OUR PROFESSION CROSS

We know that Mother Celine chose this cross because it was without the corpus of Jesus, and would be acceptable in Orthodox countries.  After Poland, our first mission was in Bulgaria.  Also, it is a fact that Mother Celine had a special devotion to Our Lady of Ostrabrama in Wilno, Poland.  That picture is above an altar where Mass is celebrated.  When the tabernacle is opened, this cross is evident.  Undoubtedly, Mother Celine gazed at it many times in her youth.

The profession cross is a "botonee cross", also spelled "bottonee".  It is a stylized cross, common in heraldry as well as Christian iconography.  We have no written records of Mother Celine's ideas, but we know that the symbols she placed on the cross are very meaningful to our spirituality.

Symbols on front of Cross:

Resurrection banner (top)

Alpha, Christ, Omega (middle)

Ave Maria (bottom)

The botonee cross is also called a disciple's cross.  In Christianity the three buds at the end of the arms of the cross remind believers of the Trinity -- we are called to give glory to the Triune God.  Like the appendages of other crosses, these buds have other interpretations.  They can represent the life that emerges from death; the sacrifice of Jesus as the source of life; renewed life from difficult circumstances; or the journey of growth in faith, like flowers growing but not yet bloomed.

Our profession cross has become identified with a Sister of the Resurrection, and that is how we are recognized.  It gives the essence of our way of life, our spirituality.  But Mother Celine never considered the cross as our coat of arms.  It was the way to Resurrection.  For Mother Celine our coat of arms was the Resurrection banner -- the sign of the victory of Christ!