On the Road to Emmaus Blog

An Invitation

frdcronan — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:42:08 +0000

This Saturday, October 15 at 5 pm, the Free Catholic Church of the Epiphany will celebrate our Eucharist as a Memorial for the late Bishop Mary Ann Croisant, formerly of Chicago. Bishop Mary Ann passed away last Saturday (an obituary may be viewed at http://epiphanydiocese.wordpress.com/). We are inviting all her friends, family, and any others who are interested to come join us in prayer for our friend and colleague.

Mass will be held at:
Wood Dale Community Church
206 N. Wood Dale Rd.
Wood Dale, IL 60191

Parking and entrance to the building are in the back of the church.

Let’s celebrate our entry into autumn, let’s celebrate the life of Mary Ann Croisant, and let’s celebrate all our blessings!

In Christ,
+David

Bishop of the Free Catholic Diocese of the Epiphany

Bishop Mary Ann, Rest in Peace

frdcronan — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 21:17:30 +0000

Earlier today (October 8, 2011) surrounded by friends and holding the hand of Abbot Bishop Brian Brown, Bishop Mary Ann Croisant passed into eternal life. Bishop Mary Ann had been in ill health for some time and spent her last days in a hospice center. Quite apropos to her life, Mary Ann was as much a minister at hospice as she was being ministered to. After having spent many years in Chicago, Mary Ann had in recent years moved to Ashville, NC.

Bishop Mary Ann began her faith life as an Episcopalian and even studied for the priesthood at Seabury Seminary in Chicago. However, before ordination she discovered that a disconnect had developed between her sense of faith and that of the religion that had nurtured her for so long. She turned to the independent catholic church movement and was ordained a deacon and then a priest. After years of searching and having been instrumental in founding several different social justice ministries, Mary Ann turned to Abbot Bishop Brian Brown for her final faith home, Christ’s Catholic Church. On April 18, 2009, Mary Ann Croisant was consecrated bishop for the Diocese of The Road to Emmaus with Abbot Bishop Brian Brown as the Principal Consecrator (both pictured above). As her residence was in Chicago at the time, that became the seat of the diocese. Her ministries there included “the Open Cathedral,” a program for feeding the hungry and homeless in Chicago’s Loop, and a cooperative of knitters who produced hundreds of hats and gloves for needy Chicago children. During that time this blog was initiated as another form of outreach. In the fall of 2009, she was elected to be one of the three Convening Bishops of Christ’s Catholic Church, a position she has held until her passing.

In 2010, Bishop Mary Ann moved to the South for family reasons and the Diocese of the Road to Emmaus “travelled” with her eventually ending up in Ashville, NC. While plagued with failing health for many years, Bishop Mary Ann touched the hearts and lives of people wherever she was and however she could serve. In her bio on Christ’s Catholic Church’s website, Mary Ann cites the following as her guiding light: “…what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” MICAH 6:8 NRSV Those of us who knew her couldn’t agree more. We will miss her in so many ways. Please join us in praying for the repose of her soul. And rejoice with us as we celebrate other saint in the great Cloud of Witnesses who stands ready to support and assist us. Mary Ann, rest in peace!

Winter Nights – Christmas Nights

frdcronan — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:35:28 +0000

In these Christmastide nights when the air is cold and the sky clear we are reminded of the stillness and quiet contemplation that season should inspire. By now the shopping is finished; the returns are completed; the parties are given. Now is the time to bask in the gentle twinkle of Christmas lights; now is the time to sit quietly in front of the crackling fire; now is the time to truly appreciate the magical and mystical spirit of the Season.

Through cards, visits, calls, and presents we have once again been shown the love of friends and family. We have witnessed our own incarnations of love. Regardless of the size of our pile of gifts under the tree or the size of our credit card debt, once again we have shared in that incarnation of love that first occured in Bethlehem more than two millenia ago. From that dark, still night in such bleak and mean conditions came to us a gift so immense that time and place cannot hold it.

Now is the time for us to take in the quiet; to take in the love shown to us; to realize the love we have shared; to build up our reserve of Christmas goodwill; and, to work again toward incarnating the peace and love of Christ in our world today. We, the clergy of The Diocese of the Road to Emmaus and the newly forming Diocese of the Epiphany, wish you and your families a Happy and Holy Christmas Season!!!

God Bless Us One and All!!!

