is unimportant for giving all its value to the 

liturgical action, "an action sacred by its excellence, and no 

other action of the Church can claim the same degree of 

excellence." (11) 

3.3 Since it is one of the privileged signs of the 

mystery of the Church, the perfect liturgical action calls for 

the bishop, surrounded by his presbyterium and his ministers, 

and the holy people of God. (12) 

3.4 "Each one, minister or member of the faithful, 

in performing his function, does only and completely what 

pertains to him in virture of the nature of things and liturgical 

norms." (13) Thus, "by the very organization of the 

celebration, the Church appears as she is set up in her 

different orders and ministers." (14) 

Part III: A Future for Communities of Canons Regular 

Every cathedral church should be the mother-church 

of the diocese, where exemplary worship is celebrated 

completely at all hours. This should be the privileged place of 

the liturgy of the hours and of the Eucharistic liturgy, as well 

as the other sacraments. 

1. Therefore, it must be well understood that 

Chapters of titular canons in the cathedrals, when they exist, 

are not suitable for this task. The new Code of Canon Law 

still proposes as essential this mission of the Chapters; but the 

persons who compose these Chapters in cathedrals, with rare 

exceptions, are not in a position to realize this ideal in the 

concrete. 

8

2. Could not the communities of canons regular take 

up the challenge 

11 est 

11 ut Episcopum, ad 

normam 

2.1 The canonical order holds a true charism, 

nourished by a long and faithful tradition, for the solemn 

celebration of divine worship. 

2.2 It can secure the formation of its members in 

this sense and, through it recruitment, the vitality of clerical 

communities responsible for divine worship. 

2.3 Completely subject to the diocesan bishop for 

that which concerns this celebration and the pastoral ministry, 

the canonical community can assure in the cathedral parish all 

the ordinary pastoral functions. 

Called by vocation to the exemplary celebration of 

the Holy Liturgy, the canons regular should be ready to put 

themselves at the service of bishops who want to make of their 

cathedral the privileged and exemplary place of liturgical life 

in the diocese. 

♦Father Fontaine is Prior of the Canons Regular of the 

Immaculate Conception in Montreal, Quebec. This paper was 

presented in the Symposium on Canons Regular at the 19th 

International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western 

Michigan University. 

Notes 

1. Canon Law, No 503 (Non-official translation). 

Here is a comparison between this article of 

the new Canon Law and that of the old Canon Law: 

New Canon Law (503) Old Canon Law (391) 

1 Capitulum canonicorum, 1 Capitulum canonicorum 

2 sive cathedrale sive 

collegiale 

2 sive cathedrale sive 

collegiale 

3 seu collegiaturn 

4 est sacerdotum collegium, 4 est clericorum 

collegium 

5 cuius est 5 ideo institutum ut 

6 functiones liturgicas 6 sollemniorem cult urn 

sollemniores 

7 in ecclesia cathedrali aut 7 Deo in ecclasia 

8 collegiali persolvere 8 

exhibeat 

12 munera adimplere 

12 sacrorum canonum, 

tanquam 

13 quae ipse ipso iure aut ab 13 eisdem senatus et 

concilium, 

14 Episcopo dioecesano 14 adiuvet 

committuntur 

15 

15 ac, sede vacante, 

eius vices 

16 suppleat in dioecesis 

regimine. 

2. Regie des chanoines (vers 750), chapitre 4 (texte latin, 

cite dans P. SALMON, primo loco, p. 28. 

3. P. SALMON, primo loco, p. 31. 

4. ID., ibidem (texte latin, note 1). 

5. ID., ibidem, pp. 45-46. 

6. Texte latin dans A.G. MARTIMORT, primo loco, p. 131. 

7. Cf. P. SALMON, primo loco, pp. 49-50. 

8. ID., ibidem, p. 53, note 1. 

9. CANON 12: "All shall be obliged to take part in the 

office, person nally (...) and to sing the praises of God 

respectfully, distinctly and with devotion, in the choir duly 

constituted to celebrate His name in hymn and song. (...) As 

far as other points are concerned regarding the conduct of 

Divine Office, the correct way to sing and to chant is to be 

observed; the rules to be observed fro assembling in the choir 

and finally all that concerns the ministers of the Church or 

other similar things. If so required a formula shall be 

prescribed by the Provincial Synod according to the 

conventions of each province and the customs of the country": 

Trans. A. MICHEL, Les decrets du Concile de Trente 

(HEFELE-LECLERQ, Histoire des Conciles, tome 10, lere 

partie), Letouzey et Ane, Paris, 1938, p. 575. 

10. P. SALMON, primo loco, p. 61. 

11. 2eme Concile du Vatican, constitution sur la sainte 

Liturgie Sacrosanctum Concilium, art. 7. 

12. Cf. Presentation generale du Missel romain, n. 74. 

13. 2eme Concile du Vatican, constitution sur la Sainte 

Liturgie Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 28. 

14. Presentation generale du Missel romain n. 58. 

lOCapituli 

praeterea 

cathedralis 

9 et, si agatur de 

Capitulo 

10 cathedrali 

15. 2eme Concile du Vatican, Constitution sur la sainte 

Liturgie Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 14. 

16. Presentation generale du Missel romain n. 1. 

17. Idem, n. 59.

18. Instruction Musicam sacram (5 mars 1967), nn. 7 et 6. 

19. Idem, n. 7. 

20. Idem, nn. 7-11: Presentation generate de la liturgie des 

heures, n. 273. 

21. Presentation generate de la Liturgie des heures, n. 28. 

22. Idem, n. 20. 

23. Idem, n. 31 a. 

24. Idem, n. 37. 

25. Idem, n. 37. 

26. May it be permitted to corroborate what is said in this 

second section by quoting a few very significant excerpts from 

a liturgical book, still being prepared, the "Ceremonial des 

eveques (preparative diagram, pro manuscripto, 1975) private 

translation: 

-n. 12: "Sacred celebrations presided over by the bishop 

are not just a series of ceremonies; but, they manifest the 

mystery of the Church where Christ is present. Moreover 

these same celebrations must be a model for the entire local 

Church and should be enhanced by an active participation. 

That is why the assembled community participate in the 

singing, the dialogue, the sacred silence, interior attention and 

by the reception of the Eucharist. 

