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BeauséantJournal of the Autonomous Grand Priory of the United States

Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of JerusalemVolume 13, No. 2 . Winter-Spring 2011

Fall 2010 Pilgrimage to the Holy LandBy Chev. Keith Larson, GCTJ, GMTJ, Grand Prior XVII

Grand Prior Keith Larson presented his re-port on the Grand Priory’s Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in October, 2010. Here is his story.

We have all returned safely from the pilgrimage. It was truly an overwhelming experience, and I can-not begin to communicate the full impact of its signifi-cance. If you have not already gone, you simply must go.

In addition to being pilgrims, we had the privilege of meeting with a number of church leaders to deliver our annual Grand Priory donations. The advance party consisted of his Most Blessed (MB) THEODOSIUS, Dave Schorn, Bob and Margo Miller (Bob speaks Arabic) and Keith and Judy Larson. Here is my re-port on who we visited and what we accomplished.

His MB THEODOSIUS, David and I called on the Ar-menian Patriarchate on Sunday, October 24 (5 hours after we arrived). The Patriarch (age 93) was once again in the hospital so Archbishop Nourban Manougian stood in for him. The call was very pleasant and lasted over an hour. The Armenian Cognac was exceptional. We delivered $5,000 which was deeply appreciated. One fact that stuck with me about the call is that there were 45,000 Armenians in Jerusalem in 1948. Today there are fewer than 2000.

Grand Convent and Investiture 2011The Atlanta 2011 Grand C & I Committee

The 2011 Grand Convent and Investiture (C&I) is com-ing to Atlanta! Did you know that a small part of land of the City of Atlanta was once an American Indian village whose name translates into English as “Standing Peachtree.” It is a city that is rich in history, great for sightseeing and much to do for your shop-‘till-you-drop cravings.

Front row l. to r. Cathy Pharr, Maureen Lindell, Grand Prior Keith Larson, Sister Martha and Most Blessed THEODOSIUS at check presentation ceremony on Thursday October 28, 2010

The advance party (including wives) departed in a van on Monday to visit some of the schools that our donations are supporting. We visited the Franciscan’s Terra Santa School

The High Museum in Atlanta holds more than 11,000 works of art in its perma-nent collection. The Priory recommends you add the museum to your must see list!

The Priory of Holy Rood is pleased to invite you to this not-to-be-missed C&I, which will be held at the down-town Atlanta Hilton Northwest Hotel on May 20 and 21. The registration fee of $180 includes the Convent, Grand Prior’s Reception and Grand Banquet. This event is open to all Templar members, family and friends, but is particu-larly important to Priory and Commandery officers, who will have the opportunity to meet with their counterparts.

You can register for the Grand C&I by logging into the member’s only portion of the www.smotj.com website and clicking on Registration and Event details. Do not forget to make your room reservations directly with the Atlanta Hilton Northeast Hotel (1-770-447-4747) or through their link on the SMOTJ website. It is strongly encouraged that you reg-ister as soon as possible to ensure a reservation at the Hilton. The room rate is $99 per night plus taxes. The nearby Mar-riott or Holiday Inn will be available when the Hilton is full.

Several roundtable meetings and workshops are sched-uled for Friday and Saturday mornings, to provide train-ing and forums for discussion. Spaces will be allocated

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BeauséantPublisher:

CAPT Chev. Keith H. Larson, GCTJ, GMTJPriory of the Monitor and Merrimack

Grand Editeur:Chev. Marston Watson, GOTJ

Priory of St. David of Wales in New England48 Southwind Circle, Richmond, CA 94804-7404Telephone: (510) 234-1776 / Fax (510) 412-0544

Email: [email protected]

Layout & Production:Chvse. Kathleen Watson, DGOTJ

Priory of St. David of Wales in New England48 Southwind Circle, Richmond, CA 94804-7404Telephone: (510) 234-1776 / Fax (510) 412-0544

Email: [email protected]

Printer: Cerrito Printing, El Cerrito, California

Beauséant is a publication of the American Grand Priory of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem. It is distributed without charge to members of the Grand Priory and other members of the Order. Submissions are welcome and can be sent via email to the Editor (.txt or .doc files, PC only).

Grand OfficersCAPT Chev. Keith H. Larson, GCTJ, GMTJ - Grand Prior

Telephone (757) 481-7372 Fax (757) 481-2573Email: [email protected]

LtCol Chev. Thomas Pelham Curtis II, GCCTJ, GMTJGrand Chancellor


COL Chev. Buren Riley Shields, III, GCTJ - Grand InspectorTelephone (919) 363-3606 Fax (919) 363-3603Email: [email protected]

Chev. Walter Franklin Smith, GCTJ - Grand SecretaryTelephone (904) 794-2765Email: [email protected]

Chev. Patrick M. Carney, GOTJ - Grand TreasurerTelephone (210) 889-2322Email: [email protected]

Chev. Rev. Dr. Theodore F. Schneider, D.D., CTJ - Grand ChaplainTelephone (301) 989-1599Email: [email protected]

COL Renato P. Bacci, Jr., GCTJ - Grand AumonierTelephone (630) 595-4183 Fax (630) 595-4948Email: [email protected]

Chev. Michael J. Burke, GOTJ - Grand Administrative Officer P.O. Box 83926 Gaithersburg, MD 20883-3926


Religious Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of JerusalemHis Beatitude, Most Blessed Metropolitan Chevalier Theodosius Lazor,

D.D., D.H.L., GCRTJ, GCMCTJ

Royal Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of JerusalemH.R.H. Princess Elisabeth zu Ysenburg and Budingen, zu Schleswig-Hol-

stein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg, DGCTJ, GCMTJ

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Fall 2010 Pilgrimage to the Holy LandGrand Convent & Investiture 2011GPUSA Grand Chaplain Appointed A Word from the Grand PriorThe First Grand Master-Ordre du Temple: Bernard-Raymond Fabre PalapratGPUSA Priory NewsChurch of the Holy Sepulchre Painting at Grand Convent Auction2011 Grand Convent Registration FormLet Us PrayFall 2011 Pilgrimage Announcement

In This Issue:

GPUSA Grand Chaplain Appointed

The passing last September of the much-beloved Arch-bishop Herbert M. Groce, Jr., left a large void in our hearts and in his long-time role as Grand Chaplain of GPUSA. The sometimes painful but necessary search for his re-placement was conducted by Grand Prior Keith Larson. He and the GPUSA Executive Committee are pleased to announce the appointment of Chev. Rev. Dr. Theodore F. Schneider, D.D., CTJ Bishop Emeritus of the Evan-

gelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), as the GPUSA Grand Chaplain.