Change is in the Air

frdcronan — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:26:35 +0000

Very recently our own Bishop Mary Ann Croisant accepted a call to care for an elderly relation in the Atlanta, Georgia area. This means that our diocese, in a sense, now spans from Chicago to Atlanta! Honestly, we never meant the Diocese of the Road to Emmaus to be a geographically bound jurisdiction. Our ministry extends to those we encounter where-ever they may be. We will miss +Mary Ann’s presence in Chicago, but continue to keep in close contact by all manners of media! Her guidance and protection truly spans the distance.

At the same time the Ecumenical Free Catholic Communion has also undergone change. One of the three Convening Bishops has changed due to a resignation by the previous incumbent. Our newest Convening Bishop is Bishop Mark Leavell of Virginia. He is a born leader and a successful church planter. We are blessed to have him help to guide our Communion.

As the Autumn colors and Fall temperatures remind us that we live in constant change, we know that the One Constant is our loving God as proclaimed by our Savior, Jesus Christ, whom we encounter through the Holy Spirit present in our world. We rejoice in the mystical moments afforded to us by this special month of October. And we commend all to the many holy ones we celebrate at this time of the year.

A great book for your summer reading!

frdcronan — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:54:01 +0000

If you only read one book this summer, make it “The Shack” by Wm. Paul Young! For some of you this may be old news because the book was published in 2007 and has been a New York Times bestseller. However, my very wise sister, Barb, begged me to read it a few weeks ago and I haven’t been able to stop talking about it since then!

I’m certainly not going to give away the story, but I can tell you why you must read this, if you haven’t already. The subtitle of “The Shack” is Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity. On one level, it is a heart rending story of how a father deals with the kidnapping and murder of his young daughter. But, more importantly, it is an exploration of the questions: ‘who is God?’; ‘ what is Providence?’; and, ‘why is there evil in the world?’ Through the medium of fiction, Mr. Young has portrayed a God worthy of belief, worthy of knowing, worthy of praise. Karl Rahner, a 20th century theologian, had an abiding concern that much of Christian theology presents a God unworthy of belief. This book, while truly remaining withing the Catholic (in the best sense of the word) tradition, presents an image of God who is not only infinitely worthy of belief, but both loving and loveable.

Certainly, “The Shack” represents a belief in a non-institutional approach to religion. Much of the dialogue points out our desire as humans to put God in a box – to narrowly define God and religion – to be exclusive in love rather than inclusive. One of the grandest failures of organized religion today is to present God as a noun rather than as a verb! Our God is “I am who am”. This is a God of action, a God who is being, a God who is actively a community, actively in relationship. We hear so much about how today’s generations (Gen X, Gen Y, Millenials, etc.) do not and will not relate to the Church’s message. That is because we as Church must take a clue from Mr. Young and present our message, present our experiences of God, in ways that are understandable by these generations. We should look into “The Shack” for a God worthy of belief.

Read this book; you won’t regret it!

P.S. I would love to hear from you about your thoughts on this book!

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

frdcronan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:20:15 +0000

Each year we are invited to celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. While there are many devotions associated with this image, the underlying reason for this celebration transcends time, culture, taste, and piety. We are invited examine the “heart” of Jesus – the heart of Jesus’ message – the heart of the Jesus event.

The traditional images of the Sacred Heart depict Jesus revealing his physical heart outside of his body. Those who have not been raised with this image may find it disturbing. But the point of this otherwise gruesome image is to depict who and what Jesus is. Jesus, the man, is the heart of creation; the new creation. Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, reveals the “heart” of the Father to humanity. Jesus reveals to us that at our core, in our innermost selves, in our most vital organ, resides the Spirit of God. It is not a coincidence that this feast occurs after Trinity Sunday. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is essentially a Trinitarian devotion. But even more, it is a creation devotion. The Sacred Heart reveals to us that we are created to be united to each other and to our God through the Spirit of Love that dwells within each and every one of us.

We are invited to look upon the Christ, to look upon the Heart of Christ, to try to conform ourselves to a way of life that reveals the glory of God, that reveals a heart burning with love, that reveals a heart willing to be broken for others.

“Lord, Jesus Christ, you suffered a spear to be thrust into your Sacred Heart, that we might easily see a way into the Heart of your holiness. Grant us refuge, comfort, guidance, humility, strength, and holiness as we strive to live withing your Heart’s loving embrace. Amen.”

