Knights of the Holy Sepulchre by John McDermott
Following a Vigil Service, an Investiture Mass was held at St. George’s Cathedral, Southwark, on Saturday 5 December, 2009, when the Reverend Canon Timothy Madeley, Dean of Arundel Cathedral, was invested as a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem by the Grand Prior, Archbishop Kevin McDonald. Present at the ceremony were H.E. Dr. David Smith, Lieutenant of England and Wales, the Governor General Count Augostino Borromeo, the Right Reverend Richard Moth, Bishop to the Forces, Fra. Duncan Gallie, Knight Justice of the Order of Malta, Bro. Joe McNally, Grand President of the Catenian Association and 350 members of the Order. A celebration luncheon followed in the Great Hall at Lincoln’s Inn. The Order dates back to the time of the Crusades in the 11th Century and was resuscitated by Pope Pius IX in 1847 entrusting it with the primary task of supporting the activities of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem. The members of this International Order undertake this responsibility by Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, prayer, direct action and oblation. The main thrust of the Order is to support the Church, the Seminary, Bethlehem University, the schools and housing to help maintain the spiritual and material welfare of the dwindling numbers of Christians, the living stones, who live in the Holy Land. For further information on the Order you are invited to contact John McDermott KC*HS, Section President, telephone 01243 552 109.
Origins of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem courtesy of www.khs.org.uk
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, which then had both ecclesiastical and military aspects, had its origins in the successful conclusion of the First Crusade and the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1099. The ecclesiastical role was evidenced by the Latin Patriarch - an office first founded by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 - and the Regular Canons of the Holy Sepulchre of St. Augustine, who were established by Gibelin of Sabran, Archbishop of Arles and Arnulf de Roher, the Patriarch, in 1114. The military role was initiated by the election as leader of the First Crusade of Godfrey de Bouillon, who led his men to victory in Jerusalem on 15 July 1099. Godfrey accepted the title 9