Spirituality

Members are called to increased personal sanctification.
Feast Days
Prayers
Reflections
In Memoriam

Prayer

a Call to Sanctification

Knights and Dames are called to live the vocation of membership daily. Along with the commitment to support Christians in the Holy Land, members are called to increased personal sanctification. Throughout the year, the Western Lieutenancy offer various events and activities where in the practice of faith and worship members may fulfill that vocation.

Feast Days of the Order

Members have the opportunity to receive a Plenary Indulgence on each Feast Day of the Order granted with the usual conditions set by the Church – which are, receiving Communion, praying for the intentions of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

St. Helena

Feast Day: August 18th

Holy and blessed Saint Helena, with the anguish and devotion with which You sought the Cross of Christ, I plead that You give me God’s grace to suffer in patience the labours of this life, so that through them and through your intercession and protection, I will be able to seek and carry the Cross, which God has placed upon me, so that I can serve Him in this life and enjoy His Glory ever after. Amen.

Pope St. Pius X, Former Grand Master of the Order

Feast Day: August 21

The Feast of Pope St. Pius X is a Feast of the Order at which a Plenary Indulgence can be granted under the usual conditions set by the Church. In the first few decades of the Twentieth Century, the reigning pontiff held the senior leadership position of the Order. During this period of time, Pius X intended the title Grand Master to be reserved for the papacy, a political move that linked the Order personally to the Pope without the Order becoming assimilated into the Holy See’s own honors system.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Feast Day September 14

The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross celebrates two historical events: the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, in 320 under the temple of Venus in Jerusalem, and the dedication in 335 of the basilica and shrine built on Calvary by Constantine, which mark the site of the Crucifixion.

However the feast, more than anything else, is a celebration and commemoration of God’s greatest work: His salvific death on the Cross and His Resurrection, through which death was defeated and the doors to Heaven opened.

Our Lady Queen of Palestine, Patroness of the Order

Feast Day: The Last Sunday in October

Our Lady, Queen of Palestine, Pray for us and all the peoples of the Lands made sacred by your Son’s Life, Death, and Resurrection. Amen.

Devotion to Our Lady

Filial devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary should be a special characteristic of every member of the Order. The faith of Mary, Mother of Jesus, has illuminated the path that each member of the Order takes. Mary, the model of faith which is put into practice, is the woman who was docile to the voice of the Spirit, a woman of silence and hope. As the highly favored daughter of the Father, she is the perfect model of love towards both God and neighbor.

Prayers

The highest calling of Knights and Dames is to the person of Jesus Christ, and for this reason they are to carefully and diligently foster an active life of prayer, especially for the intentions of Christians in the Holy Land and in order to grow in personal holiness and in friendship with God. Daily prayer, especially with prayers of the Order, guide members toward achieving their vocation. As the Constitution of the Order states, “It is not possible to stress sufficiently that the charitable work of the Order must have its roots in the spirituality of its members.”

First Monday Rosary

The Western Lieutenancy reserves the first Monday of every month as a day of fasting and gathering together in the evening to pray the Rosary. The Area Councillor will arrange for members in the Section to meet at a member’s home or at one of the parishes in the Diocese to pray the Rosary. If unable to join one of these groups, members are encouraged to nonetheless pray the Rosary at home. Contact your Area Councillor for locations and times.

Thursday Evening Rosary

We warmly invite you to join our weekly Zoom Prayer Meeting every Thursday night from 7:00-7:30 PM Pacific to pray the Holy Rosary for peace in the Holy Land. This is an open invitation to all members of the Order, regardless of where you are, along with any of your friends and family. This Thursday night Rosary has been going strong every week for over 4-years. It’s a moment for us all to pause, reflect, and pray together for the Christians in the Holy Land and for all our personal intentions.  

Please visit this link to learn how to join the prayer.

Order Prayers

Prayer of the Western Lieutenancy

Oh, Almighty God, we, the Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre, who throughout the centuries have watched and witnessed at the gloriously empty tomb of Jesus, beg you to send us forth again, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, clad in the armor of our faith, with good works as our sword, in the loving service of Christ Our King.
Amen.

Knight’s Code of Honor

My soul to God—by the full spiritual life;
My life to Christ the King;
My heart to our Blessed Lady; and
My own honor – the ineffable honor that comes to him who called the Church my Mother and to him who calls God, my Father and strives to live like His Son.
Amen.