-13. "At specified times and on the principal days of the 

liturgical year, a large manifestation from a particular church 

should be scheduled, where people from various regions of the 

diocese are invited with priests, if possible. 

-14. "It is highly recommended that the Bishop have 

assistant priests in attendance for liturgical celebrations. 

Even more so, in the Eucharistic celebration presided over by 

the Bishop, priests shall concelebrate with him so that is 

manifested in the Eucharist, the mystery of the unity of the 

Church and so that priests appear before the assembly as the 

presbyterium of the Bishop. 

-42. "The Cathedral Church must be the focal point of 

liturgical life in the diocese...." 

-170. "...It is recommended that, with the utmost care, 

when possible, the Bishop celebrate the liturgy of the Hours, 

especially Lauds and Vespers with the presbyterium as well as 

his ministers, only with the full and active participation of the 

people, preferably in the cathedral church. 

-171. "It is fitting that at least on Easter Sunday, 

Christmas Day, Pentecost Sunday and the solemnity of the 

patron of the diocese, the Bishop celebrate with his clergy and 

the people assembled in the Cathedral church, either the first 

Vespers or the morning Lauds, or the second Vespers, 

whatever the circumstances of the place may dictate, always 

safeguarding the veracity of the Hours." 

-173. "Finally, that the Bishop teach the flock entrusted 

to him, in word as well as in action, the importance of the 

Liturgy of the Hours; that he encourage the common 

celebration in parishes, communities and various meetings 

according to the General Presentation of the Liturgy of the 

Hours." 

Bibliography 

GREA, Dom Adrien, L'Eglise et sa divine constitution, 

nouv.ed., Casterman, Tournai, 1965, pp. 297-359. 

ID., La Sainte Liturgie, nouv. ed., Maison de la Bonne Presse, 

Paris, 1909, pp. 1-26. 

LUYKX, Bernard, L'influence des moines sur lfOffice 

pariossial, dans La Maison-Dieu, n. 51 (1957), pp. 55-81. 

MARTIMORE, Aime-Georges, L1 Obligation de l'Office, 

ibidem, n. 21 (1950) pp. 129-153 

ID., La priere des heures, dans A.G. MARTIMORT, L'Eglise en 

priere, ed. nouvelle: IV. La liturgie et le temps, Desclee, Paris, 

1983, pp. 167-293. 

SALMON, Mgr. Pierre, L'Office divin. Histoire de la 

formation du Breviarire (coll. Lex orandi, n. 27), Ed. du Cerf, 

Paris, 1959, pp. 1-97. 

ID., La priere des heures, dans A.G. MARTIMORT, L'Eglise en 

priere. Introduction a1 la liturgie, Desclee ft Cie, Paris, 3eme 

ed., 1965, pp. 807-902.° 

-44. "For the prescription of the General Presentation of 

the Roman Missal in regard to the arrangement and decoration 

of churches, the Cathedral church is to be a model for other 

churches of the diocese." 

-108. "The stational Mass of the bishop must manifest the 

unity of the local Church and the diversity of the ministries in 

relation to the bishop and the Holy Eucharist. 

That is why all the holy people of God shall be 

convened, represented at least by a large number of faithful 

who participate actively; 

moreover, priests are to be present, 

concelebrating with the Bishop as well as deacons performing 

their ministry as well as acolytes and lectors, each performing 

their function." 

-110. "If there is a Chapter, all canons must concelebrate 

with the Bishop, the stational Mass in the cathedral church; 

that, of course, does not exclude the other priests." 

Some of those who attended the first meeting of the 

Crosier Heritage Association in Kalamazoo. (Back) 

Rev Tim Conlon, O.S.C., Rev Martin Schoenberg. O.S.C., 

Rev Theodore Parker, O.S.C., Rev James Remmerswaal, 

O.S.C., Rev Michael Cotone, O.S.C., Rev Theodore An try, 

O.Praem., Rev Myron Effing, O.S.C., (front) Br Luis Perez, 

C.R.L., V. Rev. Jerome Rausch, O.S.C., Br Angel Santiago, 

C.R.L., Br Rumando Peralta, C.R.L., Rev Richard Leliaert, 

O.S.C., RevJosu Iriondo, C.R.L. 

10

Association IN ews o o o 

Minutes of the First Meeting of the 

Crosier Heritage Association 

May 11, 1984 

The meeting was called to order at 8 pm in Room 305 of 

Valley III Hall at Western Michigan University by the 

Chairman, Father Richard Leliaert, O.S.C. The following 

signed the roll call: Rev John Lozano, C.M.F.; Rev Richard 

Leliaert, O.S.C; Rev Martin Schoenberg, O.S.C; Rev Michael 

Cotone, O.S.C; Rev John Hawkins, O.S.C; Rev James 

Reramerswaal, O.S.C; Rev Josu Iriondo, C.R.L.; Brother Angel 

Santiago, C.R.L.; Brother Rumando Peralta, C.R.L.; Brother 

Luis Perez, C.R.L.; Rev Timothy Conlon, O.S.C; Dr Lelja 

Dobronic; Rev Theodore Parker, O.S.C; Rev Theodore An try, 

O.Praem.; Rev Jerome Rausch, O.S.C.; Rev Ernest Martello, 

O.S.C; Rev Myron Effing, O.S.C 

The Chairman asked for a financial report and a 

membership report from Father Effing, the Editor of the 

Crosier Heritage Association. He reported that the 

Association has $80 in cash at the present moment, that issues 

of the Crosier Heritage cost about $120 per issue, that 

donations from five Crosier houses and several benefactors had 

helped to defray the expenses of the Symposium on Canons 

Regular, and that some additional monies had been spent on 

reproduction of audiovisual materials which could be borrowed 

by members from the Association archives. He also reported 

that the Association has 57 paid members, 4 paid institutional 

members, 26 associate members, and 8 associate institutional 

members, for a combined membership of 95 members. 

After discussion of possible projects for the Association 

which might help fulfill needs for printed materials, the 

following motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously: 

"Be it resolved that the Crosier Heritage Association proposes 

to the Crosier Jubilee Committee the publication of Father 

Cotone's translation of Father Henri van Rooijen's book, 

"Ecclesia Sanctae Crucis", as an official project for the 

celebration of the diamond anniversary of the Crosiers in the 

United States." 

Next the Chairman introduced the topic of new officers. 

