Page 8 - Priorities #22 2003-April

Benedictine Letter
A Crozier for
the Bishop
The newly appointed bishop leaves the Priory chapel with his symbol of office.
When the Archdiocese of San Francisco recently announced the appointment of a new Auxiliary Bishop to serve as associate to Archbishop Levada, Father Martin received a “crozier call,” as he has many times in the past.
The new Bishop Wang, having seen some examples of Father Martin’s outstanding hand craftsmanship in wood, contacted Father Martin right away about a personal crozier to help him properly begin in his new role. In doing so, he was following in the tradition of Archbishops Levada and Quinn of San Francisco, Bishops Garcia of Sacramento, Mulvee of Delaware, Gendron of New Hampshire, and several others who carry Father Martin’s hand crafted staff.
The crozier (also spelled crosier) is one among several official insignia of a bishop’s office. It is a stylized shepherd’s crook carried by the bishop and used at many of the liturgical functions over which he officiates. Use of this staff was mentioned in church documents as far back as the fifth century. Over time, it has signified the doctrinal and disciplinary power of bishops to “sustain the weak and faltering, confirm the wavering in faith, and lead back the erring ones into the true fold,” according to the Catholic Encyclopedia.
“Today, it is clearly used as a symbol of office whereby a bishop leads his community as a shepherd might lead his flock,” explained Father Martin.
Father Martin recalls his first crozier as a shared project with another young priest back in New Hampshire in the early 1970s. They worked in the basement, using steam from the giant boiler that heated the building to gently mold and shape the crook. Today’s “Croziers by Martin” involve greater variety of materials and intricacy of design. They can be taken apart for convenience in travel—and, in fact, finding an appropriate carrying case is as big a challenge as making the staff, Father Martin indicates.
One crozier case began its life as a pool cue carrier. Bishop Wang’s carrying case is light and sturdy and
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The crook contains black walnut, rosewoodandebonywith jadeset
in silver just below.