Spirituality
“In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame!” – Motto of the Order
Our Mission
Pastoral Care in Parishes
One of the primary activities of our Order is the pastoral care of the parishes entrusted to us. Our priests administer the sacraments, teach religion, and are available to anyone seeking spiritual guidance in any of life's situations.
Care for the Sick and Needy
The hospitaller charism has been inherent to our Order since its founding by St. Agnes of Bohemia. We continue this tradition today, particularly through Křižovnická pomoc (Crusaders' Relief). Alongside pastoral care, we are also dedicated to the sick, the dying and their families.
The Saints Who Guide Us
Saint Agnes of Bohemia
Founder of the Order
Although she was betrothed several times in her youth, Agnes decided, influenced by St. Francis and St. Clare, with whom she corresponded, to establish a Poor Clare convent in the Na Františku district of Prague. She herself entered it and later became its superior. Inspired, among others, by her cousin St. Elizabeth of Hungary and her aunt St. Hedwig of Silesia, she founded a hospital in 1233, which later became an independent order, the Crusaders with the Red Star. It devoted itself to the sick, the abandoned, the elderly, orphans, pilgrims and students. Although she lived a deep spiritual life within the convent walls, she sought in this way to give practical help to others in their difficulties. For the Crusaders with the Red Star, she is not only their founder, but also the one who gave them one of their important missions: care for those in need.
Saint Augustine
The Rule as the foundation of our life
After a very turbulent youth, Augustine converted to Christianity, became a monk, and went on to become a great theologian of the Church in late antiquity. He wrote many works, the most famous of which, the Confessions, is still read and inspires the spiritual life of many Christians. In 397, he composed a rule (guidelines for life in a monastery) that is followed not only by the Crusaders with the Red Star but also by other orders, including the Dominicans, Augustinians, Premonstratensians and Brothers Hospitallers. Even today, he is considered the greatest and most influential Church Father of the West. The Crusaders with the Red Star still follow the rule he wrote and strive to carry on his legacy by proclaiming the joyful message of Christ to the world.
Saint Francis of Assisi
Patron of careful stewardship and care for nature
Francis renounced his former life and, together with his companions, founded a religious community, for which he wrote a rule of life. Through St. Clare, he also influenced and inspired St. Agnes of Bohemia. A lesser-known legacy of this saint is the tradition of setting up nativity scenes. Because of his love of nature and all creation, he is considered the patron of all who care for ecology and the natural world. This is also the goal of the Crusaders with the Red Star in managing their fields, forests, ponds and meadows: to look after these entrusted estates carefully and to use their yields to develop the spiritual and hospitaller mission of the Order.
Devotions and Traditions of the Order
The spirituality of the Order is already reflected in its name, which refers to the wood of salvation, the Holy Cross. Through their veneration of the Cross, the Crusaders with the Red Star aligned themselves with the tradition of hospitaller service in the Holy Land, even though the Order did not originate there. It remains speculative whether any of its first members personally took part in the Crusades. Nevertheless, the chivalric character of the Order is reflected in its veneration of Saints George, Hippolytus, Martin, Florian and Sebastian. Among the Order's feasts are May 3, when the Crusaders with the Red Star commemorate the Finding of the Holy Cross by St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated on September 14. In addition to the Holy Cross, the other instruments of Christ's Passion were also objects of veneration. During the Baroque period, devotion to the Five Holy Wounds of Christ flourished, promoted notably by Grand Master Pospíchal. This focus on the Lord's Passion is also reflected in the veneration of the suffering of His Mother, Our Lady of Sorrows.