He suggested that he should not have another term as Chairman 

because he was hoping to take a sabbatical, and felt he didn't 

have the time for the job. It was moved, seconded, and passed 

unanimously that Father Michael Cotone should become the 

Chairman of the Crosier Heritage Association beginning 

January 1, 1985, and for a term of three years. 

Next the Chairman proposed that the Association have a 

Treasurer to maintain its records and finances. It was moved, 

seconded, and passed unanimously that Father James Moeglein 

be elected Treasurer of the Crosier Heritage Association fora 

term of three years beginning January 1, 1985. 

Next the Chairman proposed that the Association 

consider some kind of election procedure for the Board of 

Directors. The current board where members of the 

Provincial Chapter who sponsored the original Chapter 

proposal which endorsed an organization such as the Crosier 

Heritage Association. It was moved, seconded, and passed 

unanimously that the Association would have a Board of six 

members, The Chairman and the Editor of the Association as ex 

officio members, and four members elected by the membership, 

two being elected at each successive meeting of the 

Association. In order to begin this process, it was moved, 

seconded, and passed unanimously that the two places of 

members of the Board who were not present at the meeting 

should be up for reelection in January of 1985, and that ballots 

should be sent with the January 1985 issue of Crosier Heritage. 

Thus the chairs of Brother Ralph Dahl and Father James 

Cash man will be open for election in January. 

Next the Chairman proposed that the Association 

consider the appointment of the Editor for the Association. 

It was moved, seconded, and passed unanimously that Father 

Myron Effing continue as Editor, and that he be assisted by an 

Editorial Board consisting of the volunteers, Father Ted Antry, 

Father Jerry Rausch, and Father Martin Schoenberg. 

Next the Chairman proposed that further documentation 

should be developed, and it was resolved that the minutes of 

this meeting will be the beginning of a constitution for the 

Association which could be more developed by the time of our 

next meeting. It was also resolved that the Crosier Heritage 

would do well to publish a summary of its editorial policies, and 

of its purpose, needs, and wants. 

Next the Chairman proposed that the Association discuss 

whether it was desirable to meet again next year, and whether 

the context of the Medieval Congress at Western Michigan 

University was suitable in the minds of the participants. It 

was moved, seconded, and adopted unanimously that the 

Crosier Heritage Association would petition the Board of the 

Medieval Congress of Western Michigan University for the 

sponsorship of a second Symposium on Canons Regular in the 

Spring of 1985. 

There being no further business, the meeting was 

adjourned. < O O' / 

/\ Rev Mwon Effing,/j^.a" 

Secretary 

f 

• 

11

Not o 

o o 

A Sermon About War and Peace, 

about Worship and Self-Destruction 

For the Preacher Himself and for All who 

Desire Peace but Wage War 

by Rev Werner Kettner, O.S.Cr. 

tr by Rev Raymond Steffes, O.S.C. 

Contributed by Rev Bernard Leisenheimer, O.S.Cr. 

[This first of Father Kettner's sermons was preached on the 

occasion of the deployment of American Cruise Weapons in 

West Germany during "Hot October" of 1983. It was 

published in pamphlet form by Franz Schmitt Press of Siegburg, 

Germany.] 

The Bishop has asked me to preach to you about peace. 

I have known it already for weeks and it has not been a secret 

how this request has been tormenting me. About what kind of 

peace should I preach The peace which everyone wants 

ultimately. 

The Peace of Mr. Meyer and Mr. Miller 

The Meyers have built a fence around their place so that 

no one can look in anymore. They have their peace. The 

Millers want only renters without children, so they will have 

their peace. They have even had their child aborted so that 

their peace is not disturbed. The 18 year olds leave their 

parents' homes under protest and find their own apartments, so 

that they can do what they want and have their peace. 

Another says to his wife, "All we get in church is bad news. 

We won't go there anymore, because we have finally found 

peace for ourselves." A husband has become so well adjusted 

and his wife can no longer complain, so that in their minds they 

have finally found peace. Yes, all these things seem to make 

up peace. We must strive after peace, even over the dead 

bodies 

of others! 

The Bishop has asked me to preach about peace, and it is 

no secret what a torment this is for me. About what peace 

should I preach Some go to war in order to achieve peace. 

Rockets in 

Sight 

It might be exaggerated now and then, but if looks could 

kill, would ther not be dead bodies in our parliaments and on 

our streets If looks could kill would there not be dead bodies 

in our places of work, in our homes, and even in our churches 

If looks could kill. . . If the Bishop had asked me to preach 

about war, it would have been much easier. I only need to 

bring up the days of the many, many small wars which were 

waged by us knowingly or unknowingly. It was bad, very bad, 

how we are a people who are otherwise so reasonable and 

thoroughly 

decent. 

"The Prayer" Sculpture by Rev B. Leisenheimer of Ehrenstein. 

Possessed by the Devil 

We can imagine ourselves in the best of company with 

Paul, the passionate man of God, as contradictory as that may 

sound. In his letter to the Romans he wrote: "What happens 

is that I do not the good I will to do, but the evil I do not 

intend." (Rom. 7, 19) In a similiar manner we could cry out: 

"O, we are unhappy people. We do not render peace, which 

we want, but rather war, which we do not want". Is this not 

confusing Paul wrote still further: "What a wretched man 

I am! Who can free me from this body under the power of 

death" (Rom. 7, 24) If it is clear anywhere in the world 

among the nations and with people that there is sin, that there 

is evil, that there is a Satan, then it is clear here! The devil 

is the father of lies, the liar from the beginning. (John 8, 44) 

He speaks of peace, but he means war. Could we not come to 

that dreadful conclusion, that we are somehow possessed by 

the devil, when we desire peace, but still wage war. 

The Bishop has asked me to preach about peace. Up to 

now I have spoken only about war. I can preach about peace 

only if I preach Christ. Christ is another word for peace. 

Peace in 

Practice 

A woman is brought forward in the full brightness of 

noonday amid yelling and confusion, she is pulled into the 

12

market place. That is the scene: she has broken the 

marriage vow and must be stoned to death. The venomous and 

lustful gaze of the crowd fixes itself on the woman and now it 

turns to Jesus. What will He do What will He decide He 

gestures the crowd to silence. "You could stone her," He 

says, "but let him first throw at her, who is without sin." 

