, image = , image_size = 25px , abbreviation = C.C. , motto = , formation = , founder = Rev. Robert 'Bob' Bedard, CC , type = Roman Catholic Society of Apostolic Life of Diocesan Right , headquarters = 199 Bayswater Avenue,

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, num_members = 60 (includes 40 priests) as of 2020 , leader_title = General Superior , leader_name = Fr. Roger Vandenakker, CC , leader_title2 = Ministry , leader_name2 = Pastors, teachers, chaplains, and conducting parish missions , publication = Missio Newsletter , parent_organization =

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

, website
www.companionscross.org
The Companions of the Cross, abbreviated C.C. is a Catholic society of apostolic life of Diocesan Right for men based in

. It is a community of

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

s that is Eucharistic,

Charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of presence or charm that compels its subjects. Scholars in sociology, political science, psychology, and management reserve the term for a type of leadership seen as extraordinary; in these fields, the term "ch ...

, Marian and Magisterial. It was founded by Fr. Robert Bedard, C.C. in 1985 and was approved in 2003 by the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

as a Society of Apostolic Life. Fr. Roger Vandenakker, CC is currently serving as the community's General Superior.

History

Robert Bedard (1929–2011) was born July 17, 1929, in Ottawa, Ontario. In 1951, he entered St. Augustine's Seminary in Toronto and was ordained a priest on June 6, 1955. As a curate at Assumption Parish in Eastview (now Vanier), he was involved in youth ministry and formed a small group of young men aged 12 to 16 to encourage vocations to the priesthood."Our Founder", Companions of the Cross
/ref> While teaching at St. Pius X preparatory seminary, he attended Teachers College, Ontario College of Education in Toronto. In 1975, he was appointed official Ottawa Archdiocesan Liaison to the Charismatic Renewal, and from 1977 to 1981 he lived in a community household of men as chaplain of the New Jerusalem Community. He founded the Companions of the Cross in 1985, out of what had initially been a prayer and support group for seminarians and priests that began informally in 1984. According to Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, a Jesuit who invited the Companions to Halifax when he was archbishop there, Bedard's "...main thing was to support seminarians in their formation and support priests in their priesthood by community life."Guyapong, Deborah. "Companions of the Cross make history", Canadian Catholic News, March 20, 2014
/ref> Bedard stressed a model of companionship that sees priests serving several parishes living in community in one place. From the beginning, the Companions have had an associate program for laity who "desires to embrace the spirituality and mission of the Companions of the Cross" through a formal commitment. In 2003, with the permission of the community's then-moderator, Roger Vandenakker, Anna Chan founded the Servants of the Cross, a community of religious women formed around Bedard's spiritual vision.

Companions of the Cross

The new community of seminarians and priests adopted the name Companions of the Cross, after Bedard used the phrase in a homily for the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. In February 1988 Archbishop Plourde granted the Companions of the Cross recognition as a Public Association of the Faithful. In 1999 the first Companions of the Cross ministries outside of the Archdiocese of Ottawa were established at St. Timothy's Parish and York University Catholic Chaplaincy in Toronto, Ontario and Queen of Peace Parish in Houston, Texas. In 1999, the Companions of the Cross assumed leadership of the Catholic Charismatic Center in Houston. The Companions were formally established as a Society of Apostolic Life in 2003. Adapting new communication technologies for the purpose of spreading the gospel, the Companions of the Cross produce a media website called ''The New Evangelist'', hosting videos, articles, church documents, and formation courses. In 2011, the Companions took over pastoral responsibility for St.

Scholastica Scholastica (c. 480 – 10 February 543) is a saint of the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Anglican Communion. She was born in Italy. According to a ninth century tradition, she was the twin sister of Benedict of Nursia. ...

Parish in northwest Detroit, Michigan. They also assumed the Catholic chaplaincy at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

. The community's seminarians study at

Sacred Heart Major Seminary Sacred Heart Major Seminary is a private Roman Catholic seminary in Detroit, Michigan. It is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Detroit. In 2016–2017, 107 seminarians, representing eleven dioceses and two religious orders were enrolled in cl ...

