Companions of the Cross

Our Ministries

We are called to participate in the ongoing renewal of the Church, having evangelization as our fundamental priority. We have great diversity in our membership and are eager and anxious to fulfill our mission in a wide variety of apostolates and ministries.

Our mission is limited only by our desire to maintain community life and our faithfulness to the ministry of evangelization.

Wherever we minister, we place special emphasis on ministry to the poor, to youth, and to those estranged from the Church.

Principals of Ministry

As Companions of the Cross, in all that we do, we desire to contribute to the ongoing renewal of the Church. The model we embrace is one of mission rather than maintenance.

Our fundamental mission and strategy for renewal is to evangelize according to the spirit of our Founder. We seek to lead all people into an initial and ongoing life-changing encounter with the Risen Lord Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are convinced that God wants to touch and enflame the lives of all his people. Moreover, in all our ministries we seek to create a ‘culture of evangelization’ and enkindle a fire for evangelization in the hearts in our people. Personal conversion, discipleship, empowerment, and ‘calling forth’ of individuals to ministry is our chief strategy for renewal.

We rely on the wisdom and power of God. Wisdom: We consciously give God permission to move as he pleases in our ministries and encourage our people to do the same. We seek and discern God’s ‘now word’, waiting upon his lead before making any major moves rather than solely relying on our own ideas. Power: We are open to and employ the ministry gifts of the Holy Spirit, and foster them amongst our people.

We believe that the mobilization of the whole Church is essential for authentic renewal. Therefore we seek to evangelize lay people, to form them as disciples of the Lord, to call them to their apostolic responsibility, and to work together with them in fulfilling the mission of the Church. In this way priests, in their fatherly role, are able to more effectively undertake the ministry of “word and sacrament” and properly lead the people of God.

We desire that all our ministries be characterized by a clear and simple proclamation of the Gospel, love for the Church and loyalty to the Magisterium, engaging Eucharistic devotion, heartfelt Marian piety, and contagious evangelical fervour.

The basic gospel message, the call to conversion and surrender to Jesus, is at the heart of all our preaching and various ministries. We provide opportunities for people to encounter Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, to have a ‘personal Pentecost’.

Our celebrations of the Eucharist are truly dynamic and fruitful. We help people enter more whole-heartedly into this act of worship. We also provide and promote opportunities for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass.

We rely on Mary’s intercession for our ministry, and promote true devotion to her. We help others embrace a deeper devotion to her, especially through the rosary.

Renewal of the Parish Community

We desire to contribute to the ongoing renewal of the Church. Since it is in the local parish community that most people experience the Church, we consider this environment to be one of the primary places for our ministry. We have many priests working full-time as pastors and associates.

Our Founder, Father Bob, would say that any structure would be renewed by renewing the individual people. That, in turn, calls for the New Evangelization. Pitch the basic Gospel message, asking people to respond in some manner to the call to give their whole lives over to the Lord.

Are you satisfied with the state of affairs? Do you think God can do something about it? In his homilies, Fr. Bob invited parishioners to give God permission to do whatever he wanted to do in their lives, in their families, in the parish. God is alive. God has power. And God wants to be involved.

Fr. Bob wanted all the sacramental preparation to be evangelistic. The parish also had Life in the Spirit seminars. Cursillo & Challenge weekends, the Alpha course, and other similar gatherings could be used to reawaken people’s faith, as well.

Awake, and listening. Because there isn’t one set mold or program to apply to every parish. God has a plan and wants to be consulted. In prayer, as individuals and together, we seek to discern God’s wisdom, God’s ‘now’ word.

Hear and see Father Bob’s vision for a renewed parish and the story of St. Mary’s where he implemented it.

‘A Church Renewed: What should it look like? (PDF)
Condensed from a talk by Fr. Bob Bedard, CC at the 1983 Catholic Charismatic Conference – Windsor, Ontario.
Listen to the full talk:

Is Parish Renewal an Impossible Dream? (PDF)
At St. Mary's in Ottawa, dreams came true when Fr. Bob Bedard shelved his plands and gave God permission. Article published in New Covenant magazine (1991)

One woman's experience with St. Mary's Parish

The Story of St. Mary’s in brief:

In 1984, Fr. Bob was appointed pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Ottawa to implement a vision for parish renewal. Fr. Bob describes the initial situation this way:

The congregation was now very small. My predecessor … using a suitably Canadian image, put it this way: “You can stand at the front of the church at any of the weekend Masses, and throw a snowball down to the back without hitting anybody.”[1]