They all go, led away by the instigator of the charge. Now He 

stands there alone with the woman. "I do not condemn you 

either. But from now on avoid this sin." (Jn. 8, 1-11) 

Who of You is Without Sin 

Sin—that is the essence of war. Jesus could have said— 

but these are my words—"In which of you is there not war, 

who enrages himself about those who prepare for war In 

which of you is there not war, who sits in judgement over those 

who hold power in the East or West" 

Christ is another word for peace. He is so, not through 

talks and discussion, not through public statements and 

pastoral letters, not through demonstrations, passive 

resistance or temporary work stoppages. He is peace because 

God reveals Himself through Christ and because God bursts 

forth in Christ as the God of Peace and reconciliation. 

Christ is another word for peace. Whoever wants peace 

must go to Him. If individuals or nations want peace, they 

must go to Him. Peace can be found only where He is. Christ 

is 

peace. 

The same Paul, who desperately complains about his own 

lack of integrity, writes in his letter to the Galations, "I do not 

live anymore. But rather Christ lives in me." (Gal. 2, 20) No 

more do I set the tone for my life; rather I yield to what Christ 

has proposed for me. In Christ Paul found his peace. 

The German Bishops have spoken and written: 

our striving for peace me find it first in God". 

"In all of 

A Chinese proverb declares: "There is peace if the steps 

to the temple are well travelled, and grass is growing on the 

steps to the garrison". If the steps to the temple are well 

travelled. Our enlightened contemporaries will probably only 

laugh about that. But the laughter fades away when one 

considers the words of the scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 

(1881-1955): "Modern man has really only two choices, 

worship or self destruction".© 

The Symbol of the 

Thistle 

by Rev Bernard Leisenheimer, O.S.Cr. 

The medievals, in sharp contrast to our often very 

abstract and theoretic ways of expression, took delight in 

"touchables". Theirs was a predominantly "haptic" approach 

to interacting with ideas and communicating their faith 

experience. 

One of the most thought-provoking of their liturgical 

symbols was that of the thistle, which found its way into all 

sorts of artistic media including painting, stained glass, 

weaving and 

embroidery. 

The thistle has a two-fold meaning. Every gardner who 

was ever plagued with them knows also how difficult they are 

to root out. The medievals saw here a mirrored image of sin, 

of human toil in general, and of the need for conversion and 

penance. Despite their stubbornness and the seeming futility 

of trying to root them out, every farmer wants to be rid of 

them. Despite the ostinancy and tenaciousness of our 

sinfullness, we long also to be rid of it. Thistles and thorns 

characterized the call to conversion and the way of penance. 

In the same way that conversion and penance seek the 

revitalization of forgiveness, of new life, of resurrection—so 

too the thistle makes its way in its growth upwards to a 

magnificent and delicate blossom of brilliant wine colors. 

The thistle and all of its connotation is therefore a 

foreboding of the cross as well: of Passion and of 

Redemption, of suffering and of joy, of despair and of hope. 

A symbol worth contemplating, o 

Thistle - Detail of a violet chasuble in Gobelin technique. 

Design and execution by Rev B. Leisenheimer and Dr Maria 

Schmidtberg, 1979-81. 

13

Conclusions of Meetings of Canons 

by Rev Richard T. John, O.S.C. 

In the January issue of Crosier Heritage there is a list of 

"items that need doing", and Number 10 concerns the relict 

from the meeting of the members of the Confederation of 

Canons of St Augustine in Onate, Spain in 1977. Here is a 

copy of that relict, together with the conclusions of a 

preparatory meeting held the year before. Copies are 

available from me in Latin and Italian and French. The 

Confederation does edit other works, but practically nothing in 

English. The original description of the Canonical life made 

when the Confederation was established in 1959 would be well 

worth translating from Italian into English. It is about ten 

pages long, and I would say that there is really nothing in it 

that Crosiers would not agree with and are now attempting to 

practice. 

[The following is tr from French by the Editor.] 

Conclusions of the Third Week of Canonical Studies 

Neustift, Austria, 1976 

1. In prescribing the common life for his clerics, our father St 

Augustine wished above all to lead them to a profession of 

holiness. 

3. The Church today with its needs and struggles pushes us to 

be more and more strictly faithful to our evangelical, 

apostolic, and canonical sources. 

4. To rediscover and better realize in our common life the 

evangelical spirit of poverty of the apostolic communities, 

with real detachment and complete sharing, is a real response 

to the hopes of the priests and the faithful of our day. 

5. To develop and increase our availability, without ceasing 

to be ourselves, we need to study to discover ways of helping 

the pastors of churches. This seems to be an especially 

pressing invitation which the Church of Christ presents to us, 

affected as it is by the many crises which are jolting it and 

tearing it apart. 

6. We should look with special attention at the hopes of the 

People of God for a community life in conformity with the 

Word of Christ, and we should make it our duty to lead them as 

they grope along this path. 

7. The figure of St Augustine, father of priests and shepherd 

of his people, should be for us the object of our enthusiastic 

study and inspiration, o 

2. In the course of centuries, the Church has very often 

recalled this ideal without always obtaining effective and 

lasting results. 

3. The experiences of history show that the mission of the 

Canonical Order rests essentially on the following three 

principles: 

1)Faithfulness to the ideal of poverty in the common 

life inspired by the Gospel, the Apostles, 

and the teaching of the Fathers; 

2)Unswerving loyalty to the Church and total 

availability to the tasks which she proposes 

to us in conformity with the tradition of the 

Canonical Order; 

3)Ever renewed attention to the spiritual and 

religious aspirations of the Christian people 

(cf. Jean Chatillon). 

4. The soul of this mission is the public prayer celebrated 

faithfully, if possible, with the Christian people. We must be 

devoted to carrying it out with the greatest care so that it may 

be "a source of devotion, a means of gaining God's manifold 

grace, a deepening of personal prayer and an incentive to the 

work of the apostolate." (Gen Ins Lit Hours #19) 

Conclusions of the Ninth Congress of Canons 

Onate, Spain, July 5-8, 1977 

1. Our canonical heritage represents a light and a wealth for 

the Church today of which we have to be more conscious. 

2. The theology of Vatican II clearly reminds us that not only 

religious life but also the priesthood is to be lived in close 

communion with the bishop and collegially, and that this "vita 

communis" is at the heart of the Canonical ideal. This 

common life among our brothers in the priesthood is a new 

calling which will demand the best from us so that we can truly 

be of help. 

