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THE (ROSIER STORY
CROSIER
The
A History o
0
(TORY
he Crosier Fathers
in the United States
BY JEROME W. RAUSCH, O.S.C.
With contributions from confreres Lawrence J. Kerich,
Francis P. Pitka and Bernard C. Mischke
CROSIER PRESS • ONAMIA • MINNESOTA
1960
Copyright, 1960
By the Crosier Press, Onamia, Minnesota
Imprimi Potest: Very Rev. Benno Mischke, O.S.C.
Provincial
Nihil Obstat: Father William McNiff, O.S.C.
Censor Deputatus
Imprimatur: ©Peter W. Bartholome
Bishop of St. Cloud
St. Cloud, Minnesota
January 7, 1960
The Nihil Obstat and the Imprimatur are ecclesiastical declarations that
a publication is free of doctrinal or moral error, not a statement of the
positive worth, nor an implication that the contents have the Bishop s
approval or recommendation.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 60-12554
Printed in St. Paul, Minnesota
by McGill Graphic Arts Center
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
The present study bears the marks both of committee work and of
single authorship. Several years ago a three-man committee was ap¬
pointed to undertake the arduous task of research and to generate the
enthusiasm necessary for the publication of the first full-scale history
of the Crosier Order in the United States. Tentative deadlines were
agreed on for different phases of the work and the first plans formu¬
lated for the possible arrangement of materials. Then, after a little more
than a year had passed, the committee—which had showed signs of
real industry—began to dissolve into thin air. One member packed his
things and went off to the other end of the world; he had been assigned
to head a contingent of Crosier missionaries to New Guinea. Another
was appointed as the spiritual director of Crosier Seminary at Onamia,
Minnesota, and later the editor of the alumni periodical called the
Crosierite, both of which tasks proved very time consuming. It became
clear that what remained was a “committee of one.”
There are many advantages, however, in single authorship for a
continuous history, for instance, a better unity of outline, coherence of
thought and expression, and so on. But there are also advantages in
having as many minds as possible collaborate on a single project, espe¬
cially if it covers a field as broad as the present effort. As far as pos¬
sible I have tried to keep the advantages of both single authorship and
multiple collaboration, hoping that the disadvantages—which may per¬
haps be left unmentioned—will not prove a noticeable hindrance. I
have had recourse to a number of introductory notes throughout the
volume in an effort to keep the reader informed as to the extent of
individual contributions.
The occasion of this Crosier history is the Fiftieth Jubilee of the
coming of the Crosier Fathers to Minnesota. In March of 1910 the
ship Lapland brought the first three Crosier pioneers to American
shores. But, in a certain sense, it is a double jubilee: it also commemo¬
rates a previous attempt made a century ago in Wisconsin (1850). Or
shall we say it is a triple jubilee? The Order was founded in 1210,
seven-hundred-and-fifty years ago. Perhaps that could be called the
Diamond Centenary.
Since the final form of the history represents the contribution in
different ways of many of my confreres and friends, the customary
prefatory recognition hardly suffices to express my indebtedness. The
first note of gratitude must go to my committee members, Fathers Francis
Pitka and Bernard Mischke, both of whom wrote important chapters
for the book. Father Lawrence Kerich also favored me with an ab¬
sorbing manuscript, his memoirs of the first year of Crosier College.
My gratitude also extends to Father Joseph Snyers and Father John
Klaver for writing down the recollections of their early years; to Father
Martin Van Roosmalen for reading and helping with the translation of
many of the microfilmed letters from Europe; to Father Bernard Van
Gils, Father Adrian Van Zutphen, Brother John Maes, Brother John
Van de Kraats and many others who responded so patiently during our
long interviews; to Father Gordon Van Hoof, a great friend and confrere
who is an historian by trade and who favored me with his expert ap¬
praisals of the manuscript; to Frater Hanrahan for his excellent his¬
torical illustrations; to Father Robert Fix for design; and to Father
Spierings and Father Bakker in Europe for lending me many excellent
photographs.
Beyond the circle of my own confreres I think especially of the
assistance given me by Father F. Dupont, O. Praem., Father George
Van der Velden, and Mr. Francis H. Murray, three names intimately
connected with Crosier beginnings in Minnesota. In a different man¬
ner, but not less appreciated, was the interest taken in the work by
Lucile Kane, Manuscripts Curator of the Minnesota Historical Society,
and Mrs. Edwin Gatz, my typist.
The hospitality shown by the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Cross
during our visits to Bay Settlement and the continual help on source
material given by Sister Dominica was most extraordinary. We also owe
a note of gratitude for the kindness received while searching for infor¬
mation and documents in various diocesan archives, notably Milwau¬
kee, St. Paul, St. Cloud, and Duluth.
And finally, I should like to thank my superiors, both here and
abroad, who did so much to make the materials of my research avail¬
able to me and who, from the beginning, showed more confidence in
my ability to organize and write a history than I myself sometimes had.