Daily Prayer of the Order

Lord Jesus, who has willed to call me to the Ranks of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, I humbly ask You, by the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, of Saint Joseph, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and all the Saints, to help me to remain faithful to the traditions of our Order, in practicing and defending the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Religion against impiety and in exercising charity to my Neighbor and above all to the poor and sick in the Holy Land. Grant to me and my confreres the grace to support by prayer and sacrifice the maintenance of the Holy Places and the work of His Beatitude the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. Give me the strength to be able to execute these desires with a truly Christian spirit, for The Glory of God, the peace of the world, and the good of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
Amen.

The Memorare

Membership carries with it certain spiritual and temporal responsibilities with the first being daily prayer for peace in the Holy Land. Praying the Memorare to Our Lady, Queen of Palestine is especially encouraged. The Blessed Virgin Mary, under this title, was officially declared Patroness of the Order in 1994, by order of the Apostolic See. The Memorare was given to the Order by St. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, when he urged the Second Crusade.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come; before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Prayer to Mary Queen of Palestine, Patroness of the Order

Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, asked several contemplative monastic communities of his diocese to write a prayer to Mary Queen of Palestine, patron of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, whose feast falls on October 25.

The hope expressed is that with the Virgin Mary we place ourselves before the One for whom nothing is impossible. Faced with the difficult situation of the Holy Land, we strengthen our trust in the Mother of the Prince of Peace, confident of the power of her intercession in favor of justice.

To you, Virgin Mother Mary,
Queen of the Land of Christ
we come to praise you, to thank you
and entrust to you all your children, inhabitants and pilgrims
of this Land.

Virgin, Daughter of Zion,
teach us the love you have for everyone, without distinction.
Show us your merciful heart,
give us your clarity of vision.

As in the days of Nazareth
teach us to listen attentively to the voice of God
and to his Word of life.
Teach us fidelity in our daily work
and silence capable of creating profound communion.

Like in Cana
watch over families,
so that there is no lack of joy and unity.

As on the streets of Galilee and Judea,
precede us on the path of discipleship
in the footsteps of your beloved Son
to the supreme offering at the foot of Calvary.

As in the Upper Room, intercede with the gift of the Spirit
that cries in us: “Abbà”.

The One Father for Jews, Christians and Muslims,
Help us all to walk
on the paths of forgiveness and reconciliation
so the walls that divide may fall.

Mother of the Prince of Peace,
also gift us the taste of Heaven
that supports our hope,
so that soon “justice and peace will kiss”
this Holy Land and the entire earth.
Amen.

Reflections

From time to time, and especially during the Liturgical seasons of Lent and Advent, the Lieutenancy offers spiritual reflections written by clerical or lay members of the Order. These reflections will be sent by email and posted on the Lieutenancy website.

2024 In Memoriam

Members of the Order attend funeral services to honor the deceased Knight or Dame to comfort the family and pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased. Since funeral rites have a private character, the attendance of any delegation of the Order shall be subject to the deceased member’s family prior approval. In case the family approves, the Order shall attend the rite officially with a vested delegation.

PRAY FOR DECEASED MEMBERS

Please pray for following members of our Order who have passed on since the 2023 Annual Meeting.
May their souls rest in peace.

Sir Norman Anderson, KGCHS
Sir Albert Bartolic, KGCHS
Sir Kenneth Batinovich, KCHS
Reverend Brian Bell, KCHS
Sir John Biale, KGCHS
Reverend Peter Boutros, KHS
Most Reverend Tod D. Brown, KC*HS
Dame Peggy M. Coyne, DGCHS
Sir Robert Fiorentino, KHS
Dame Alexis Gonyeau, DCHS
Sir James Hennigan, KHS
Sir Felix Jabczenski, KC*HS
Dame Patricia Keating, DGCHS
Dame Nancy Lawton, DC*HS
Sir Glen Miller, KHS
Reverend Monsignor Terence Moore, KCHS
Reverend Monsignor Richard Moyer, KHS
Sir Robert A. Oehlman, KCHS
Sir John Parris, KCHS
Sir Albert Pavlikowski, KGCHS
Sir Keith Perez, KC*HS
Dame Martha Romeu, DCHS
Dame Jeanette Sampson, DHS
Dame Kristina Seirfert, DHS
Dame Margaret Von Der Ahe, DC*HS
Sir Richard Ward, Jr., KGCHS

Prayer for Deceased Members

Into your loving arms, Father of mercies,
we commend our departed brothers and sisters.
Let the choir of angels open to them
the gates of the new Jerusalem.
Help us who remain to comfort
one another with assurances of faith
until we all meet in Christ and are with you forever.
Amen.

Mass Cards

Among the duties of Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is prayer for deceased members.  We have developed our own Mass Card in which Mass intentions are available for both members and non-members living or deceased.  Once we receive the specific information, we will send it to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem where a Mass will be celebrated for the intended person.  We encourage members to avail themselves of this grace-filled service. 

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