Having never been a Pastor before, Fr. Bob was completely at a loss as to how to begin. So he “persevered in prayer, seeking the Lord’s particular word for the parish.”[2] He felt the Lord answered him in the following way:

I don’t want you to do anything, except the very obvious things that a pastor must do. I want to take over here myself. I don’t want any of your programs or ideas. I have a plan of my own. But, what I want from you is your permission. I want you to give me permission to do what I want to do. And, not only that, I want you to tell the people that you are giving me this permission, and that I want their permission, too. If I get enough permissions, I’ll move. When I do, you’ll see it. You can then point it out, and get everybody to support it.[3]

Fr. Bob then preached passionately to his parishioners about the need to give God permission:

Let God be God. He’s good at it. God is very good at being God. Let’s let him do what he wants here. God has plans for our lives both as individuals and as a body. If we consult him, maybe he will tell us what they are. Are we satisfied with the condition of the Church, with the condition of this parish, with what’s happened to our families, to the kids? Do we think God is satisfied? Do we think he has the power to turn it around? Are we willing to let him change the things that we ourselves cannot change? Then let’s tell him so. God is fed up being a spectator in our lives. He wants to be a participant.[4]

He continued to preach these same basic themes for over a year. And he waited… and waited, as the Lord had instructed him to do. Gradually it began to dawn on him that the Lord was on the move! One sign was tears. Many people, especially men, began to weep in church. It was the Lord sovereignly touching people’s hearts and bringing them into deeper conversion. The parish began to flourish and became a prominent center of renewal. A wide diversity of lay ministries and apostolates grew up to serve those who were being changed, healed, and converted. Throughout this whole process, Fr. Bob firmly believed the Lord was communicating an important lesson, not just for one parish, but for the whole Church.

[1] Fr. Bob Bedard, Companions of the Cross, 24.
[2] Companions of the Cross, 24.
[3] Companions of the Cross, 25.
[4] Condensed from Companions of the Cross, 25-26.

Lay Formation

We believe that the mobilization of the whole Church is essential for authentic renewal. We strive to form lay people, call them into active service, and be united with them in fulfilling the mission of the Church.

Lay Associates: We joyfully welcome lay people who desire to associate themselves with us–living out our spirituality and mission in their everyday lives.
Formation Courses are offered in parishes, can be purchased through our book store (Coming soon! Please call our office to order), and are available online at thenewevangelist.com

Youth Movements

From the beginning Fr. Bob felt it was important to be involved with dynamic ministry to youth. Wherever we go as Companions of the Cross, we make reaching out to young people a high priority. Young people are looking for answers and trying to find meaning and fulfillment in their lives. We are ready to proclaim to them that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life – and that in Jesus they will find what they are looking for.

“It’s a wonderful thing to see God touch the life of a young person. We must never underestimate God’s desire and ability to capture young hearts…And we must never underestimate the capacity of the young to respond to God (his invitation) in a BIG way.” – Fr. Bob Bedard

- We promote active youth ministry programs in Parishes

- We have an ongoing supportive relationship with:

NET (National Evangelization Teams):
Catholic Missionaries who share Jesus' gospel message with young people in a team format. NET Ministries of Canada challenge young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church. NET Canada recruits and trains teams to evangelize to over 28,000 youth every year in churches, and schools.
CCO (Catholic Christian Outreach):
Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) is a university student movement dedicated to evangelization. We challenge students to live in the fullness of the Catholic faith, with a strong emphasis on becoming leaders in the renewal of the world.
St. Therese School of Faith and Mission:
A community of prayer, faith formation and healing open to people of all faiths and beliefs. St. Therese School is a 9 Month Formation Program and St. Therese Healing and Growth Centre holds programs, conferences and retreats.

"Young adults and teenagers have always been encouraged by the CCs. Our children were introduced to youth groups, NET (National Evangelization Team) and CCO (Catholic Charismatic Outreach). The evangelistic outreach of the CCs had inspired us, for sure."
– Maria & Ben Lobo

University Chaplaincies

The university years are among the most critical for the development of faith. Many young people lose their faith during this time, but it is also a tremendous opportunity to be present. The mission of the Companions of the Cross on university campuses is to be a Catholic presence through our chaplaincy – to reach out to young people who are searching, lost, and confused. Some may not be very grounded in their faith. We try to reach out to them and to preach the Gospel in a way to excite them in their faith, and get them rooted in their faith. We do this through daily Mass, by offering Confession, through retreats, in Bible studies, and by having a drop in center where they can just hang out and feel accepted among their peers.

