Franciscan Brothers of the Holy Cross
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Roman Catholic congregation of Franciscan religious brothers devoted to caring for the poor, sick, orphaned, and otherwise vulnerable.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Franciscan Brothers of the Holy Cross are a Roman Catholic congregation of men belonging to the Franciscan Third Order Regular. Founded in Hausen, Germany, on 12 June 1862, the congregation emerged from the religious vocation and social concern of Peter Wirth, a shoemaker from Niederbreitbach who took the name Brother James, or Jakobus, when he professed religious vows. The community was established with the approval of the Bishop of Trier to provide practical assistance to people experiencing poverty, illness, abandonment, and other forms of suffering. The congregation's identity has historically combined Franciscan spirituality with hands-on service. Rather than limiting its work to a single institutional apostolate, the brothers have served through nursing, hospitals, homes for children, trade education, residential care, and other forms of support for people in need. Its early activities focused on the poor and sick in the Diocese of Trier. The founder personally participated in this work and died in 1871 after contracting smallpox from a patient he had been nursing. The brothers expanded their German presence during the late nineteenth century. In 1891, three brothers settled in Bad Kreuznach and later assumed responsibility for a local hospital that became known as St. Marienwörth. The congregation subsequently developed an international presence in the United States. In 1924, brothers went to New Orleans to establish an orphanage. A later invitation from Bishop James Aloysius Griffin of Springfield, Illinois, led to the establishment of a community there in 1928. With support from brothers arriving from Germany, the congregation founded St. James Monastery and opened a trade school for young men in 1930. The school operated until 1972. The congregation continues to maintain communities and service activities in Germany and the United States. Its American work includes Brother James Court, a residential intermediate-care facility for men with developmental disabilities in Springfield, Illinois, as well as activities in Missouri and Wisconsin. The motherhouse remains in Hausen. According to the cited 2024 reference material, the congregation had thirty members living in five houses, reflecting the small scale of the modern community while maintaining its historic care-oriented mission. Brother Michael Ruedin was elected Superior General on 12 June 2024.
History
The congregation was founded by Peter Wirth, who was born on 15 October 1830 in Niederbreitbach, Germany. He was the youngest of four children and lost both parents during childhood. After his father's death when Wirth was ten and his mother's death the following year, he was raised by an uncle until the age of nineteen. He learned the shoemaking trade and became a master craftsman at twenty-four. During this period he encountered the Third Order of Saint Francis and became a member. Wirth later sought a more dedicated religious life. An initial attempt to form a small community with two other young men did not last, but the experience helped shape his subsequent foundation. In 1862 he obtained permission from the Bishop of Trier to establish a religious community. On 12 June 1862, in the Chapel of the Holy Cross at Hausen, Wirth and other young men professed religious vows. Wirth adopted the name Brother James, also rendered Brother Jakobus, and the new community became the Franciscan Brothers of the Holy Cross. From its beginning, the congregation concentrated on corporal works of mercy. The brothers cared for poor and sick people in the surrounding region and combined religious discipline with manual service. Brother James served as the community's first Superior General while continuing to work directly with people in need. He died on 28 March 1871, nine years after the foundation, after contracting smallpox from a patient under his care. His remains were later placed in the Chapel of St. Joseph at the motherhouse in Hausen. The brothers continued nursing and social care in the Diocese of Trier. Their expansion included Bad Kreuznach, where three brothers established a presence in 1891. They eventually assumed responsibility for a local hospital that became known as St. Marienwörth. This work demonstrated the congregation's developing pattern of operating or supporting institutions serving the sick and disadvantaged. The congregation crossed the Atlantic in the twentieth century. In 1924, brothers traveled to the United States to establish an orphanage in New Orleans. In 1928, Bishop James Aloysius Griffin of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, invited the brothers to establish a community in Springfield. Ten brothers came from Germany to assist the American foundation. The community built St. James Monastery and opened a trade school for young men in 1930. The school continued for more than four decades before closing in 1972. Later American activities included work in Missouri and Wisconsin and the operation of Brother James Court in Springfield, Illinois. Brother James Court is a residential intermediate-care facility for men with developmental disabilities and represents the congregation's continuing focus on long-term, practical support for vulnerable people. In Germany, the motherhouse remained in Hausen. The congregation is a relatively small religious community in the contemporary period. The cited 2024 account reported thirty members in five houses. On 12 June 2024, Brother Michael Ruedin was elected Superior General. The available sources do not provide a comprehensive account of the congregation's current finances, detailed institutional structure, or all active programs, but they establish continuity between its nineteenth-century founding mission and its modern care and residential services.
- 2024
New Superior General elected
[1]Brother Michael Ruedin was elected Superior General on 12 June 2024.
- 1972
Trade school closes
[1]The trade school in Springfield ceased operations after more than forty years of activity.
- 1930
Opening of the trade school
[1]The Springfield community opened a trade school for young men with assistance from ten brothers who came from Germany.
- 1928
Springfield invitation and foundation
[1]Bishop James Aloysius Griffin invited the congregation to establish a community in Springfield, Illinois.
- 1924
Arrival in the United States
[1]The brothers went to New Orleans to establish an orphanage, beginning the congregation's American expansion.
- 1891
Expansion to Bad Kreuznach
[1]Three brothers settled in Bad Kreuznach and later took responsibility for a local hospital that became known as St. Marienwörth.
- 1871
Death of the founder
[1]Brother James died of smallpox contracted while nursing a patient. His remains were later placed at the congregation's motherhouse in Hausen.
- 1862
Foundation in Hausen
[1]Peter Wirth professed religious vows as Brother James in the Chapel of the Holy Cross at Hausen and founded the congregation with other young men after receiving permission from the Bishop of Trier.
Products and positioning
A Franciscan religious congregation whose public mission is expressed through direct, practical care for vulnerable people, especially the poor, sick, orphaned, and disabled.
Health and social care
Nursing and hospital care
The congregation's earliest institutional work centered on caring for sick and poor people. In Germany, the brothers served the surrounding region and later became associated with the hospital in Bad Kreuznach known as St. Marienwörth.
Residential disability care
Brother James Court
Brother James Court in Springfield, Illinois, is a residential intermediate-care facility for men with developmental disabilities. It reflects the congregation's continuing emphasis on structured, long-term support for people requiring assisted living and care.
Vocational education · 1930
Trade school for young men
The brothers established a trade school in Springfield, Illinois, in 1930. The school provided vocational instruction for young men and remained in operation until 1972.
Child welfare · 1924
Orphanage work
The congregation undertook orphanage work in the United States, first going to New Orleans in 1924 to establish an orphanage. The work formed part of the brothers' broader response to the needs of children without adequate family care.
Sources2 sources
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