Knights of the Holy Sepulcher

A Knight in the Crusades??? Aren’t the crusades long past? They are, but last month I had the opportunity of being made a Knight in the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher. It was an honor and an incredibly moving experience for all of us who participated. Archbishop Listecki presided over the ceremony at the Cathedral Church in Cincinnati. Over 300 people attended and around 60 received this honor, which dates back to the crusades. I am using some thoughts from the Archbishop in a recent letter he sent out to Catholics to help explain the event.

"The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem (EOHSJ) is an order in the Church established by the Pope to care for the specific needs of the faithful. The Knights and Dames of the Equestrian Order are charged with the care of the Holy Shrines in Jerusalem, most especially that of the Holy Sepulcher, the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as the promotion, protection, and support for the Christians in the Holy Land.”

The Archbishop continued, “This year I had the privilege of presiding at the Investiture of the new members. There is a deeply spiritual component in the service where the new inductees are reminded of their spiritual responsibility before God. They promised to live lives reflecting the gospel mandate and witness to the Church in word and deed. As they received the garb of the order and the insignia which they will wear at various formal liturgical gatherings, I placed my crosier on their shoulders as a sign of the bond they now possessed before Christ and His Church. This is the moment they became Knights and Dames of the Equestrian Order.”

Since my first visit to the Holy Land (yes, as a seminarian in 1975), I have been inspired by the Jerusalem Cross. It has been an important symbol of faith for me that is rooted at the center of our faith, the place of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A number of years ago I was looking to purchase a set of Mass vestments. I searched high and low then it hit me like a brick; The Jerusalem Cross. That’s the symbol on my personal vestments. I’m excited to wear them for all sorts of reasons.

When I learned that the symbol of the Catholic Community of Waukesha was a variation of the Jerusalem Cross, things came together again. This is where I need to be, to continue to grow in my faith. Now, as a Knight, I believe that more than ever.

Together we will grow in our relationship with Jesus and in our deeper understanding of his death and resurrection. This Jerusalem Cross is, for all of us, “a spring of hope.”

Fr. Pat