Catholic Chaplaincy at York University (Toronto)
Catholic Newman Center at the University of Houston (Houston)
Wayne State University Newman Catholic Center (Detroit)

New Media

We believe that God called us into existence to carry out the great project announced by Pope John Paul II: A New Evangelization in our time. The newness called for is in ardour, in methods, and in means of expression. The Gospel is timeless, and must be adapted to the people of our day. We embrace using new communication technologies for the purpose of spreading the Gospel, evangelizing, and forming and equipping leaders in the New Evangelization.

“In the communications media the Church finds a precious aid for spreading the Gospel and religious values, for promoting dialogue, ecumenical and inter-religious cooperation, and also for defending those solid principles which are indispensable for building a society which respects the dignity of the human person and is attentive to the common good. The Church willingly employs these media to furnish information about itself and to expand the boundaries of evangelization, of catechesis and formation, considering their use as a response to the command of the Lord: ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.’(Mk 16:15).” – Pope John Paul II

Food for Life
"Food for Life" is a weekly National Catholic Television Ministry inviting people to experience a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The show is hosted by Companions of the Cross priests.
Radio Maria
HMWN (Holy Mother World Networks) is a 24hr English Catholic Radio Station.
Our priests have appeared on Salt + Light, Catholic Answers, EWTN

Healing and Renewal Ministries

We seek to give people opportunities to encounter Christ. We also seek to be of service to the wider church (other clergy, priests) by offering to assist local churches in their parish outreaches. Many Companions brothers are involved in these outreach efforts such as missions, retreats and seminars. They vary widely, covering many themes of our faith – such as the Eucharist, coming to terms with Jesus, Life in the Spirit seminars, and relic ministry.

Companions of the Cross are also available to speak at conferences, especially in areas that touch upon our mission and spirituality: We are men of the Eucharist, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit, truly devoted to Mary, and loyal to the Magisterium.

Some conferences we have participated in are: Lift Jesus Higher, Rise Up, Montee Jeunesse, Family life conference, Men’s conferences

We also provide opportunities for people to deepen their faith through pilgrimages to holy places in the world.

For arrangements and inquiries please contact:
1-866-885-8824 (Toll free)
info@companionscross.org

Academic Teaching

Several of our priests have achieved advanced degrees, and have served in teaching positions. Currently our priests are professors at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit (where the Companions of the Cross seminarians complete their studies preparing for priesthood).

Ministry to the Poor

We start in our parishes, where our men will look for the needs of the poor in that area and try to meet their needs both spiritually and materially. Then we go beyond that to the global picture where we relate to people in developing countries.

We reach out to the poor through our:

Parish communities
International missions

Missions of Evangelization

Motivated by our sincere apostolic zeal and love for the universal Church, the Companions of the Cross have always been committed to the international aspect of our mission.

We have worked closely with Renewal Ministries and participated in mission trips to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Romania, Ukraine, Hungary, the Philippines, Vietnam, Mexico, and Papua New Guinea.

In addition, several of our priests are actively involved in outreaches in Columbia, Peru, and Paraguay.

In accordance with the wishes of Pope Benedict XVI, as outlined in his encyclical Caritas in Veritate, we seek to combine our evangelical outreach with the temporal acts of mercy which would best benefit the local church.

As an integral part of our seminarian formation program, each seminarian participates in an international mission trip in order to grow in love for Christ’s poor, to appreciate the needs of the universal Church, and to grow in their ability to proclaim the Gospel in a variety of different cultures and circumstances.

As our community grows it is our sincere hope and prayer to expand our missionary outreach to bring the Good News to the poor and to comfort the afflicted.

Matching Gifts to Ministries

As Companions of the Cross, we seek to be empowered by all the ministry gifts of the Holy Spirit. We recognize, though, that not everyone receives the same gifts: rather, our gifts complement one another within the one Body of Christ. The leadership of our community is committed to helping individual members to discern their particular gifts and exercise them for the common good, in light of the current needs of the Church. We do not expect everyone to fit in the same mould.

Before members are assigned to specific parishes or apostolates, our General Superior will engage in an extensive process of consultation. He will invite priests to prayerfully discern their own strengths and weaknesses, and make their preferences known. At the same time, the Superior will be attentive to the demands of the concrete pastoral situation, and listen respectfully to the diocesan bishops who may be concerned. Although he will attempt to accommodate members’ preferences as much as possible, the Superior may at times need to challenge them to stretch beyond what they would immediately find comfortable or appealing. In all cases we regard the final decisions of our superiors as expressions of the will of God in our lives.