Society of apostolic life founded in Canada in 1985 arrived in the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2011 with a call to evangelize
DETROIT — On May 7, more than 100 people filed into Visitation House in Detroit, the residence of the Companions of the Cross (CC). Part one of the evening: a potluck dinner in the social hall, featuring an abundance of good food, laughter and fellowship. Part two: Eucharistic adoration, praise and worship in the chapel upstairs, followed by personal prayer with the Companions seminarians and priests.
The evening was one of a series of events celebrating this year’s 40th anniversary of the religious community based in Canada, which has been making an impact in Detroit for nearly 15 years.
In 1985, Fr. Bob Bedard, a priest in Ottawa, Ontario, along with three seminarians of the Diocese of Ottawa who had formed a “share group” of support and prayer, felt God’s call to establish a new kind of religious community — one that would work to renew parishes and enliven the Catholic Church with the good news of Jesus Christ. They would live in households of four or more to evangelize together.
The men chose the name Companions of the Cross, a phrase used by Fr. Bedard in a homily on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Sept. 14 the following year.
Since then, the priests and seminarians of the community have sought to fulfill Fr. Bedard’s vision of the Church “waking up and coming explosively alive to the point where it, with the power of the Holy Spirit, will shake the earth and nations with its dynamic presence.”
Fr. Roger Vandenakker, CC, general superior of the Companions of the Cross, was one of the three seminarians there from the beginning.
“We saw a need for fraternity, for being able to support one another and not be isolated. And there was a vision for the renewal in the Church that we all felt,” Fr. Vandenakker said. “Fr. Bob would always say that people are ‘catechized but not evangelized.’ We shouldn’t presume that the people coming to Mass on Sunday actually know the Lord and have a personal relationship with Him. It’s the evangelization of the baptized.”
The community grew as more men were drawn to the Companions’ mission and charismatic spirit. In 1999, the Companions expanded into the United States, ministering at the Catholic Charismatic Center in Houston, Texas. Word began to spread about their good work.
Invitation to the Motor City
Word of the Companions had come to Detroit by way of the Archdiocese of Detroit's chancellor, Michael Trueman, whose mother attended a parish in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where Companions priests ministered. She spoke highly of the faithful, enthusiastic priests.
In 2011, then-Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron reached out to the Companions of the Cross, inviting them to consider a presence in Detroit. The order's seminarians could study at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, while their priests could provide pastoral care for a Detroit parish and chaplaincy for Wayne State University’s campus ministry.
“Detroit seemed like a good fit for us,” Fr. Vandenakker said. “We knew it was a solid seminary, very orthodox in its teaching. The program of the new evangelization suited us well, and their faculty was excellent, including Ralph Martin, whom we knew from the charismatic renewal movement.”
The Companions seminarians embraced their new home in Detroit, taking classes at Sacred Heart and living together off campus with Companions priests who served locally. Fr. Vandenakker’s brother, Fr. John Vandenakker, began teaching at Sacred Heart in 2012, where he continues to teach theology and provide spiritual direction.
Manas Khurana, a Companions seminarian who is on track be ordained a deacon this fall, grew up in India and moved to Canada with his family when he was in college. He converted to the Catholic faith in 2016 and felt a call to the priesthood soon after while in adoration. As he prepared to enter seminary to be a diocesan priest, he listened regularly to Catholic Answers Live, a radio show dedicated to Catholic apologetics.
“They would have ads for Sacred Heart where they’d mention some of their professors, and I recognized the name Dr. Robert Fastiggi. I used to watch debates with him as I was converting to the Catholic faith, and I remember thinking how awesome it would be if I could go to Sacred Heart,” Khurana said. “I hadn’t even considered the Companions yet, and I didn’t know they went to Sacred Heart. It’s just incredible how God placed that on my heart then, and now here I am.”
