Crosier
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Staff
A crosier (crozier, pastoral staff) is the stylized staff of office carried by high-ranking Catholic prelates. It is also used by some pastors in the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Episcopal churches. The other typical insignia of most of these prelates, but not all, is the mitre.
The term derives from the Old English word crycc, meaning "crutch."
As a symbol of the office of governing a bishop has, in Western Christianity it is borne by bishops in their own dioceses as "shepherd of the flock of God", i.e. the community under his jurisdiction. .
Those used by Roman Catholic bishops have curved or hooked tops, similar in appearance to staves traditionally used by shepherds, hence they are also known as crook. In some languages there is only one term, referring to this form, such as German Krumstab, Dutch kromstaf.
The Crosiers of (some) abbots are carried with the curve toward the back (rather than toward the front as with bishops) which symbolises the introvert nature of his jurisdiction: over the monastery only.
The crosier is conferred upon ordination into office.
A crosier was also carried on some occasions by the pope beginning in the early days of the church. This practice was gradually phased out and had disappeared by the time of Innocent III's papacy in the eleventh century. It was later revived; John Paul II bore a crucifix surmounted in like manner to a crosier, but to this day the Popes do not bear a crosier as their jurisidiction is universal. Image:Crosier.jpeg Eastern Orthodox crosiers are commonly in the shape of a Tau or, more rarely, with a similar t-shape but ending in sculptures of the heads of snakes or dragons.
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other uses of the word
- Crosiers are also members of an order of Roman Catholic priests and brothers. The official name of the order is "Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross."
- The coiled ends of some plants (such as unopened fern fronds) which resemble the traditional crosier staff are also termed "crosiers" (though these are more commonly called "fiddleheads").
- Crosier is also a somewhat archaic synonym for the constellation Crux (the Southern Cross).
- various nouns proper; see also Crozier.
