CROSS, Orders of the, in the Roman Churoh. 1. Canons Regular of the Congregation of ike Holy Cross ^ founded in 1211 by Theodore de Celles, a descendant of the dukes of Bretagne. It was confirmed by Inno- cent lY in 1248, and was exempted from the jurisdic- tion of the bishops by John XXII in 1818. The or- der spread especially in the Netherlands, Western Ger- many, and France, and still exists in the Netherlands and Belgium, whence in 1850 a colony was sent over to the United States, where they have an establish- ment in the diocese of Milwaukee. See Helyot, who calls them Croisiers or Porte-Croix; American Cath' die Almanac, 2. Croisiers (Cross-bearers) of Italy ^ an-
Cross-bearer in Italy.
CroM-bearer with the Star In Bohuuitt.
CROSS
582
CROSWELL
Other congregation of the same order, the origin of which is anknown, bat which was renewed by pope Alexander III in 1169, and is now extinct. 8. Cni- siert ofBoheimOy see Kkiohts, Teutonic. 4. Dcatgh- ten of the Crags, founded by Madame de Villeneuve, in
Daughter of the Croaa.
Croas-bearer in France and the Nelberlandfl.
France, in 1640, under the direction of Yincent de Paul, and confirmed by pope Clement IX. They devote themselves principally to the instruction of girls, and have their principal establishment, with more than 100 members, at Paris. The order is rapidly increas- ing in France, and has one establishment in the Unit- ed States, in the diocese of Natchitoches, founded in 18M.^Fehr, GescMchte der Mdnchgarden, ii, 819. 5. Another congregation of Daughters of the Cross was founded in 1835 at Liege, by Habets, a Belgian priest. They teach, keep asylums for fallen women, etc., and have established several houses in Belgium and Ger- many.— Fehr, Gtschichte der M5nchsorden, ii, 822. 6. SisUrs of the Cross, also called " Sifters of St. An- drew," founded in 1806 by Mademoiselle Bechier, in the diocese of Poitiers. They devote themselves to the instruction of children, and to the nursing of the sick in the country. They are very numerous in France.
7. Another congregation of Sisters of the Cross, also called *' Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Maiy,*' was founded by Abb6 Moreau, at Mans, about 1884, and approved by the pope in 1857. They came to the United States in 1843, and have establishments in the dioceses of Fort Wayne, Philadelphia, and Chicago.
8. A Conffregation of Regular Clerks of the Holy Cross was founded in 1835, together with the congregation mentioned under No. 7, by Abb6 Moreau. It was af- terwards united with the ** Brothers of St Joseph," founded about the same time by Very Rev. Mr. Duja- rier, and the rule of the united congregations was ap- proved by Pius IX in 1857. They had, in 1867, 82 houses and missions, of which 58 were in France, 12 in America, 7 in Bengal, 2 in Algeria, and 1 each in Borne, Poland, and Austria.
CROSS, Sign of the, a rite in the Roman Church, and in the Greek and other Eastern churches. It is used by officiating priests as a form of blessing at all liturgical actions and consecrations, and by all the members of the Church at the beginning of a prayer during divine service, on entering a church, on passing the host, and on many other occasions. It is always made with the right hand. In the 6th century it be- came customary to make the sign of the cross with the thumb on forehead, mouth, and chest. Since the 8th century the so-called *' large" or "Latin" cross has been in common use among the laity. It is made with the palm of the hand by touching first tlie fore- head ; next, in direct line downward, the chest ; next,
in horisontal line, the left and the right ftioaldcr. 1] same form of croos is used in liturgical aetiana, if i cross is to be made over the object to be bUaaed vi| out touching it. While among the Latins the cn beam is drawn from the left to the ri^ht, the rern is the case among the Greeks and KuaBians. la ing the sign of the cross, it is common to proa the words, ** In the name of the Father, and the m and the Holy Ghost. Amen." Formerly there vj also other forms in common use (Binterim ennm ei^ht), but all have been displaced bj the above. Di different ways of making the sign of the croeg, ni the number of fingers used, have called forth ic t> Church of Rome the most fanciful and mystical ^Lai- fications, and a special power has commonly bees ^ tributed to the sign of die cross. It is, therefm. da made over water, salt, oil, etc. In the 'Greek ChcnA the sign of the cross is of even more ft^qnent ose tisfl in the Roman Catholic. Among the Protestant? it a almost universally abandoned (in tiie Lutheran QitzrcL of Saxony it was in use until the introdnctkm of a nv liturgy in 1812). In the Church of England and ia the Protestant Episcopal Church its use in bapt^ is optional.
CROSS, Way of the (Via CntcU), the coIfcctiT^ name of a certain number of pictures or stations ii: fir near Roman Catholic churches and sanctnaries, to i^^ resent an equal number of events in the hiatoir of t^ Passion of the Saviour. Generally the number of tir pictures is 14 or 15, but sometimes less. The pec^ir who "walk the way of the cross" stop a little vhi at each picture, reciting a prayer, until they have, zk turn, visited every station, and thus completed tbe commemoration of the Passion. In some Roman Citb- olic countries, as in Southern Germany, the " War of the Cross" can be met with in almost every dicrc^ This practice was invented by the Franciscan nusb. who offered it to the people as a substitute for tfaf pil- grimage to the Holy Land, and justly calculated thsL by obtaining numerous indulgences ftom the popes 6f those who would adopt this peculiar kind of worship, they would achieve a great popularity for the chun^ of their order. Their expectation was realized. Tfe popes granted to the visitors of the "Way of the Chss^" all the indulgences which had formerly been grtst^ to the visitors of different places in the Holy IaeL thus enabling the people to gain in a few minutes «ct> eral *' plenary" indulgences, besides a number of pir- tial. Every " Way of the Cross" must be institatei by a Franciscan monk, and it requires a special per- mission from the pope if any one who is not a Fras- ciscan is to introduce it. Many special books of d«> votion have been published for the Via Cruds,