Rev. Schneider was elect-ed at the 1995 Synod Assem-bly on June 9, 1995 through the encouragement, votes and prayers of the Synod voting members represent-ing 75 congregations. Bishop Schneider was re-elected by the Synod Assembly on June 8, 2001. His pastor-ate began with his ordina-tion by the Virginia Synod

of the United Lutheran Church of America (ULCA) in 1959. He served as Senior Pastor in 1986 at Saint Luke Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, immediately prior to assuming the office of Bishop, which was a con-gregation of approximately 1,800 communing members. Bishop Schneider pastored in Lancaster County as well, including the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Lancaster, Advent Lutheran Church in Lancaster and Saint

continued on page 10

Dr. Theodore F. Schneider, D.D., CTJ

A Word from the Grand Prior3BeauséantWinter-Spring 2011

Greetings to all: I hope that everyone

is beginning to see a few glimpses of the coming spring after the rather un-usual winter most of us have experienced. Here are a few of my thoughts

and through our special fund raisers for Haiti and for Canon White. While we do not yet have the final figures in for 2010, our individual priories contributed an additional $167,675 to charities in 2009, primarily in their

as I look out the window and see sun and the daffodils already trying to push their way up through the ground!

I was fortunate enough to go on our SMOTJ pilgrim-age to the Holy Land last October along with 23 other pilgrims, including His Beatitude the Most Blessed THEODOSIUS. Words fail me when I try to describe the impact this trip had on Judy and me. There is an article on the next pilgrimage in this Beauséant that will take place in November of 2011. I strongly recommend to those of you that have not been to the Holy Land that you sign up for this one as soon as possible. It is truly a life changing event.

As part of that pilgrimage last fall, The Most Blessed THEODOSIUS, Grand Registrar David Schorn and I went several days early so that we could visit three of the schools that we are helping to support and then call on the senior religious leaders of the churches to which we con-tribute . The church leaders included His Grace the Rt. Rev’d Suheil S. Dawani, Bishop of the Anglican Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East; Archbishop Nourhan Manougian of the Armenian Patriarchate; His Grace the Rt. Rev’d Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land who is also the Grand Chaplain General of OSMTH; The Rev. Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, Custos of the Holy Land (Francis-cans); and Archimandrite Minaev Isidor, Head of the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission to Jerusalem.

Also, we met with Sister Maria, a Franciscan nun who runs the Family Counseling and Job Creation Center in Bethlehem, and Sister Martha (Russian Or-thodox) who runs the Orthodox School for Girls in Bethany. Both nuns expressed their profound grati-tude for both our contributions and for taking the time to come and see them, as well as the true needs of the Christian community. They continue to feel isolated and alone. It is visits like ours that help reassure our brothers and sisters in Christ and they are not alone!

Speaking of Jerusalem, I am extremely proud of just how generous you have been during the previous year. We delivered $145,976 in 2010 to the Holy Land, Canon White and to Haiti. This was raised through your gener-ous contributions to the Jerusalem Mite, your oblations

local. It looks as though our contributions in 2010 this will be even greater. This brings our total donation for the Order to over $310,000, which does not include your donations in kind or the many, many hours donated to organizations in need of help in your local communities.

I know these are tough economic times, but I hope that you will continue to be generous to both our Jeru-salem Mite fund-raising efforts and to your local priory. Remember, it is more than just a check – your dona-tion of time and labor are also needed. Rest assured that we are making a difference, and you should feel justifiably proud of what we have done as an Order!

Our second Templar mission is to seek to keep the road to Jerusalem open to people of all faiths. This is a his-toric mission for the Templars, and one that is particularly critical for that part of the world today. While we do this in part by supporting the major Christian churches in the Holy Land, we tackle this mission through our OSMTH mission to the United Nations as well. We have a num-ber of Templar members, led by Chev. Randy Teitz from the Priory of St. Norbert and Past Grand Prior Wayne McGrath from the Priory of St. Patrick, as well as oth-ers who regularly attend meetings at the United Nations. Our representatives do this out of their own pocket and are particularly active when committee on human rights is in session. They attend these meetings or discussions often where human rights for women and minorities are discussed. The goal is to continue to keep an open dia-logue with all the sons of Abraham. We cannot do that if we are not willing to continue to keep a seat at the table.

The spring Convent seasons are about to kick off at our local priories and I look forward to officiating at many of them. My goal is to get to every priory at least once, but it is pretty difficult when most priories hold their ceremonies in April and May or in October and November. Neither I nor any of the past Grand Priors have figured out how to be in two places at the same time. Want to ensure the Grand Prior can attend your Convent? Try scheduling it in February, early March or June through early September.



The First Grand Master-Ordre du Temple: Bernard-Raymond Fabre-PalapratBy Chev. Robert J. Kovarik, GCTJ, Priory of Mount St. Michael

Part Two: 1812-1838 Trouble erupted at the height of success for both

Napoleon and Fabre. Napoleon established the Continental System after the defeat of the Third Coalition, in an attempt to prevent trade with Britain. Napoleon made his fateful de-cision to invade the Russian Empire when Russia withdrew from the System in December of 1810. However, the Grand Army was defeated by 1813 and Napoleon was forced to abdicate and was exiled to Elba. Fabre had lost his protector.

