A crosier is a staff with a curved top that is carried by bishops of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and some European Lutheran churches and by abbots and abbesses as an insignia of their ecclesiastical office.
The crosier -- sometimes written 'crozier' -- or "pastoral staff" is, alongside the mitre, one of the most recognizable and iconic symbols of prelacy in the Church.
The crosier is an ecclesiastical ornament which is conferred on bishops at their consecration and on mitred abbots at their investiture, and which is used by these prelates in performing certain solemn functions. It is sometimes stated that archbishops do not use the crosier.
The meaning of CROSIER is a staff resembling a shepherd's crook carried by bishops and abbots as a symbol of office.
A symbol of episcopal office since the early days of the Church, the crosier is given to bishops during the consecration liturgy.
The ‘tools’ of a bishop: What the miter, crosier and ring mean
In medieval England, Crosiers were known as the Crutched (crossed) Friars. The designation refers to the Cross and the spirituality of the Order. Our primary feast day is the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which reflects a spirituality focused on the triumphant cross of Christ and our glorified Lord.
The name Crosier is derived from the French croisès (Latin crucisignati ); the literal medieval English rendering of the word was crutched (crossed) Friars. Source for information on Crosier Fathers: New Catholic Encyclopedia dictionary.
The crosier, also crozier, (Greek: paterissa; Slavonic: zhezl) is carried by Orthodox bishops and senior monastics as a stylized staff of office and a symbol of authority and jurisdiction.