Khurana was drawn to the Companions for the fruits of the Holy Spirit and for the evangelization. He appreciates Archbishop Vigneron’s 2017 pastoral letter, Unleash the Gospel, and the way it aligns with the mission of the Companions.
“If this is what God has in store for the Church, I want to be part of it,” Khurana said.
Making an impact
Companions of the Cross priests and seminarians can be found around the Archdiocese of Detroit, providing pastoral care at Corpus Christi Parish in Detroit, hosting worship nights and healing services, and leading Alpha programs. They train people to share their love of Christ in their “School of Evangelization” and put on Life in the Spirit seminars. Their seminarians spend time at parishes as well.
Fr. Walter Ptak, a priest serving Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Farmington, first learned about the Companions in 2022 when then-seminarian Isaac Longworth, CC, contacted Fr. Ptak asking him to consider being his mentor for his upcoming diaconate year.
“I was very impressed with his zeal for the Lord,” Fr. Ptak said. “I had never heard of the Companions of the Cross, but I was drawn into learning more about them because of his request and his being on fire for the Lord.”
Fr. Ptak attended Fr. Longworth’s ordination to the priesthood in Ottawa in June of 2023. A few weeks later, the line for first blessings after Fr. Longworth’s Mass of thanksgiving at Our Lady of Sorrows stretched across the parish hall.
In 2024, Fr. Ptak asked the Companions to lead the Lenten parish retreat. Not long after, Archbishop Vigneron asked him whether the parish could accommodate another deacon for the 2024-25 academic year; Fr. Ptak said yes, with a special request for a Companions seminarian — a request the archbishop granted.
Deacon Michael Horianopoulos assisted there on weekends with Companions seminarians Karl Hartman and Matthew Conner. Deacon Horianopoulos served at the altar, sometimes preaching the homily, while Hartman and Conner guided the altar servers.
“The Companions are very genuine and have a deep commitment to the Lord and His Church,” Fr. Ptak said. “Their emphasis on evangelization and community living is very tangible. It is evident that these men call upon the Holy Spirit to guide them in bringing others to Christ.”
Deacon Horianopoulos will be ordained a priest in Ottawa on May 24. Before he entered seminary, he was a second-grade teacher living in British Columbia, Canada.
“When I opened up my life to God in a real, personal way, my life changed in a way I never imagined,” Deacon Horianopoulos said. “I’m excited for this life because I get to travel and minister with brothers who have a heart for evangelization. This life has already been so much more of an adventure as I get to connect with people, to pray with them, and to grow and understand who I am. The journey to the priesthood and the life of a priest is not boring.”
While the majority of the Companions are from Canada, a small percentage are from the United States, a number that is growing as more American men who are discerning the priesthood learn about the community.
John Brundage, who will be ordained a transitional deacon this fall, grew up in Dexter. He experienced a dramatic reversion to the Catholic faith while in college at Wayne State University. As he began to discern the priesthood, he heard God’s voice calling him to the Companions of the Cross.
“There’s something amazing about the Companions of the Cross when we do ministry together,” Brundage said. “The men in this community are powerful ministers and preachers, but because I live with them, I can take that for granted. But when we do ministry as a group and I see the Holy Spirit unleashed through them, it’s exciting to witness.”
A year of celebration
The Companions of the Cross were established as a society of apostolic life in 2003 in accordance with canon law. Since Fr. Bedard passed away in 2011, the community has grown to more than 40 priests. It continues to attract men looking for a life that is Eucharistic, devoted to Mary, loyal to the magisterium, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
This September, the Companions will celebrate their feast day in a special way to commemorate 40 years of God’s grace on their ministry. In particular, the priests and seminarians living at Visitation House will give thanks to God for calling them to their home in Detroit. Many of the lay faithful in Detroit, as well as their diocesan brothers, feel grateful in turn.
“I believe they have enriched our parish with their witness to the faith, their youthfulness and their apostolic zeal,” Fr. Ptak said.