Serious trouble erupted within the Order. The Grand

der splitting between two grand masters. De Chambure noted that each side indulged in a “little war of protests and anathemas.” Rival administrations were formed and each group held convents and received new members.The Schism Continued

In the meantime, the Congress of Vienna met in 1814 to restore order and stability in Europe. The Bourbons were returned to France in the person of Louis XVIII, a brother of the executed King. He agreed to rule as a Con-stitutional Monarch and not to tamper with the reforms of the Revolution. The divided Order gave its support to the King when he assumed the throne on April 6, 1814.

A Grand Priory was formed earlier in England. Fa-bre claimed that Louis XVIII, exiled in England, had be-

Master had revised the Statutes of 1705 to enhance his authority. The Lieutenants-General and Vicars were subject to his absolute au-thority. Instead of serving for life and jointly exercising power with the Grand Master, they could be removed at will. Other “innova-tions” were included. The Con-vent-General was packed with his supporters and the revisions were approved. Important mem-bers protested against the Grand Master’s “despotism.” Fabre ap-pointed new Lieutenants-General immediately, and anathematized all those resisting his authority.

The Duke of Choiseul, an influential officer of the Order, joined the opposition, demand-ing the convoking of a Convent-General. Fabre yielded and an agreement was reached at the Convent. All accusations were to be dropped. The Grand Master and his appointed “dignitaries” would resign. Fabre abdicated his office on November 21, 1812, appointing the Grand Prior of Italy, Auguste de Courchamp, as acting Grand Master. The Convent was to meet on February 1, 1813 to elect a new Grand Master.

Fabre began at once to maneuver to regain his of-fice as Grand Master. On December 19, de Courchamp announced that Fabre had withdrawn his resignation, due to a groundswell of support. In defiance, the Convent-General elected Charles Louis le Peltier, Count of Au-nay, as Grand Master. Fabre rejected this outcome and held a rump convent with nine of his supporters. The Stat-utes of 1705 were further changed, eliminating all restric-tions on his power as Grand Master. The Count of Aunay was “consecrated” as Grand Master with the support of a Templar majority. An open schism followed with the Or-

come affiliated with the Templars, and “was no stranger to the mys-teries of the Temple.” Louis XVIII recognized Fabre as Grand Master. One result was that supporters of the Count of Aunay began to switch al-legiance. Encouraged by the royal support and Aunay’s weakness, Fa-bre called all Templars to a general celebration of reconciliation, offer-ing amnesty to all the dissidents. The result was a limited success.

As the schism continued, Fa-bre wrote a pamphlet for private distribution entitled Manuel des Chevaliers de l’Ordre du Temple (Manual of the Knights of the Or-der of the Temple-1825). It claimed that the Order “had never ceased to exist since the days of Jacques de Molay, without a break up to the

end of the eighteenth century, when it ceased for a brief period but was re-instituted under a new Grand Master, Fabre-Palaprat, in 1804.” The Manual claimed the Or-der had never been part of Freemasonry and reaffirmed ties to Roman Catholicism. The schism continued to 1827, when the Duke of Choiseul convinced the count of Aunay “for the love of peace, and for the interests of the Tem-ple” to resign. The Count agreed to recognize Fabre as Grand Master, provided he remained a Prince of the Order.

A Convent-General met on March 27, 1827 to formal-ly end the schism. The English Grand Prior, Sir William Sidney-Smith, played an important role in this meeting, unifying the two Templar factions. According to de Cham-bure he came to Paris, accompanied by one hundred English knights. Templar priories had been formed in England and Scotland in the early 1820s and Fabre had appointed Sid-ney-Smith as Lieutenant General of Asia. Fabre was elected

5BeauséantWinter-Spring 2011as Grand Master. The schism was over, but it did not last.Another Split in the Order

With unity achieved, the Order of the Temple pros-pered once more. Belgium was joined to the Netherlands in 1815. Fabre gave his support as resistance to this unity grew among the Belgians. He supported the Marquis Al-bert-Francois du Chasteleer in 1825, who was a close friend, in founding the Grand Priory of Belgium. A politi-cal crisis was developing within France at the same time.

Louis XVIII died in 1824 and was succeeded by his brother, Charles X. He was a leader of a royalist reaction, who wanted to return France to the old regime. Members of the Order of the Temple had joined the opposition to the King by 1828. Fabre at first opposed this development, fearing it would divide the Order. Fabre joined the move-ment to overthrow the monarchy when the King refused any compromise and began to impose extreme measures.

A republican insurrection broke out in the streets of Paris in 1830. Fabre described the uprising day-by-day from July 26-29, in a letter to a friend who had served in the Grand Army, referring to it as “our Revolution.” King Charles X fled to England in early August of 1830. The revolutionary leadership wanted a republic. In the ensuing confusion, conservative members of the upper middle class orchestrated the formation of a new constitutional monar-chy with Louis-Philippe, the Duke of Orleans, as King.

Meanwhile, Fabre had developed a new vision for the Order. This led to the final schism. Around 1814 he had ac-quired “from a second hand bookseller on the Quay a 14th century Greek manuscript containing part of the Gospel of St. John.“ It included a commentary called the Levitikon. This Gnostic version of John’s gospel left out Christ’s miracles, edited out references to St. Peter and omitted the Resurrec-tion. It claimed that while Christ was in Egypt he was initi-ated into the “Mysteries of Osiris.“ Fabre translated these documents, adding modifications and his interpretation.

