Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
CROSIER
CROSIER. Symbol of a bishop's authority presented to him when he is consecrated. The gold plated crosier of Bishop Mathias LORAS was used for the first time since his death in 1858 at a concelebrated bicentennial Mass on April 25, 1976. Gold-plated and five feet long with a curled head holding a large amethyst in the center, the crosier was in one piece when Loras traveled into the unsettled Midwest. For ease of transportation, it has since been cut into pieces.
The crosier was given by Most Reverend James J. KEANE to Most Reverend Daniel Gorman, then president of LORAS COLLEGE when he was appointed Bishop of Boise, Idaho, in 1918. The crosier returned to Dubuque when it was given by Boise (Idaho) Bishop Edward J. Kelly to Mount Saint Bernard's Seminary at its opening in the 195Os.
The Archbishop of Dubuque has also had possession of crosiers belonging to Most Reverend John HENNESSY, Most Reverend Francis J. L. BECKMAN, and Archbishop James J. KEANE.