CROSIER HERITAGE is the official publication 

of the Crosier Heritage Association. The chairman 

of the CHA is the Rev. Richard Leliaert, O.S.C, 

Nazareth College, Nazareth, MI 49074 Phone: 

616/349-7783. The Editor is the Rev. Myron 

Effing, O.S.C, Crosier Heritage Association, 

P.O. Box 400, Onamia, MN 56359 Phone: 

612/532-3103. Contributions to features and 

departments are welcome. Membership in the 

Association is open to all, and the membership 

fee is S10. 

The members of the Board of the Crosier 

Heritage Association are: 

Rev. Richard Leliaert, O.S.C, Chairman 

Rev. Myron Effing, O.S.C, Editor 

Rev. James Cashman, O.S.C. 

Brother Ralph Dahl, O.S.C. 

V. Rev. John Hawkins, O.S.C. 

V. Rev. Jerome Rausch, O.S.C 

14

Letters 

Dear 

Editor, 

At long last—no doubt by means of a particularly 

"slow boat'1—I received No. 10 of Crosier Heritage of 

September 1983. Many thanks! 

I was especially pleased at the efforts you took to 

interview Dr. Caroline Walker Bynum to help us in our Crosier 

efforts at grasping who we are. 

I would react however to a remark that you made in 

your conversation with Dr. Bynum which seems to me to be a 

dislocated perspective to canonical life if taken exclusively or 

even as a main element. I am referring to your remark, "I 

have always envisioned the canonical life as urban life." 

"Envisioning" has more to do with planning than with that 

which actually is. I would like to respond to this remark and 

weave some additional thoughts as a continuum to it. 

It seems to me to be very necessary right from the 

start that "canonical life" reflects various facets and 

different developments. It is extremely necessary from the 

beginning to differentiate between the secular and the regular 

canons, those attached to a particular church and those which 

grouped themselves into Orders. While it is true that the 

former are almost exclusively found in cities (there are 

exceptions, few and far between), the latter, the 

"regularized" canons, are found both in cities and secluded 

areas. To equate canonical life with an urban setting is first 

of all too absolute. Indeed, I pressume it would even deny the 

very roots of the reform movement that the regular canons 

brought about! That does not mean of course that this 

movement was unable to be translated to a city setting—that 

was included as a goal. But first the roots! Let's take a kind 

of historical inventory of the concrete situation and then 

theorize as to the reasons that led to these facts. 

If you take a look at the maps that pinpoint the 

Crosier foundations throughout the centuries, from the 

beginning until the restoration in 1840, then you will note that 

less than half of these are in what could be called an "urban" 

setting. Many are in very small villages and a good number 

are literally in the woods. (Back issues of "Clairlieu" has 

several maps of this nature; the best overall view can be found 

on page 87 of Fr. van Rooijen's Liebfrauenthal zu Ehrenstein. 

All of these materials are in the Onamia archives.) This 

proportion pattern of city vs country was rather consistent 

throughout the centuries—it wasn't as though at a certain 

time mostly city monasteries were founded, at another mostly 

secluded. I might add that I am a bit suspicious of Dr. 

Bynum's remark that "the later Premonstratentions were really 

urban." I would like to hear from Premonstratention 

historians here—I know that the majority of the Norbertine 

foundations that I have come across to date were and are near 

small village or off by themselves for the most part. My point 

is this: it is necessary to distinguish between the secular and 

the regular canons. There is a decided difference between 

them—and this difference was a chosen one! 

If asked what the reasons were that brought the 

regular canons into being, one would have to answer in short 

form: to restore religious values and discipline. This 

expressed itself in a revitalization of two life-giving sources: 

a life and concrete practice of poverty as well as the 

rejuvenation of the eroded contemplative element of canonical 

life. It was an answer—spurred on by a reaction—to the 

signs and situation of the times! 

My suspicion continues to grow stronger in the last 

years of study and practice that precisely these "founding 

articles" of regular canonical life are on the threshold of a 

new awakening, want to be shaken out of their drowsiness, 

brought out of hibernation. Strangely enough the tendency 

seems to be stronger among the laity than in the Order. 

If it's 

true that our Crosier canonical life (granted—a particular 

breed of its own) grew out of a reaction to the wealth and 

disintegrated spiritual niveau precendent in the founding 

decades, then our own time seems more than ripe for a shot of 

the same charism that brought us into being "in the beginning", 

(n.b. Confrere van Rooijen's new book seems to describe this 

eloquently. It won't be published soon enough.) We have 

different words today to describe basically the same content 

or situation of that time: western consumerism, the unbridled 

addiction for an ever higher standard of living at the cost of 

whomever, the poor attempt at living with (the accompanying 

or resultant) deterioration of spiritual and religious values. 

Of the many English words that have crept into all 

European languages, none seem to be used more often and 

matter-of-factly than "stress" and "hectic" (StreB, hektik). 

Symptomatic for the lost ability for contemplation, without 

which human beings take a course of becoming less and less 

human The real worth of human life lays somewhere else 

than in being merely workoholics and "making" money. And it 

remains a big question as to whether our unbridled quest for 

goods has been a progression toward or from real happiness, 

toward or from the grasping of the real reason for living. 

Name it eremitic or contemplative, it seems to me 

that the regular canons—at least the Crosiers, from looking at 

our history—began with a strong sense for these as the 

foundation in their search for re-orientation. For themselves 

on the one hand, but in order to preach as well! To 

accomplish this there was and had to be an emphasis on 

seclusion. Certainly as a starting point, but also to maintain 

the momentum of the movement they sought to bring into 

motion. Seclusion in this sense is not and cannot be for its 

own sake: the regular canons—the Crosiers—sought to work 

out the "antidote" that needed to be injected into society to 

offer some healing. "To be able to begin to bring into motion 

something which all people need, society needs groups of 

people who do that particular thing above average—in order to 

teach it to the others". (Prof. Dr. Robert Spaemann, 

Philosophy, University of Munchen in "Die Existenz des 

Priesters: eine Provokation in der modernen Welt"). *|5

Dear Editor, 

In the 19th century there arose an incredible number 

of congregations and some of them grew in astounding numbers 

almost overnight (e.g. Divine Word missionaries etc.) to 

answer the dire needs of their time: care of the poor-sick 

and the education of youth stood at the top of the list, missions 

as well. It was as though society was crying out: 

"somebody, teach us how to do these things. The answer 

came out of a renewed religious awakening, and that in the 

wake of the Enlightenment and the Secularization of Napoleon 

and in the midst of the "Kulturkampf" along with the general 

decadence of the church of the late 18th century which spilled 

into the 19th! 

