Companions of the Cross Order gains 1st Bishop with Christian Riesbeck in Ottawa

On March 19 the Order of the Companions of the Cross gained their 1st Bishop. Christian Riesbeck of the Companions of the Cross was ordained as Ottawa's Auxiliary Bishop.  Fr. Scott McCaig,the Companion’s General Superior expressed joy at this news. Fr. Bob Bedard founded the Companions in 1985 in Ottawa. The order is now in Ottawa, Halifax, Toronto, Houston and Detroit with 10 parishes, 37 priests, one deacon and 14 seminarians. Riesbeck who is only 44 years old studied Canon Law.
Here is a brief Biography from the Companions Site: Bishop-elect Riesbeck was born in Montreal on February 7, 1970 to Heribert Riesbeck, a native of Germany and Colette Levesque, originally from Grand Falls, New Brunswick. His elementary schooling took place in Aylmer, Quebec and in Nepean, Ontario and his secondary schooling at St. Pius X High School in Nepean. He has earned a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in political science from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Divinity degree from St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto and a Master’s degree and Licentiate in Canon Law from St. Paul’s University in Ottawa. Ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Marcel Gervais as a member of the Companions of the Cross at Notre Dame Cathedral on October 12, 1996, he served for brief periods between 1996 and 1999 at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Kingston, St. Jude’s in Hawkesbury, Our Lady of Divine Love in Pendleton and St. Francis Xavier in Brockville before becoming pastor of Queen of Peace parish in Houston, Texas (1999-2008). Bishop-elect Riesbeck’s parents and two sisters Sylvie (Craig) and Heidi (Pierre) live in Ottawa. Besides English and French, he speaks Spanish and German. -