Fabre claimed to be heir to the Apostolic Succession of John the Divine and founded the Johannite Church of the Primitive Christians in 1828. Fabre provided the new “of-ficial” history for the Order in his Historical Research on the Templars. A secret church existed within the Catholic Church, beginning with the Apostle John as bishop of Je-rusalem. A secret uninterrupted line of Grand Pontiffs fol-lowed, until in 1118 the Patriarch/Grand Pontiff, Theocletes, initiated Hugh of Payns into the Gnostic mysteries. Every Grand Master became a hidden Grand Pontiff beginning with Hugh of Payns. Fabre had himself consecrated as bish-op by the former Constitutional Bishop Mauviel, to claim this succession. The consecration occurred in a dance-hall in Montmartre. Fabre took the title: Primate of the Gauls.

Fabre began to impose his religion on the Order by the early 1830s. Catholic rituals were abolished. A significant number of Templars “abandoned the ancient

faith” to become Johannites. Those who refused were anathematized and openly persecuted. The final schism erupted. Non-French grand priories, hearing of the turmoil among the Templars in Paris, moved towards autonomy.

An English Templar, Dr. Charles Morison of Green-field, who had served as Grand Chancellor under Fabre, was among those who broke with the Grand Master, along with Sir William Sidney-Smith. Dr. Morison wrote a number of letters in which he accused Fabre of “falsify-ing the Statutes” and inventing a coat of arms that was dif-ferent from the French Order, with “a Cross surmounted by a short of Crown Mitre.” Sir William Sidney-Smith, the English Grand Prior, issued a manifesto in 1836 calling for the creation of an executive commission to head the Order.

By now, the Grand Master was facing the problem of his deteriorating health. He returned to Pau in the south of France. The opposition led by the Duke of Choiseul, the Supreme Preceptor, took advantage of Fabre’s absence and formed an Executive Commission. The Commission restored the Catholic traditions and rituals immediately and revoked the sentences of excommunication and called for a Convent-General. It met in Paris in January of 1838.

A new Executive Commission was formed with Sid-ney-Smith chosen as Regent. A New Declaration of Prin-ciples was issued. Sir William Sidney-Smith was elected Grand Master when word reached Paris that Fabre had died on February 18, 1838. The schism continued as supporters of the deceased Grand Master, known as the palapien Tem-plars, rejected Sidney-Smith’s election and chose a regent. Sir Sidney-Smith died in 1840 and was buried in his Templar “uniform” in Pere-Lachaise cemetery in Paris. The Prince of Chimay became regent. For all practical reasons this marked the end of the Order of the Temple that was founded in 1804.

A Selected List of SourcesMalcolm Barber, The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple. (1994).Fabre-Palapart, Esquisse de Mouvement Heroique du Peuple de Paris: des 26, 27, 28 et 29 Juillet 1830. (Guyot, Pais, 1830).Rene Le Forestier, La Franc-Maconnerie Templiere et Occultiste aux XVIII et XIX Siecles. (Paris, 1970).Le Forestier, An Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences. (New York/London: 1912).Rene Lachaud, Templiers; Chevaliers d’Orient et d’Occident. (St. Jean-de-Braye, France: 1997).Maillarde de Chambure, Regle et Statuts Secrets des Templiers, precedes de l’Histoire de l’establissement, de la Destruction et de la Continuation Moderne de L’ordre du Temple. (Paris 1840). Peter Partner, The Knights Templar and their Myth. (1990).F.F. Steenackers, Histoire des Ordres de Chevalerie. (Paris, 1867).Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati (England, 1911). This is a Masonic publication.Fred W. Crowe, The ‘Charta transmissionis’ of Larmenius. John Yarker, The Charter of Larmenius. This article includes Dr. Morrison’s letters.


Templar TimesShowcase for short stories and articles

Delivered bi-monthly via emailsend articles to:

Dame Rita Hamilton ([email protected]) orDame Kathy Watson ([email protected])

GPUSA Priory News

Commandery/Priory of the Holy IsleGrand Prior, CAPT Chev.

Keith H. Larson, GCTJ, GMTJ, officiated at the Convent and In-vestiture and elevation of the Commandery of The Holy Isle to Priory status, at St Chrysos-tom Anglican Church, Richmond, Virginia on Saturday, Novem-ber 6, with Priory Commander, Chev. Oliver Wendell Ham-

ilton II, GOTJ elevated to Prior. James Anthony Greer was invested into the Priory of the Holy Isle.

Chvse. Janet Boyes Lockwood was promoted to Commandeur (DCTJ) and Chev. Wilmot Heyward Phil-lips was elevated to the rank of Grand Officier (GOTJ).

Chev. Thomas Ernest Brock was awarded the Commen-dation Medal and Chev. Robert Dennis Lockwood received the Meritorious Service Medal. Mrs. June Doris Lockwood, mother of Chev. Rob Lockwood, KCTJ, was awarded the Achievement Medal for her efforts in creating the Priory Beauséant, the Cross Pattée and the beautiful altar cloth. The Cross Pattée was used during the West Point Grand Convent.

The Long and Faith Service medals (bronze) were award-ed to Chevaliers Wilmot Heyward Phillips, GOTJ, David Bruce Shine, Jr., KTJ, CAPT James Harley White, KCTJ and Chvse. Joyce Alexander White, KCTJ. The Coat of Arms for the Priory of The Holy Isle was unfurled for the first time.

Priory of Mount St. MichaelDeputy Grand Prior of Region VII,

Chvse. Mary M. Borum, DGCTJ, CMTJ officiated at the Convent and In-vestiture for the Priory of Mount St. Mi-chael at the Best Western Evergreen Inn and Suites, Federal Way, Washington on Saturday, October 2. Prior Raymond Morehead, KCTJ, knights and dames participated in the installation of Rev. Michael Dewayne Henson and Sudie

Parker Henson. Chevaliers Marvin Kerry Arruda and Charles Dean Morehead were promoted to Commandeur (KCTJ). SGT Rev. Chev. Raymond Lee Morehead was promoted to Grand Officier (GOTJ). Achievement med-als were awarded to Chevaliers Mark Andrew Jacobson and Harry William Nelson. Chvse. Susan Iris Grove re-ceived the Commendation Medal and Chev. Frank Em-mett Mulrine was awarded the Legion of Merit medal. Chev. John P. Franz William I. McFadden received the Long and Faithful Service bronze medal (5+ years).