Today the dire needs of society are different: we 

suffer from being too rich (would it be better said: we suffer 

and suffocate!)—and others because of us as well. Today we 

suffer from workoholism, hectic, stress or with whatever name 

you want to give it. Today we are so well educated, 

technologically and economically sure of ourselves—but have 

forgotten how to live with ourselves and with others. Our 

"report card" bears the marks of rising suicide, divorce, 

abortion, continued unjust division of goods in the face of 

knowing better, arms race, etc.etc.etc. Aren't the 

categories of the signs of the times similar to Theodore's. 

They are the same—only the proportional intensity has 

changed. Couldn't these symptoms of our "social diseases" be 

cured with the sobriety of evangelical poverty in seeking the 

reason purpose, reason, direction, orientation, goal in living 

Couldn't a rediscovery of the ability to listen—contemplation- 

-as well as to pray allow us to direct and control what we do, 

rather than allow our activity and work to control us 

The regular canons of the 12th and 13th centuries 

heard the cry of their society—to which the cry of our time is 

strangely similar. To be able to answer it they first had to 

get their own act together. They needed first to learn well 

that which was being asked of them. 

We artists don't normally meddle much in scientific 

things, like the laws of heredity for example. But everyone 

knows the meaning of the old saying when someone recognizes 

a child as being the son of someone they know: "he's the spit 

and image of his father." The similarity of our founders' time 

and our own seem to be calling for the same "spit and image" 

to show itself. Something in my Crosier blood tells me that 

the time is ripe and getting riper all the time for a rebursting 

of our founding impluses—i.e. charisms. We're standing on 

the threshold. We should be expected to be on the front 

lines—if we're conscious of our heritage. The House of 

Prayer movement in the States and the re-founding of 

Ehrenstein in Europe began the questioning in this direction 

over 10 years ago. The Gospel tells us that the sower has to 

reckon with all kinds of ground: thorny, rocky, with thistles 

and thankfully with fertile earth. Hopefully a good portion of 

the latter is still to be found on our property. 

With all good wishes and greetings to the brethren, 

in 

cruce 

Fr. Bernhard Leisenheimer, OSCr 

Kreuzbruderkloster Liebfrauenthal 

5466 Ehrenstein Post Neustadt Wied 

West Germany 

\ 

In the very first issue of Crosier Heritage you 

published an accompaniment, for organ and trumpet, of the 

hymn tune "Leone." This is the melody which we use with the 

translation by Mike Cotone, O.S.C., of the ancient hymn of the 

Holy Cross, "Vexilla Regis Prodeunt." This hymn, written by 

Fortunatus in 569, has been an important part of the heritage 

of the Church and has been used in a special way by Crosiers. 

(When I joined the Order, we were singing the last two verses 

of this hymn every Friday for the veneration of the Cross.) I 

was happy when Mike Cotone enabled us to appropriate this 

hymn in a new way, by making a splendid translation and 

setting it to the majestic Jewish "Yigdal" melody. You did 

well to suggest that we sing this version of the ancient hymn 

with trumpet as well as organ. 

Since many readers of Crosier Heritage have probably 

never seen Mike Cotone's version of the hymn, or have not seen 

or heard it recently, I would suggest that you consider printing 

it in our journal. I feel that its poetic quality is very 

noteworthy. 

One trouble with what Mike Cotone did is that the 

powerful melody he used (which is one of my favorites) is not 

an especially well known or easy melody and almost requires a 

majestic accompaniment. Therefore the older translations of 

the hymn could still have their use, in that they can be sung 

either with the traditional Gregorian melody of the hymn or 

with a simple modern melody which everyone knows, such as 

"Old Hundredth." (I have read that there are more than forty 

English translations; but the eight hymnals on my bookshelf in 

which I found the hymn mostly use the same version, which 

goes back to John Mason Neale. We might prefer the old 

version by Bernard Mischke, O.S.C.) 

I also fear that the ancient hymn, especially in 

Neale's version, is not as quickly understood by an ordinary 

parish congregation as a modern hymn would be. When my 

parish was choosing music for a special Mass on September 14 

last year, they passed up the ancient hymn and used two 

contempory hymns of the Holy Cross by Bernard Mischke. At 

least one of these hymns, "O Cross of Christ, O Royal Tree," 

has been an important part of our modern Crosier heritage in 

America, coming from the days when Lindusky was writing 

music for Bernard Mischke's texts. But in the parish we have 

to make things simple, so we sang this hymn with the well 

known tune of "O God Our Help in Ages Past." 

I feel like a householder who can bring forth from the 

storeroom things both new and old (cf. Mt 13:52). In this case 

the new things are easier to appropriate in a hurry; but the old 

hymn of the Cross, in the form which Mike Cotone created for 

it, would certainly be worth the time that is would take to 

teach it someday. 

Best wishes, 

A 

Rev John Hawkins, O.S.C. 

St Joseph Church 

438 Ormsby Avenue 

Pittsburgh PA 15210 

[Ed Note: You asked for it, so here it is! Thanks.] 