Ascension

bpmcroisant — Thu, 21 May 2009 02:29:15 +0000

Our little corner of the Ecumenical Free Catholic Communion is named after a road – the Road to Emmaus. It was here on the Road to Emmaus, right after the events of Easter, that some of Jesus’ disciples recognized the Lord Himself in the breaking of the bread. And as we journey together through our lives in Christ and through the Christian year, it is easy to see that this metaphor of travel, of journeying together is a strong one with us.

As we come to the Ascension, so much has happened. We have walked through the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. And with the Ascension, so much more is promised to us. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” But it doesn’t feel like that right now, does it? It feels much more like we have been left to our own devices. It is a mystery.

Did Jesus come to save only those who knew him personally? Perhaps the first disciples thought as much. The Ascension tells us otherwise; it now becomes evident that the saving grace is offered to all – even (or maybe especially) to those corners of creation that seem beyond redemption. Yes, we are being shown just a bit of the glorious vision that God holds for those who love him. All of us share this calling; all of us can confidently give ourselves to be lifted up with Christ, to allow God to heal us and forgive us, to send us forth empowered. Just as Jesus was sent into this world.

With Jesus, we are called to be incarnate in daily life, to speakn truth to power, to extend a healing touch to those that many would run from, and to be ready to take up the cross we are given daily. We are to follow Jesus, even through death, into new life.

Eastertide Message

bpmcroisant — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:04:40 +0000

Through the slow walk of Lent we have pondered Jesus’ Passion…the deliberate acts that lead to a painful and ignominious death. The death of a criminal, the lowest and most humiliating death that the Roman Empire can devise. Culminating on Good Friday, there is no doubt. Jesus Christ, thought to be the Messiah so long awaited, is dead at the hands of those whose kingdom is decidedly of this world.

He is buried in a tomb; the story and the hope appear to be over. His disciples hide in fear that Jesus’ fate will be their own. Darkness and fear appear to have won the day.

And then…

the most astonishing account of all is told. Jesus is not in the tomb. Jesus, who had died, has risen from the dead. He appears in bodily form first to some women (whose tale is largely discounted by others, who must see for themselves), then to one and another of the disciples. How can this be?

With the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, there is a sudden and irrevocable shift of what the world is and what God has done for humanity. In the Resurrection, Jesus shows us that what has happened to the firstborn of all creation is what he has promised for us – new life in Him.

In the days to come, there are more miracles, signs and wonders…all of which point to the words we say at Mass every time we come together:

“Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.”

May this Easter season bring with it renewed hope in the promises of God. And may the power of His love bless you richly.

Peace -

+Mary Ann

A little more … a little less

frdcronan — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:19:38 +0000

Each day +Mary Ann and I are trying to upgrade this site and put our best face forward to the world of bloggers, surfers, seekers, and who ever else meanders by this site. Some of the tech stuff has been trying my patience but I’m pretty happy with the results so far. As I read news reports from all over the country, I am becoming more and more convinced that our modest attempts at being church together are so very important. It is absolutely discouraging to read of leaders in the established churches time and again acting in ways that seem so contrary to the Gospel. The world is hungering for leaders who truly lead by honest and humble example, not for demagogues (as defined by H.L, Mencken, “one who will preach doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots“). There is so much turmoil and uncertainty in our everyday experience that we crave more leaders of integrity and less blustering from … (well, I’ll let you fill in the blank here). As evening grows late and the world grows more quiet, let’s pray that each of us will take up the challenge of Christ and become a little more loving and a little less grandiose. God bless us one and all!

Come, Holy Spirit

frdcronan — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:35:21 +0000

With great joy we announce the consecration of the Right Reverend Mary Ann Croisant as Bishop of the Diocese of the Road to Emmaus on Saturday, April 18, 2009! Bishop Mary Ann was consecrated through the laying on of hands by His Grace, Brian Earnest Brown, a Convening Bishop of the Ecumenical Free Catholic Communion in the Cathedral of the Prince of Peace in Hollister, MO. The consecration took place during this year’s Synod which was held in Branson, MO over this past weekend. Fr. David Cronan, priest of the diocese, was in attendance, along with other members of the EFCC in the historic Prince of Peace Cathedral. The consecration, along with the diaconal ordination of the Reverend Sister Ann Crabtree OSH and Final Commitment of Bishop Charles Pritchett OSH to the Order of the Shepherd’s Heart, was the liturgical highlight of this year’s Synod.