Youssef, Patriarch of the Cities of Antioch, Alexandria and of Jerusalem, of Cilicia, Syria, Iberia, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Pentapolis, Ethiopia, of all of Egypt and the entire East, Father of Fathers, Pastor of Pastors, Bishop of Bishops, .the Thirteenth of The Holy Apostles, Patriarch of the Melkite-Greek-Catholic Church
Greeting
Whereas We have thought fit to reward the courage and bravery of the Sodalists of the Ordo Militiae Christi Templi Hierosolymitani with preaching the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ .
Whereas We can see your perpetual loyalty to the Church and to the Catholic teaching.
We do by these Presents grant upon you this chivalric and pastorally renewed the Statute General for the Ordo Equitum Christi Templique Hierosolymitani together with all and singular the privileges thereunto belonging or appertaining.
PREAMBLE
Whereas we need today courage and bravery in preaching the Gospel.
Whereas we need today courage and bravery to practice and to witness the Christian way of life.
Whereas we need today courage and bravery to protect persecuted Christians in different parts of the world.
Whereas we need today courage and bravery of apologetics who defend the Faith with systematic argumentation and discourse.
Whereas we need today courageous and brave people who live according the indication of Saint Charbel Makhlouf: “CHRIST IS THE WAY. Remain firm in Christ and follow the way, and do not let anything move you away from Him”.
Whereas we need today courageous and brave Knights of Christ.
We do by these Presents grant upon the Sodalists, Chevaliers and Dames, who constitute a holy chivalry this Statute General of the Ordo Equitum Christi Templique Hierosolymitani.
Chapter 1
Foundational Predications
Art. 1.
The Ordo Equitum Christi Templique Hierosolymitani, hereinafter referred as the OECTH, is the Order of Chivalry, protected and approved and staying under Spiritual Protection of the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East, with every canonically elected succeeding Patriarch as the Spiritual Protector.
Let the motto of the OECTH be: Praedicamus Christum crucifixum and let the cry be: Memento finis.
The OECTH has a special esteem to the Psalm 115: Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam.
Art. 2.
Sodalists of the OECTH, Chevaliers and Dames, are obliged to propagate the Christian way of life and to promote and support religious, cultural, charitable and social works.
Chapter 2
Supreme Bodies
Art. 3.
The Grand Spiritual Protector of the OECTH is the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and His canonically elected successors.
Art. 4.
1. The Grand Prior General of the OECTH, is the supreme governing head of the OECTH.
2. The Grand Prior General is elected for life by the Grand Convent General.
3. The Grand Prior General rules with Decrees.
4. Decrees of the Grand Prior General may be undermined exclusively by the Bishop appropriate for the jurisdiction.
Art. 5.
1. The Grand Chapter General of the OECTH is the supreme advisory body of the Grand Prior General.
2. Members of the Grand Chapter General of the OECTH they are: the Grand Chancellor of the OECTH, the Grand Marshall of the OECTH, three Grand Councillors of the OECTH.
Art. 6.
1. The Grand Convent General of the OECTH is the vox fratri.
2. The Grand Convent General of the OECTH meets every three years, convened by the Grand Prior General.
3. The task of the Grand Convent General is to safeguard the fidelity to the charisma and goals of the Grand Priory in light of the teachings of the Church.
Art. 7.
Let the implementation of governance will be a humble service for good of the others – Matthew, 20, 20-28.
Chapter 3
Patron Saints
Art. 7.
Sodalists of the OECTH, mindful of the traditions of the Christian knighthood and of a special worship of the mediaeval knights to Our Lady, Mother of Our Savior Jesus Christ, entrusts themselves totally and completely in all of their activities to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Art. 8.
The OECTH has the very special veneration to Patron Saints:
– Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist – patrons of chivalric orders,
– Saint George of Lyddia, Saint James the Greater, the Apostle and Saint Michael the Archangel – patrons of chivalry,
– Saint Jude the Apostle – the patron of difficult and hopeless cases,
– Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, initiator of Christian Knighthood, author of the De laudae novae militiae.
Art. 9.
Holidays of the OECTH there are:
– 24th of April – Memory of Saint George of Lyddia,
– 24th of June – Solemnity of Saint John the Baptist,
– 3rd Sunday of July – Feast of Saint Charbel Makhlouf, OLM, Monk and Presbyter,
– 25th of July – Feast of Saint James the Greater, the Apostle,
– 14th of August – Feast of Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe, OFMCap., Presbyter and Martyr,
– 20th of August – Memory of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot,
– 29th of September – Feast of Saint Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel,
– 13th of October – The Memory Day,
– 28th of October – Feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude, the Apostles,
– 8th of December – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary,
– 27th of December – Feast of Saint John the Evangelist.