Priory of Our Lady of SorrowsGrand Prior, CAPT Keith H. Larson, GCTJ, GMTJ,

officiated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of Our Lady of Sorrows at Calvary Episcopal Church, Rochester, Minnesota on Saturday, October 2. Prior Michael S. Swisher, GOTJ, knights and dames par-ticipated in the investiture of Earl Floyd Wys. No pro-motions were made and no medals were awarded.

Priory of PhiladelphiaGrand Secretary LCDR Chev.

Walter “Frank” Smith, GCTJ, of-ficiated at the Convent and Investi-ture for the Priory of Philadelphia at the Muhlenberg College Chapel, Allentown, Pennsylvania on Satur-day, November 20. Prior, Charles S. Canning, KCTJ, knights and dames participated in the inves-titure of J. Thomas Showler.

Chevaliers Joseph Angelo Auteri, Bryan Leroy Hill and Kimber David Smith were promoted to Com-mandeur (KCTJ). Achievement medals were awarded to Chevaliers LTC William Hanner Haynes and An-drew Joseph Scutti. The Commendation Medal was pre-sented to Chev. Joseph Angelo Auteri. Chvse. Marianne Simko Canning received the Meritorious Service Medal.

Chev. Thomas Richard Johnson, KCTJ was in-stalled as Prior and LTC Chev. William Hanner Haynes, KCTJ as Chancellor. The Priory held its annual winter social on January 9, 2011 at the home of immediate past prior Canning, which included three prospective members.

Priory of St. AndrewGrand Prior, CAPT Keith H.

Larson, GCTJ, GMTJ, officiated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of St. Andrew at the First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday, November 13. Prior R. Donald Robinson, KCTJ, knights and dames partici-pated in the investiture of Marion Lucretia Gordon, Dale Rey Ham-

ilton, John Chris Leyva and William Douthitt McKinney, Jr.

creo

7BeauséantWinter-Spring 2011SSG Chev. Lee Wescoat McKinstry was promoted

to Commandeur (KCTJ). Chevaliers LTC Owen Ferrell Pharr, Robert Walker Hawks, and LCDR John Cur-tis Glynn, Jr. were promoted to Grand Officier (GOTJ).

The Achievement Medal was awarded to Cheva-liers Carl Kenneth Fieth and LCDR John Curtis Glynn, Jr., and Chvse. Mary Clyde Sparks. LTC Chev. Joel Edward Warren was awarded the Commendation Medal. Chvse. Betty Jane Brindley Chalfant received the Long and Faithful Service gold Medal (20+ years).

The Priory Council met earlier in the day to discuss its business. Grand Prior Larson spoke at the banquet, held at the Brentwood Country Club, along with former Prior D. Bruce Shine, Sr., GCTJ who thanked the mem-bership for their prayers and assistance, which he indi-cated were of great comfort during his battle with cancer.

The next Convent for the Priory of St. Andrew will be held in Memphis on April 8-9, 2011, with headquarters at the Downtown Marriott. The Fall Convent and Investi-ture will take place in Nashville on November 9-10, 2011.

Priory of St. Bernard de ClairvauxDeputy Grand Prior of Re-

gion V, Chev. Russ W. Copping, GCTJ officiated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of St. Bernard de Clairvaux at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Nation-al Shrine, New Orleans, Loui-siana on Saturday, October 16. Prior Raymond R. Egan, GOTJ, knights and dames participated

in the installation of Shirley Yodzis, MD. The RT REV Chev. Herbert John May was transferred and invested in the Chaplain Corps to serve the Priory of St. Norbert.

Chevaliers William Allerton III and Charles Rene, MD, were promoted to rank of Commandeur (KCTJ). Meritorious Service medals were presented to Che-valiers Mayer J. Heiman, MD and Charles Rene, MD. Chev. Hugh Robertson, MD, was awarded the Long and Faithful Service gold medal (20+ years).

Priory of St. ClairDeputy Grand Prior of Region IV, COL Chev. Larry

B. Main, GOTJ officiated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of St. Clair at the Chapel Manressa Retreat House, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan on September 25. Prior LTC Robert Earl Mittelstaedt, KCTJ, knights and dames participated in the promotion of Chevaliers COL Terry Fobbs and REV COL John Peter Schmeling, PhD to Com-mandeur (KCTJ). Chvse. Terry Lee Main was promoted to Grand Officier (DGOTJ). REV Chev. LTC Darrell Ar-lyn Neves, DMin was awarded the Commendation Medal.

Priory of St. David of Wales in New EnglandThe Priory of St. David of Wales

held a highly-successful, charitable event on Thursday, October 21 in Boston for Canon Andrew White, Vicar of Baghdad. A prayer break-fast in his honor took place the next morning at The Union Club of Boston (see article in previous issue). Prior Marston Watson and

the Priory board felt that a Convent so soon after this cel-ebration was not needed. The fourth annual Convent and Investiture will take place in Boston on Saturday, May 14.

Priory of St. FrancisDeputy Grand Prior of Region VII, Chvse. Mary M.

Borum, DGCTJ, CMTJ officiated at the Convent and In-vestiture for the Priory of St. Francis at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Benicia, California on Saturday, October 9. Prior Randall Greer, GOTJ, knights and dames participated in the installation of MAJ Jenine Anne Betschart, CPO Da-vid Gary Black, SSG Albert Junior Gonzalez, Jo Nita Mancebo-Silver, LTC Dan B. Porter, Esq., LTC Salva-dor Paul Renteria III, DO and William Carl Walters.