16

Vexilla regie prodeunt 

Trans. Michael Cotone, osc 

THE BANNER OF THE KING 

0 CROSS OUR ONLY HOPE 

Leoni (Yigdai) 

Traditional Hebrew melody 

1. Be- hold a shining sign: 

2. To wash us clean of sin, 

3. Ful- filled now Da- vid's song, 

k. Be- hold the noble Tree, 

5. 0 Beam that brings us joy, 

the banner of the 

to make us sons a- 

once made in ancient 

all flash- ing like the 

on you there once was 

6. 0 Cross our only hope, we praise you well this 

7. 0 glo- rfous Trln- 1- ty, true source of all that 

1. King, the might- y Cross now 

2. gain, the Lord did batr tie 

3- rhyme, pro- claiming to all 

k. sun, en- wrapped In royal 

5. weighed the cost of all the 

6. day, and fol- Tow aT1 ter 

7. live, may ev- • ry voice in 

raised on high* whose 

on the Cross and 

men In song this 

pur- pie now. Its 

world which now the 

you on your trihom- 

age praise the 

^55 

1. praise we 

2. so did 

1. Death, 

2. kind 

3. gain 

h. stock, 

5. prlved 

there 

was 

set 

a 

3. marv- Mous 

h. vie- t'ry 

5- Lord has 

6. um- 

phant 

7- hope You 

sing 

win 

time 

won 

saved 

way, 

give 

n 

Hope 

galned 

all 

Tree 

all 

As 

to 

we 

share 

have 

with 

of 

6. here to sing 

7. reigns the vlcen- 

dured Des- pai rt 

upon the Wood, 

His peo- pie free, 

sur- pas- sing fair, 

It once had claimed, 

our praise to you, 

t'ry of the Cross, 

r ' r a 

1. Death was bro - ken there and 

2. wa- ter from 

3- He in tri 

**. Tree who on 

5. you were we 

6. free us from 

7. live with You 

cen there and life made 

his wound- ed side poured 

umph would then reign upits 

bran- ches once the 

at last set free, once 

"our sins to1 3ay In3 

In end- less joy be- 

gath- 

Him 

but 

as 

how 

the 

by 

now 

to 

i£=Ei 

ered 

who 

17

Dear Editor, April 26, 1984 Dear Editor, March 12, 1984 

I just returned from the meeting of our Definitory in 

Rome where Abbot General van de Ven shared with me a copy 

of Crosier Heritage #11. During the course of the Definitory 

we did discuss relations between the various orders of Canons 

Regular, and there will doubtless be further activity in this 

matter. 

I surely agree that whatever solid foundations can be 

laid for the understanding of the canonical life is a good 

enterprise. My own amateur interest has always been the 

history of the Order of Premontre and the Canons Regular in 

general. I am not a trained historian but this interest goes 

back to the novitiate days. Three years ago I had the first 

opportunity in my life of a sabbatical. I spent that at the 

Medieval Institute at Notre Dame. My sole purpose was to do 

some research on the life of St Norbert. Unfortunately, that 

whole project was abruptly cut short by the election that put 

me in this chair, which has provided more frequently the 

opportunity of sharing insights and the history of the canonical 

ife with our community. 

I received your letter inviting me to the 19th 

International Congress on Medieval Studies, and it was most 

kind of you to invite me, but the Congress coincides with my 

final exams here at Mt Angel Seminary. I am very interested 

in the proceedings of this Congress. 

May God bless this Congress with every fruitfulness. 

May it serve to promote the Canonical life and most 

importantly, the life of the Church. 

With every kind regard, I remain sincerely in Christ, 

Brother PasqualetfVuoso, eric 

Mt Angel Abbey/) 

St Benedict OR L 97373 

Thank you for your kind interest. God love and keep 

you always and prosper all your endeavors. 

In 

Christ, 

Dear Editor, May 15, 1984 

(Rt Rev) Benjamin T. Mackin, O. Praem. 

Abbot, St Norbert Abbey 

1016 N Broadway 

DePere WI 54115 

I would like to express my thanks to you and the Crosier 

Heritage Association for the sponsorship of session at 

Kalamazoo. It was my opportunity to give a paper in those 

sessions, and to attend two other sessions in the series. I 

would have liked to get better acquainted with some of the 

Crosiers. 

Dear Editor, February 24, 1984 

Sincere congratulations for trying to keep vivid a 

knowledge and appreciation of your community's past. It is 

disconcerting the way so many have turned their backs upon 

their own heritage. I find the laity much more interested in 

the Church's history. This semester—my 53rd year in the 

classroom—I have twelve students. It is sad that young men 

are coming out of our seminaries with little or no knowledge of 

the Church's story. 

With renewed thanks and best wishes for the continued 

success of your Crosier Heritage Association, I am 

Faith 

For many years I have been working on Andrew of St 

Victor. His world view has been fascinating to me. There 

was such an intellectual curiosity about him and an openness 

toward the world. I believe that he represented the best of 

what Hugh of St Victor offered. 

As a sort of continuation of Hugh and Andrew's contact 

with Jews, I have been working with the Catholic community in 

Los Angeles, including the archdiocesan seminary. This work 

has brought me much joy. 

I hope that the Canons Regular will continue to meet at 

Kalamazoo. If I can be of any assistance, please let me know. 

I would also like to become a subscriber—there are historical 

articles which interest me. 

Sincerely, 

My best wishes for the continued growth of your work. 

'.■La 

John-Tracy Ellis 

Professorial Lecturer in Church History 

The Catholic University of America 

Washington DC 20064 

18 

Michael A. Signer, Rabbi 

Professor of Jewish History 

Hebrew Union College 

3077 University Avenue 

Los Angeles CA 90007

Dear Editor, 

It was with much interest that I received the last 

number Qrosier Heritage which you graciously sent me. For a 

long time I've had an interest in the history and spirituality of 

the Canons Regular. I have encountered remains of the 

Crosier Fathers in my travels, and I have seen their ancient 

manuscripts which are saved in the libraries of Belgium. 

Under separate cover I'm sending you two volumes of 

our journal, "Ordo Canonicus", which contain several of my 

articles, as well as a recent bibliography on canonical life 

assembled by a young French canon regular, Father Sicard, and 

which I helped to put together. 

I am sorry that I cannot attend the symposium as I am 

especially interested in the Victorines, but am happy that 

Father Brendt who is working on the complete works of Hugh 

of St. Victor will be there to present a paper. 

Wishing you well with your project, and your 

sincerely. 

Canon Jean Chatillon 

Institute Catholique 

17, Rue des Galons 

92190 Meudon 

France 

[translated from French by the Editor.] 

©clalitafes 

A Series of Articles from the jubilary album of the Canonical Order 

published at the Sixteen Hundredth Anniversary of the birth of St. Augustine at Stift Vorau, Austria, in 1954 

and edited by Pius Fank, C.R. 

The 

Lateran Congregation 

by Dom Alois van Ette, C.R.L. 

In 1401 or 1402 two Canons Regular, wishing for a 

stricter observance of the canonical life, withdrew to the 

abandoned Priory of Fregionaia, near the town of Lucca. The 

little community rapidly increased and in 1405 it was large 

enough to send a band to Casoreto near Milan. This was 

followed by several other foundations and by 1421 the canons 

were settled in six houses. 