, and priests and seminarians reside at the St. Sylvester Monastery, a former

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery on the grounds of St. Scholastica. The U.S. headquarters of the Companions was re-located from Houston, Texas, to Detroit.Delaney, Robert. "New Companions", ''The Michigan Catholic'', Archdiocese of Detroit, August 11, 2011
/ref> On January 7, 2014, Christian Riesbeck was appointed auxiliary Bishop of Ottawa by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013 ...

. He is the first Companion priest to be ordained to the episcopacy. Riesbeck was ordained to the priesthood on October 12, 1996, and consecrated bishop on March 19, 2014, at Notre Dame Cathedral in Ottawa. The Companions' General Superior Scott McCaig said, " becomes his full time job," and "Rome releases bishops from any obligations to the constitution and rules of a community." Just over two years later, Scott was also elected to become a bishop by the Pope. "It is with great joy and gratitude to God that the Companions of the Cross announce that Fr. Scott McCaig CC has been named Bishop of the Military Ordinariate of Canada by his Holiness Pope Francis." This occurred on April 8, 2016, and the ordination was held on May 31, 2016, from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. On September 2, 2016, the Companions elected Allan MacDonald as General Superior for a six-year term. MacDonald resigned as General Superior effective July 13, 2019, and was replaced by Michael Scherrey on an interim basis. During a General Assembly meeting in Detroit, Michigan, in January 2020, Roger Vandenakker was appointed as the new General Superior on January 31, 2020, for a period of six years. Vandenakker had most recently been the pastor a
St. Timothy's parish
in Toronto, Ontario, since July 2014.

Spirituality

# Prayer - Which is both time spent in private personal prayer (minimum of one hour daily) and in groups together, the members pray together (praise and listening to God). The Companions are a Charismatic community. Prayer tends to include spontaneous prayer and part of the

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the ...

. # Living in Community - Members live together in community to support one another. # Work - The community of the Companions is one dedicated to active service in their cities, especially in the inner core. They do the work assigned by their diocese which always involves

evangelization In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are ...

. The community feels a special calling to the poor, to youth and to those estranged from the church.

Apostolate

Priests of the Companions of the Cross can be found serving as pastors, teachers, chaplains, and conducting parish missions. They also conduct a special travelling ministry of relic expositions. They promote exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in each of their parishes, and perpetual adoration if possible. The Companions of the Cross have foundations in Ottawa, Toronto, Halifax, Houston, and Detroit. In these five cities, they serve in 15 Parishes, at five University Chaplaincies, and in one Hospital Chaplaincy. Including Bishops Scott McCaig and Christian Riesbeck, there are 40 ordained priests and 20 seminarians. Two Companion priests also serve as professors at

in Detroit.

Vision

A definition of the beliefs, practices and goals of the Companions is: * To give God permission to use the members however He wants. * To seek God's will and follow it. * To surrender fully to

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

as Lord and Saviour * To regard

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institu ...

as the source and summit of their Catholic faith, and promoting its Exposition and Adoration "We are a Roman Catholic community of priests, committed to living and ministering together as brothers in the Lord. We are called to the ongoing renewal of the Church through a dynamic evangelization in the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit. We proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to all we are called to serve, with special attention to parish communities, the poor, youth, and those alienated from the Church." The Companions wear a distinctive "Community Cross" medallion at all times, as a sign of their commitment to the community. The medallion features a silhouette of a man embracing a cross. The cross is red for members who have made lifetime promises and white for members who have made temporary promises. Members who have not yet made promises wear a simple wooden cross. Lay sssociates of the order wear the same symbol in the form of a lapel pin.

References

External links

Official Website of the Companions of the Cross
{{Authority control 2002 establishments in Ontario Christian organizations established in 2002 Catholic organizations established in the 21st century Societies of apostolic life