ENGLISH: BASIC INFORMATION & STATUTE

Order of the Knights of Christ of the Temple of Jerusalem (Ordo Militiae Christi Templi Hierosolymitani) refers to spirituality and tradition of the mediaeval  Knights Templar Order without historical continuity.

The OMCTH is the Catholic Chivalric Order under Spiritual Protection of His Beatitude Joseph I, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem for the Melkite Catholics.
Headquarters of the Federation OMCTH is in the City of Cologne (Germany).
Seat of the OMCTH Grand Priory of Poland is the City of Gliwice.

Who can become Knight Temlar?
Member of the Order may become: Catholic, man or woman, both secular or clerical, meeting the requirement under the Statute General and other laws.

There are two kinds of membership in the Order according to laws and duties:
–          Knights (Chevaliers) and Dames Templar,
–          Squires of the Order.

Members of the Order cannot belong to organizations, associations and parties which activities are contrary to God and to the doctrine and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

What are the duties of a member of the Order?
Members of the Order should give with their life a real example of Christian values in everyday life, both family and professional life.

Most of Templars are secular and their everyday life in some way affects and interference with life of others.

What is charisma of the Order?
The Order takes work of the lay apostolate.
The Order supports poor, disabled and children from dysfunctional families.
The Order actively supports evangelization .

The Order supports Christian, but especially Catholics in the Holy Land and in the Levant.

What are duties of the member of the Order?
Member of the Order is required to:
–          compliance with standards and rules adopted in the Order,
–          compliance with the Statute General and other laws of the Order,
–          participate in the annual Convention or religious retreat, and in the Convent of the Investiture,
–          support the works of the Order according to his/her abilities, even if only by prayer,
–          pay the annual oblation for the Order in the amount not less than 100 euros.

How can one become Knight Templar?
1.      Please obligatory send following documents:
–          the Candidate Aplication,
–          CV,
–          motivation letter (written by one’s own hand – handwritten),
–          photography,
–          statement (may be handwritten) that the candidate has not been convicted for intentional crimes.
2.      Additional documents can be attached, to witness professional, non-professional, religious, charitable and other activities.
3.      The Grand Commander starts the application procedure after receiving complete of documents. Important: sending documents is not compare with joining the Order.
4.      The application procedure consists at least one obligatory  meeting with candidate.
5.      The Investiture is held once a year.
6.      After the application procedure is completed, the Postulant (Candidate permitted to be invested) pays an initiation fee of 100 euros and also pays for Order’s Regalia and Mantle.
7.      Knight/Dame Templar receives a certification and some other gifts.

 

STATUTE

 

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 Grand Priory of Poland 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 Autonomous Statute General for the Grand Priory of Poland of the Ordo Militiae Christi Templi Hierosolymitani together with all and singular the privileges thereunto belonging or appertaining.

 

PREAMBULE

The Ordo Militiae Christi Templi Hierosolymitani, hereinafter referred as the OMCTH, is the International Federation of Grand Priories, protected and approved and staying under Spiritual Protection of the Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem of the Greek-Melkite-Catholic Church, with every Patriarch as the Spiritual Protector.

The Grand Priory of Poland of the OMCTH, according to its exceptional rules, accepts only         and exclusively Sodalists who are of Catholic and Apostolic Profession.

Sodalists of the Grand Priory of Poland of the OMCTH accept as their motto words: Praedicamus Christum crucifixum and as their cry words: Memento finis.

The OMCTH have a special esteem to the Psalm 115: Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam.

 

Chapter 1

Position in the Church 

Art. 1.

Sodalists of the Grand Priory of Poland of the OMCTH, Chevaliers and Dames, hereinafter referred to as the Grand Priory, constitute a holy chivalry whose knightly and humanitarian objectives are as prescribed in this Statute General, namely to propagate the Christian way of life  and to promote and support religious, cultural, charitable and social works of particular concern to the Melkite-Greek-Catholic Church.

Art. 2.    

The Grand Priory is the chivalric and fraternal pious sodality (pia unio), which acts under the Law on the Relationship of the State to the Catholic Church in the Republic of Poland of the May 17th, 1989 and under proper regulations of the Canon Law about the private associations of faithful in the Catholic Church.

 

Chapter 2

Supreme Bodies of the Grand Priory 

Art. 3.

  1. The Grand Prior of Poland of the OMCTH, hereinafter referred as the Grand Prior, is the supreme head of the Grand Priory.
  2. The Grand Prior is the Vicar General of the OMCTH, except when he is elected as the Grand Prior General of the OMCTH.
  3. The Grand Prior rules with Decrees.
  4. Decrees of the Grand Prior may be undermined exclusively by the Bishop appropriate for the jurisdiction.

Art. 4.

  1. The Grand Chapter General of the Grand Priory is the supreme advisory body of the Grand Prior.
  2. Members of the Grand Chapter General of the Grand Priory they are: the Grand Chancellor of the Grand Priory, the Grand Marshall of the Grand Priory, three Grand Councillors of the Grand Priory.

Art. 5.

  1. The Grand Convent General of the Grand Priory is the vox fratri.
  2. The Grand Convent General of the Grand Priory meets every three years, convened by the Grand Prior.
  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. 6.

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 Grand Priory, 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 Grand Priory 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,

– Blessed George Popiełuszko, Presbyter and Martyr – as a perfect pattern of a modern Knight of Christ.

Art. 9.

Holidays of the Grand Priory there are:

– 24th of April – Memory of Saint George of Lyddia,

– 3rd of May – Solemnity of Our Lady Queen of Poland,

– 24th of June – Solemnity of Saint John the Baptist,

– 25th of July – Feast of Saint James the Greater, the Apostle,

– 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,

– 19th of October – Memory of Blessed George Popiełuszko, Presbyter and Martyr,

– 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 Grand Priory 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 Greek-Melkite-Catholic 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 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

Sodalists 

Art. 13.

  1. Catholic, man or woman, fulfilling the requirements provided in this General Statute and other laws may become Sodalist of the Grand Priory.
  2. Sodalists of the Grand Priory 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.

There are three categories of Sodalists:

  1. Knight / Dame,
  2. Chaplain,
  3. Squire.

Art. 15.

Knights and Dames and Chaplains 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 Grand Priory terminates by:

  1. death of a Sodalist,
  2. voluntarily resignation of a Sodalist,
  3. the existence of the conditions of Art. 17 of this General Statute.

Art. 17.

The expulsion of a Sodalist from the Grand Priory is due to:

  1. 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,
  2. misappropriation of the Oath and the laws of the Grand Priory,
  3. jeopardizing the reputation of the OMCTH,
  4. not to fulfill the obligations laid down in the laws of the Grand Priory.

Art. 18.

The hierarchy of laws:

  1. Decrees of the Spiritual Protector
  2. Decrees of the Bishop appropriate for the jurisdiction,
  3. Decrees of the Grand Prior,
  4. Resolutions of the Grand Convent General of the Grand Priory.

Art. 19.

The Grand Priory can be abolished or suspended by the decision taken by the Grand Convent General of the Grand Priory, 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 See in the City of Damascus under Our Sign Manual and the Seal of the Melkite-Greek-Catholic Patriarchate on the XII Day of Month DECEMBER in the Year of Our Lord MMXVIII in the Second Year of Our Pontificate.

Podpis: + Youssef Absi

Pieczęć Okrągła Patriarchatu Melchickiego

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