Legates
invest in the Holy Land by supporting the Church in the land of Christ . . .
by Sabrina Arena Ferrisi
The word “knight” usually conjures
up images of fierce battles, shining armor and damsels in distress. Countless
knights traveled to the Holy Land during the Crusades to safeguard the holy
city of Jerusalem between the 11th and 13th centuries.
In Catholic circles, however,
knights are still a reality. One group of knights has never stopped working to
protect the Holy Land’s Christians and sacred places. The Equestrian Order of
the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem has been active more than 900 years, ranking it
as one of the Catholic Church’s oldest institutions.
Worldwide influence
“We want to make sure that a
Christian presence continues in the land of Our Lord,” said Cardinal John
Patrick Foley, the first American to be named the Order’s Grand Master. “We
don’t want it to be a place of dead stones, but of living stones,” he told Legatus
Magazine. “We’re called the Order of the Holy Sepulchre because the tomb is
empty. Jesus has risen.”
Needless to say, the Order ceased
all military activities centuries ago. Today, the organization focuses on
building up the Archdiocese of Jerusalem, which encompasses Israel, Cyprus,
Jordan and Palestine. It provides a full two-thirds of Latin Patriarch Fouad
Twal’s annual budget.
The Order has 26,000 members in 53
different jurisdictions called lieutenancies. The organization has a worldwide
reach with constituents in 35 countries and more than 12,000 members in the
U.S. alone.
“The evaluation process for
membership is quite thorough,” said Rita Deiss, Legatus member and Lady in the
Order. “I consider it quite an honor to be a member.”
Women and men are equals in the
Order, with the highest rank being Knight and Lady. Deiss is the first female
chancellor for the Western lieutenancy of the U.S.
“We made a Holy Land pilgrimage very
early in my membership and feel very strongly about Christian people living
there,” said Deiss. “Christians make up less than 1% of the population, and we
are the only group supporting these ‘living stones.’”
When on pilgrimage, members are
encouraged to visit projects the Order supports. They are also asked to pray
daily for peace.
“Members have a great commitment to
the Holy Land,” said Monsignor Chris Connelly, a member of the Order and
chaplain of Legatus’ Western Massachusetts chapter. “We get a newsletter for
our lieutenancy and an annual report from Rome. We are connected through our
different spiritual events and investitures of new members.”
Building the future
Prayer and financial donations are
members’ primary means of protecting and building the Church in Israel, Jordan
and beyond.
“Despite all the problems in the
Holy Land, vocations are increasing,” said Cardinal Foley. “In fact, we’re
working on building 10 new rooms for the seminary in Bethlehem.”
The Order has built 43 schools and
Bethlehem University over the past 10 years, and a maternity wing is under
construction at St. Joseph Hospital in East Jerusalem — the city’s only
Christian hospital.
Knights and Ladies of the Holy
Sepulchre have donated more than $50 million for the work of the Latin
Patriarch since 2000, Cardinal Foley said. Most projects are suggested by the
Patriarch. However, members also initiate projects.
“Our members visited a school in
Zarga, Jordan,” Deiss explained. “They noticed there was no library. So they
took it upon themselves to build one for them.”
Some American members import olive
wood figurines. Others sell Christmas cards and rosaries produced in the Holy
Land. But the economic impact of these projects is minimal, Cardinal Foley
said. In a land where discrimination against Christians is not uncommon, stable
employment is crucial for those who follow Christ.
The Order would like to develop a
microcredit project for small Christian businesses, the cardinal said, but
checkpoints at the Israeli West Bank security wall make such an endeavor
incredibly difficult.
“I was in D.C. recently for the
investiture of new members,” he said. “While I was there, I met with two
senators and two representatives to speak about the freedom of movement issue.”
Stability and peace
Christian institutions, like those
initiated by the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre, have contributed to
peace and stability in the region. The majority of students at Bethlehem
University, for example, are Muslim — and St. Joseph Hospital’s new maternity
ward will serve Jerusalem’s Muslim sector.
“We partnered with Rotary
International to build science labs in the Holy Land,” Deiss explained. “We
also provided wheelchairs for a rehabilitation hospital in Bethlehem.”
The Order’s construction projects
themselves help build bridges between Muslims and Christians by employing
people of all faiths.
“The idea is that all of the works
are open to everybody,” said Cardinal Foley. “King Abdullah of Jordan,
President Abbas of Palestine, and President Netanyahu of Israel have all said
that Catholic schools are a great source of mutual understanding.”
“On my first big trip to Galilee, I
visited a school where a Greek Orthodox Boy Scouts band played ‘Oh Susanna’ on
bagpipes,” he explained. “It was really something. It’s so important to meet
with the Christian community when you go to the Holy Land. You have Druze,
Muslims, Latin-rite Christians, Melkite, Armenian, Orthodox Christians, Syrian Catholics
all living together. The Holy Land is a real ‘salad’ where people want to
maintain their identity while accepting the other.”
Cardinal Foley, who has participated
in many of Legatus’ pilgrimages to Rome, said there is a unique connection
between Legatus and the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre.
“As business leaders, Legatus
members could have lots of ideas for the Holy Land,” he said.
Both groups have similar
requirements, which may account for the high number of Legates who are also
members of the Order.
“Knights have to obey and observe
Catholic ethics and principles when carrying out professional and social
duties,” said Monsignor Connelly. “Legates, in the marketplace, also observe
Catholic ethics. A knight is asked to set an example as a Catholic in word and
deed, and people in Legatus are proudly Catholic.”
Sabrina Arena Ferrisi is a Legatus
Magazine staff writer.