MSG Chev. Richard Charles Crowe, Esq. was pro-moted to KCTJ and Chevaleresses CW4 Donna Jane Luther and Jo Nita Mancebo-Silver were promoted to DCTJ. Chevaleresses COL Margaret Ann Haecherl, RN and COL Lucie Marx Titus were promoted to DGOTJ. Achievement medals were awarded to Chevaleresses Mar-garet Ann Haecherl and Nancy Luard Jenks and to Chev.Rev. CAPT Chev. Shepherd Martin Jenks. Commenda-tion medals were awarded to LCDR Chev. Arthur Wal-lace Curtis, GOTJ and Chev. John Michael Phelps, Esq., KTJ. Lori Ann Sbarboro, DDS received an Achievement medal in recognition of her contributions to the Priory.

Priory of St. GeorgeDeputy Grand Prior of Region

I, LTC Chev. Robert J. Bate-man, GCTJ, GMTJ officiated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of St. George at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Perth Amboy, New Jersey on Saturday, October 16. Prior Jerry L. Price, GOTJ, knights and dames participated in

the investiture of Christopher Allen Liccardi, Raymond Joseph MacDonald, Esq. and Rebecca Lucille Price. No promotions or awards were authorized at this event.

continued on page 8


Priory of St. John the Baptist/Priory of the Holy Sepulchre

Grand Aumonier, COL Chev. Renato P. Bacci, Jr., GCTJ, of-ficiated at the Convent and In-vestiture, as well as the eleva-tion of the Commandery of the Holy Sepulchre to Priory status, at The Episcopal Cathedral, Lou-isville, Kentucky on Saturday, October 23. Prior Jerry Patrick Hill, GOTJ, knights and dames

participated in the investiture of COL Jerry Andrew Clinkscales. SFC Chev. Stanley Carl Patrzalek was pro-moted to Commandeur (KCTJ). The Achievement Medal was awarded to LTC Chev. Kevin Ross Embry, PhD, Esq. BG Chev. Michael Dennis Devine, KCTJ was in-stalled as Prior and Chev. Clarence Combs III as Chan-cellor of the newly-elevated Priory of the Holy Sepulchre.

Priory of St. King Charles the MartyrGrand Chancellor, LTC Chev. Thomas P. Curtis II,

GCTJ, GMTJ officiated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of St. King Charles the Martyr at the Fort Myer Me-morial Chapel, Fort Myer, Virginia on Saturday, November 20. Prior Chev. David M. Schorn, GCTJ, knights and dames participated in the investiture of Chad Daniel D`Amore, Thomas Rowe Price IV, LTC John Benson Stinson, Sr. and John Robert Vehmeyer, Jr. Chevaliers Fernando Cortes and Isaac Dewey Evans were promoted to Commandeur (KCTJ). Chevaliers CPT William Edward ReBrook IV and Douglas B. Warner were promoted to Grand Officier (GOTJ). Chvse. Marlene Elizabeth Fox-McIntyre was awarded the Meritorious Service medal. Chev. James Har-old Laughlin, Jr., Esq. was awarded the Legion of Merit.

Commandery of The Holy LandGrand Prior, CAPT Keith H. Larson, GCTJ, GMTJ, offi-

ciated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of St. King Charles the Martyr in Jerusalem at the Finnish Lutheran Church, Pilgrim House in Jerusalem on Saturday, January 8, 2011.

Priory of St. Michael & St. GeorgeGrand Prior, CAPT Keith H.

Larson, GCTJ, GMTJ, offici-ated at the Convent and Inves-titure for the Priory of St. Mi-chael & St. George at St. Thomas Church in New York City on No-vember 20. Prior Thomas Daniel Halket, Esq., KCTJ, knights and dames participated in the investi-

ture of John Jacob Freeman, Gregory Mesniaeff and Paul Beresford-Hill, as well as Thomas Jefferson Kent, Jr. from the Priory of St. Patrick. Chev. Kenneth Floyd Koen was promoted to Commandeur (KCTJ); Chevaliers CDR John Francis Vance Cupschalk and Thomas Dan-iel Halket, Esq were promoted to Grand Officier (GOTJ).

Priory of St. NorbertDeputy Grand Prior of Region

IV, COL Chev. Larry B. Main, GOTJ, officiated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of St. Norbert at the Dominican Uni-versity Chapel, River Forest, Illi-nois on Saturday, October 2. Prior Chvse. Amelia Jean Kelm, DTJ, knights and dames participated in the investiture of Constantinos

Alexandris, Elizabeth Guest, Col. Janet Marie Kamer, PhD, Andrew Robert Magliochetti, Rev. David Regi-nald Meador, Stevco Nikolov, Arcilla Faye Stahl, Bes-sie Lou Sykes and Roxane Marie Tyssen. Reverends SCPO Franklin Desmond Endres, Jean Ford, EdD and LTC Paul D. Pfeffer were transferred and invested in the Chaplains Corps. COL Chvse. Jane Louise Vartan and BG Chev. Walter Gilbert Vartan were transferred from the Grand Priory of NATO to the Priory of St Norbert. Chvse. Frances Louise Levickas was promoted to Commandeur (DCTJ) and CAPT Chev. Charles Anthony Francis Jin-drich was promoted to Grand Officier (GOTJ). Achieve-ment medals were awarded to Chevaleresses Jane Ging-rich Doyle and Emily Catherine Zabrocki, RN, PhD, along with Chevaliers LTC Robert Roger Goulka, LTC John Alister MacLean and Edward J. Zabrocki, Jr.. Commendation medals were presented to Chevaliers MAJ Ronald Paul Centanni and COL Alfred Eric Zehnder, and to Chvse. Victoria D. Perez. The Meritorious Medal was awarded to Chevaliers Ronald Robert Bruning and Frederick N. Fedorchak, DPM. The Legion of Merit was granted to COL Chev. Raymond Harry Timmer.