Up till then their system of government had been rather 

primitive, but on the 20th of June 1421, Pope Martin V erected 

the six houses into a Congregation, gave permission to elect a 

General, convoke General Chapters and to introduce their kind 

of life into other monasteries. 

Providence, through the intermediary of Pope Eugene IV, 

had a glorious future in store for this congregation, one of the 

first of the canonical Order of St Augustine. At his election, 

Pope Eugene IV was very distressed by the lamentable state of 

his Cathedral, the Basilica of the Lateran. He decided that 

the best way of remedying this situation was to re-establish 

the common life which had been established at the Gregorian 

Reformation and suppressed in 1299. He accordingly sent for 

a group of Canons from Fregionaia, and, though the people 

incited by the secular clergy ruthlessly expelled them three 

times, they served the Basilica intermittently until Sixtus IV 

finally secularized the Lateran Chapter in 1471. Meanwhile 

the Pope had given them the title of Canons Regular of the 

Lateran. 

The Lateran Congregation separated herself quite 

perceptibly from the traditions of the Order. By way of 

reaction to the disorders of the canons at that time, she 

radically opposed the ancient customs. The religious of 

Fregionaia put down the existing abuses to the practice of 

electing superiors for a life-term and to the stability of the 

subjects. Henceforward the Statutes of the new 

Congregation decreed the changing of superiors at least every 

three years and stated that the canon was a member of the 

whole Congregation and not simply of his chapter. The 

exterior mark of this new life was the white habit which 

clearly proclaimed the intention of breaking with the past of 

the black canons. 

Another innovation made by the Lateran Congregation 

was the introduction of the Abbatial office into the 

Augustinian Order, with a view no doubt to increasing the 

lustre of these prelates who governed a religious Order 

important on account of her title, her privileges and her 

numerical strength. As a result of these advantages the 

Abbot General appears sometimes as the Primate of the whole 

Order. 

The Congregation does not seem to have had a spiritual 

doctrine of its own. Its aim was to re-establish regular 

discipline. That it kept its fervor so long is undoubtedly due 

to its Constitutions, General Chapters and canonical visits. 

The numerous vocations made the Lateran Canons able to fill 

nearly 70 monasteries. In 1606 the Congregation was divided 

into five provinces. iQ

The decline of the Congregation began in the 17th 

century and was accentuated in the 18th. A decrease in 

fervor and financial embarrassment, caused principally by the 

contributions exacted by the Roman Curia for the Turkish war, 

induced the Holy See to intervene. The General Chapter took 

severe measures, among which may be mentioned the disastrous 

decision to restrict the recruitment, so as to reduce the size of 

the Communities and to increase the surplus of the revenues. 

The century preceding the Revolution might well be 

called the epoch of false values. On account of the prestige 

and prerogatives attaching to the title of Canon Regular of the 

Lateran the latter became a most desirable luxury which, for 

want of real influence was distributed liberally over the whole 

of Europe and especially wherever the German language was 

spoken. 

The number of monasteries began to diminish toward the 

end of the 18th century. At the request of Charles-Emmanuel 

IV of Savoy, Pius VI suppressed seven in 1798. The French 

Revolution and Napoleon achieved its destruction; when peace 

was restored, the Lateran Congregation possessed not a single 

monastery, but only scattered members. 

The man chosen by Providence to put new life into the 

Congregation was Vincent Garofali. A canon regular of St 

Augustine of the Rhenish Congregation, Garofali undertook, in 

1800 and in 1814, to re-assemble the religious of his 

Congregation. 

The journeys undertaken by Garofali while negotiating 

the restitution of churches and good brought him in contact 

with a little group of ancient canons of the Lateran attached 

to their church of Piedigrotta at Naples. He immediately set 

to work to obtain the re-establishment of their monastery, but 

Cardinal Caracciolo, Papal Legate in Naples, made him realize 

that it would be much better to unite the Lateran and Rhenan 

in one Congregation. The Pope favored the idea and charged 

Garofoli with its execution, giving him the title of Apostolic 

Delegate with the result that on September 7th 1819 nine 

priests and seven brothers of the old Congregation of the 

Lateran once more put on the religious habit and renewed their 

profession into the hands of Garofali. 

Thus the fusion of the two Congregations was complete, 

there only remained to draw up the Constitutions. The Pope 

appointed Cardinal Pacca to convoke and preside over a "Diet" 

composed of three representatives of each Congregation who 

were to meet in Rome on May 26th 1823. This assembly 

promulgated a decree approving the union on June 28th of the 

same year. 

The next few years were difficult for the new 

Congregation of the Lateran, chiefly on account of the lack of 

members. Its normal growth was all too soon thwarted by the 

political events of the time. Everyone knows of the painful 

crisis which preceded the unification of Italy. Already 

before 1860 it had become impossible to convoke a General 

Chapter. By the law of July 7th 1866 all the monasteries in 

the kingdom of Piedmont were confiscated. The canons had 

by now begun to seek refuge abroad but an attempted 

foundation at Orleans came to nothing. The annexation of the 

Papal States by the Piedmontese which extended the law of 

1866 to the conquered territory made their situation still more 

precarious. By the end of 1872, there only remained two 

monasteries in Rome: that of St Peter's Chains and St Agnes. 

It was this same year (1872) that the Congregation once 

more settled in France. This foundation at Beauchene 

(Cerizay-2 Sevres) was more successful than the previous one 

at Orleans. Though they were turned out twice by a sectarian 

government, the canons were able to maintain their position. 

The persecution even proved a blessing as it sent them to 

England, Spain, and Belgium and was the starting point of the 

present state of prosperity. 

The Lateran Congregation has no canonized saints, but 

the number of its religious who have died exceptionally holy 

deaths is remarkably high, especially during the first century 

of its existence. Two ascetical writers deserve to be 

specially mentioned: Peter of Lucca who died in 1522 and 

Seraphin of Fermo whose death occurred in 1540. Their works 

are still much studied even today; and finally there is the 

apostle of the blessed Eucharist, Salvatore Luigi Zola, who 

died a most meritorious death as Bishop of Lecce in 1898.° 

sier heritage 

associat; 

-100 Onamia, MX

CROSIER HERITAG - Canons Regular Blog

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?