The surprising history of the Catholic church's circus priests

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/07/20/the-surprising-history-of-the-catholic-churchs-circus-priests/?tid=a_inl

Before I left the center ring of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’s Blue Unit traveling troupe, Father Frank Cancro handed me a postcard. On the front was Mary, her arms outstretched, with a multicolored shawl draping down from her hands like a circus tent. A lion, a tiger and a dancing dog were at her feet, with a clown, an acrobat, a juggler and others contained within the safety of her tent. They all stood on a star, at the center of the center ring.

“Mary, Mother of all who travel down the road, pray for us!” the back of the postcard read.

Mary, Cancro explained, protects those who spend their lives in the circus. That includes Cancro, who has a parish in North Carolina but also works as a “circus priest,” spending three to four days every month with circus folk. His off-white vestments are embroidered with a small, sparkling elephant.

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1. It's amazing the places the Church goes.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/meet-the-priest-who-serves-the-most-rural-parts-of-papua-new-guinea-59044/

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2. Are you familiar with the Croziers?

(Not sure of the spelling, I think it's right.) They were the order of priests who first ministered to the head-hunting tribes of Indonesia, in particular the Asmat. They adopted native dress in lieu of vestments and held mass in huts. They also turned out to be good advocates for the tribe, pushing back against the government so that Asmat could stay on their land.

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3. I've heard of the Crosiers.

https://www.crosier.org/index.php/en/

I hadn't thought of them as a missionary order but it turns out you're right.

At the same time, men were sent into other parts of the world as well, beginning missions in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1920; sending Crosiers to the island of Java in Indonesia in 1926; and, in 1934, establishing a presence in Brazil. Since 1958, Crosiers have worked in the Diocese of Agats-Asmat in the West Papua region of Indonesia.

https://www.crosier.org/index.php/en/about/history

Thanks for the info!