Priory of St. Simon of CyreneGrand Prior, CAPT Keith H. Larson, GCTJ, GMTJ,

officiated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of St. Simon of Cyrene at Bond Chapel (University of Chi-cago), Chicago, Illinois on Saturday January 29, 2010. Prior Paul D. Lynch, Jr., GOTJ, knights and dames participated in the investiture of Rodney Louis Nars, Louis Allen Sands and William George Finke. There were no authorized promotions or awards at this event.

GPUSA Priory News...from page 7

9BeauséantWinter-Spring 2011Priory of St. Thomas á Becket Priory of the Holy Grail

Deputy Grand Prior of Region III, Chev. Bill Dreger III, GCTJ, GMTJ officiated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of St. Thomas á Becket at St. Mary’s Epis-copal Church, Asheville, North Car-olina on Saturday, October 9. Prior Louis F. Foy, GOTJ, knights and dames participated in the investiture

of Peggie Cullens Daniels and LTC John Clay Patterson.Chevaleresses Terri Marlaine Heacock and Joy-

lynne Bailey Mullins were promoted to Commandeur (DCTJ). Chvse. Dorothy Ann Jackson was promoted to Grand Officier (DGOTJ), as were Chevaliers Junny Oli-ver Jackson and John Kent Kane II (GOTJ). Achieve-ment medals were awarded to Chvse. Elizabeth Grace Murray DVM and Chev Ronald Eugene Murray DVM.

Chev. Michael Edward Donant and the Rev Chev. Sanford Raymond Sears were awarded Long and Faithful Service (bronze) medals. COL Chev. Buren Riley Shields III, LLM was inducted into the Order of Merit (GMTJ).

Priory of the Christian SoldierDeputy Grand Prior of Region

VIII, Chev Edward S. Garlock, GCTJ officiated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of The Christian Soldier at the Con-gregational Church of Northridge in California on Saturday, Octo-ber 2. Prior COL Fred W. Darley, GOTJ, knights and dames par-ticipated in the investiture of MG

James William Comstock, COL Kathleen Kerko Ellis and CW4 Charles Edd Hooker. Chevaliers CDR Charles Mi-chael Billy, Esq, COL Gilbert Thaddeus Gembacz, MAJ Sandor Xavier Mayuga, Esq, BG Richard Keith Pierce and LT COL Edward Warren von Leffern were advanced to the rank of Commandeur (KCTJ). Achievement medals were awarded to Chevaleresses LT Laura J. Fay, Kathleen Ann Gray and Joan Deora Darley, along with Chevaliers Brian Gray and Earle Raymond MacVeigh, Jr. Commen-dation medals were presented to Chev. Thomas E. Hanson and Chvse. Phyllis H. Sellen, R.N. The Meritorious Service Medal was awarded to LTC Chev. William Bird Sellen. The Long and Faithful Service medal (bronze) was presented to Chevaleresses LT Laura J. Fay and Kathleen Jane Hunter, along with Chevaliers COL Gilbert Thaddeus Gembacz, Thomas E. Hanson and MAJ Stuart Robert Bird-Wilson.

Deputy Grand Prior, of Region VI, MG Chev. Michael M. Ber-zowski, Esq, GCTJ, CMTJ offici-ated at the Convent and Investiture at St. John’s Episcopal Church, St. Paul, Minnesota on Saturday, September 25. Prior William Col-by-Newton, GOTJ, knights and dames participated in the investi-ture of Lydell Laverne Newby II.

Chev. Robert Joseph Fassino was promoted to Grand Of-ficier (GOTJ) and Chev. Jeffrey Peter Agnes was award-ed the Commendation Medal. The death of Chev. Allison Robert Mercer, Sr. on 28 June 2010 was memorialized.

Priory of the Holy RoodDeputy Grand Prior of Region III, BG Chev. Bill

Dreger III, GCTJ, GMTJ officiated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of the Holy Rood at St. Cle-ments’s Episcopal Church, Tampa, Florida on January 8, 2011. Prior LCDR Walter “Frank” Smith, GCTJ, knights and dames participated in the investiture of the Rev. Dan-ielle DuBois Morris who was appointed Assistant Chap-lain (ACTJ). LTC Chev. Noel Raymond Bambrough was promoted to Commandeur (KCTJ). The Achieve-ment Medal was awarded to Chev. Henry Ives Jehan Jr., along with Chevaleresses Margaret Carr Miller and COL Christine Veronica O’Donnell. Long and Faithful med-als were presented to a number of Knights and Dames.

Priory of the Mountain of the House of the LordDeputy Grand Prior of Re-

gion VII, Chevse Mary M. Bo-rum, DGCTJ, CMTJ officiated at the Convent and Investiture for the Priory of The Mountain of the House of the Lord at the Fort Douglas Historic Army Chapel, Salt Lake City, Utah on September 11. Prior CPT Kim

W. Wixon, GOTJ, knights and dames participated in the in-vestiture of Mark Leonard Shurtleff, Utah State Attorney General. Promotions to Commandeur (KCTJ/DCTJ) were granted to Chevaliers Stephen Earl Gregory and Thomas

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John’s Lutheran Church in Millheim, all in Pennsylvania.Rev. Schneider earned his Doctor of Divinity degree

in 1985 at Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Penn. This Degree complemented his Bachelor of Divinity De-gree in 1959 from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Penn. His undergraduate work was com-pleted at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, where he graduated cum laude in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts. Rev. Schneider served in multiple activities in the church and community, including on the Synod Council of the Metro D.C. Synod (1988-1993), on the Executive Com-mittee of that council (1991-1993) and as Chairman of the Candidacy Committee (1988-1989 & 1991-1995).