Chapter 4
The Charisma and Goals
Art. 10.
The OECTH is strengthening the traditional spirit of religiosity and chivalry and takes the following tasks:
1. To strengthen the Kingdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ among the people, by promoting values of the Gospels and the practice of the virtues of justice, of mercy and of charity.
2. To defend the Faith, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and the Christian civilization.
3. To co-operate strictly with the Maronite Church to strengthen the Christianity in the Middle East and worldwide.
4. To help abandoned, poor and sick.
5. To defend innocents from injustice.
6. To pray every 3rd Wednesday of the month for the conversion of the enemies of the Church by intercession of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe.
7. To support the research and the scientific projects, the conservation and restoration works of monuments and of archives, which reveal the historical truth about the mediaeval Order of the Poor Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon and to testify the mediaeval Knights Templar zeal of faith and their faithfulness to the Church.
Art. 11.
Sodalists of the Grand Priory, mindful of the vocation of all Christians to personal holiness and to evangelization, and being aware of teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ and of the mission of His Mother and Our Lady, Mary, in the Church in the world, set as their main task the spreading of the Kingdom of Christ in Earth by taking the works of apostolate, related to the evangelization and to exercise the works of piety and charity.
Art. 12.
Sodalists of the Grand Priory, living in described for each of them environments and communities, are obliged to bear witness of Christian knighthood, seeking to grow in knowledge of the Savior. Everyone is recommended to the daily reading and contemplation of the Holy Bible, especially of the Gospels.
Chapter 5
Membership
Art. 13.
1. Catholic, man or woman, fulfilling the requirements provided in this General Statute and other laws may join the OECTH.
2. Sodalists of the OECTH are forbidden to join and to become members of organizations, associations and political parties, which activities are against God and against the Doctrine and teaching of the Catholic Church.
Art. 14.
1. There are two categories of Members:
a) Chevalier (Knight) / Dame.
b) Chaplain.
2. There are two categories of Candidates:
a) Squires,
b) Novices.
3. Members and Candidates are commonly referred as Sodalists.
Art. 15.
Members are allowed to wear the Chevalier Cross on ribbon and white cape (mantle), Chaplains are also allowed to wear white mozzetta, Squires are allowed to wear the Squire Cross on ribbon and black cape (mantle). Capes (mantles) and mozzettas have the red Cross pattee on left chest.
Chapter 6
Final Rules and Regulations
Art. 16.
Membership of the OECTH terminates by:
a) death of a Sodalist,
b) voluntarily resignation of a Sodalist,
c) the existence of the conditions of Art. 17 of this General Statute.
Art. 17.
The expulsion of a Sodalist from the OECTH is due to:
a) publicly rejection the Catholic faith and defection from ecclesiastical communion, or punishment by an imposed or declared excommunication; those enrolled legitimately who fall into the situation mentioned, after being warned, are to be dismissed from the OMCTH, with due regard for its statutes and without prejudice to the right of recourse to the ecclesiastical authority,
b) misappropriation of the Oath and the laws of the OECTH,
c) jeopardizing the reputation of the OECTH,
d) not to fulfill the obligations laid down in the laws of the OECTH.
Art. 18.
The hierarchy of laws:
- Decrees of the Spiritual Protector
- Decrees of the Bishop appropriate for the jurisdiction,
c) Decrees of the Grand Prior General,
d) Resolutions of the Grand Convent General.
Art. 19.
The OECTH can be abolished or suspended by the decision taken by the Grand Convent General of the OECTH, with majority of the 3/5 of the votes, in the presence of at least 3/5 members entitled to vote and unopposed and confirmed in writing by the Spiritual Protector.
Art. 20.
The original text is this in English language.
Art. 21.
The Statute General comes into force on the day of signing by His Beatitude the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem of the Melkite-Greek-Catholic Church.
Given at Our Patriarchal Basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin in the City of Rome under Our Sign Manual and the Seal of the Melkite-Greek-Catholic Patriarchate on the 18th Day of Month June in the Year of Our Lord MMXXII in the Fourth Year of Our Pontificate.
(Seal of the Patriarchate and Personal Signature of His Beatitude the Patriarch)