Rev. Schneider was a charter member and on the Board of Directors of Silver Spring Visions, a community action group which aggressively addresses issues of homeless-ness, hunger, drug trafficking and violence in Silver Spring. A book of thirteen of Reverend Schneider’s sermons on the Gospel lessons for the close of the Pentecost Season, Se-ries C, is published under the title, Until the Kingdom Comes (1991). His work is also published in Called to Jerusalem: Sent to the World, a series of seventeen sermons on the First Lessons of Series A for the Lent and Easter Seasons (1992).

Rev. Schneider has been married to Doris Lee (Smith) Schneider since 1956. They are the par-ents of two grown children and grandparents as well.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre Painting at Grand Convent AuctionBy Chev. Wilmot H. Phillips, GOTJ

One of the center pieces of the GPUSA charity auction, on Saturday, May 14 at the Grand Convent and Investiture in Atlanta, is an original painting of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by Chev. Wilmot H. Phillips, GOTJ of the Pri-ory of the Holy Isle. Chev. Robert M. Davis, GOTJ of the same Priory is offering his original painting of the Kneeling Knight at the auction as well. In addition, there is a paint-ing of two knights on a horse by Chvse. Angela R. Dachs, DGOTJ of the Priory of the Holy Rood, a copy number two of the Howard Massey painting of Templar Knights and a hand carved wooden plaque on a stand by Chev. B. Stephen Kelley, GOTJ of the Priory of St. Vincent.

tower was added in 1170. A monastery and cloister were built sometime in the 12th or 13th century at the end of the church, to house the monks who maintained the church.

This is the time period which I have chosen to base my painting on. The monastery, cloister and all of the surrounding build-ings have been demolished,

Chev. Wilmot H. Phillips, GOTJ with the Church of the Holy Sepul-chre painting which will be auctioned at the 2011 Grand Convent.

Brief History of the Holy SepulchreThe site of what is believed to have been the tomb of

Christ was originally a quarry where small tombs were cut into the walls. The area was brought into the City of Jerusa-lem about 41 AD. The Roman Emperor Hadrian filled in the quarry in 135 AD, and built a temple to Venus on the site.

Emperor Constantine the Great converted to Christian-ity in 312 AD and built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre on the site, by tearing down the temple and the surrounding buildings in 326 AD. This building was one of his largest, but was not completed until fifty-eight years later in 384 AD. The city was sacked by the Persians in 614 AD and the Mus-lim caliph entered the city in 638 AD. The basilica remained largely unchanged until 1009 when the Muslim caliph Ha-kim had the building demolished, leaving only a portion of the original structure standing (part of the rotunda). Only the debris of the structure prevented this from total destruction.

Emperor Constantine Monomachos allowed some re-construction work to begin in 1048. When the Knights of the First Crusade arrived in Jerusalem in 1099, they went to this site to sing the Gloria te Deum. Work was begun in 1112 on a new church in the Romanesque style, completed around 1131 and modified and dedicated in 1149. The bell

and a hodgepodge of structures have been built and al-tered to obscure what might once have been an individ-ual structure in the period of the Templars in Jerusalem.

Chapels, buildings and monasteries of all styles have been added on over the centuries, so that to-day all that can be seen at the end of the street are the two side doors and the Crusaders entrance stairs.

I do not claim that this is an accurate rendition of what the church possibly looked like at the time the Templars were in Jerusalem. It is my best guess, having done the research I have been able to do. I show it as I imagine it was built, be-fore the ravages of time, alterations and vandalism with some open space for gathering before worship or trade in what was once considered one of the most holy sites of Christendom.GPUSA Grand Chaplain Appointed...from page 2

11BeauséantWinter-Spring 2011

Visit the SovereignMilitary Order

of the Temple of Jerusalem members only web site

www.smotj.org

Edgar Sawyer, PhD and to Chvse. Jean Howard. Chvse. Stephanie Anne Argoitia, Esq. was promoted to the rank of Grand Officier (DGOTJ). CPT Chev. George Washing-ton Jessop III was promoted to Grand Officier (GOTJ).

Chvse. Sherrill Easter Wixon was awarded an Achieve-ment Medal and TSgt Chev. Jerry Alexander Farkas, Jr. received the Commendation medal. The Long and Faithful Service bronze medal (5+ years) was awarded to Chvse. Stephanie Anne Argoitia, Esq, CPT Chev George Wash-ington Jessop III and Chvse. Carleen Ann Watts. The Long and Faithful Service silver medal (10+ years) was awarded to Chevaliers Donald James Wood, MD and CPT Kim Walter Wixon, who has since resigned his position as Pri-or. Grand Prior Keith Larsen has appointed Chvse. Stepha-nie Argoitia as acting Prior and Chev. Thomas Sawyer as Chancellor until the next Priory C&I is held in September.

Priory of the Monitor and the Merrimack

I hope everyone will try to make it to the Grand Con-vent and Investiture in Atlanta on May 19-21. The program is developing very nicely and it looks as though it will be a great event. I have repeatedly stressed that if you are a Prior, a Chancellor or want to be one, you need to attend our national meeting! It is much more than just a Convent and Investiture. The Round Table discussion groups are held for most of the major priory jobs and this is a won-derful opportunity to sit down with others who are in your same position and learn what they are doing and what the best practices for success may be. Do not reinvent the wheel. Start with learning what already exists and what has proven to work the best. You will learn first-hand at the Grand Council meeting what issues our Order are facing and you can participate in setting our priorities and goals going forward. You will be a better priory officer for hav-ing attended and your priory will be better for it as well.

The Priory of the Holy Rood has done a fantastic job of making this the most reasonably priced Grand Con-vent in my memory. The total registration package for members is $175 and that price includes the Friday night Grand Prior’s Reception and the Saturday night Grand Banquet, as well as the registration fee. There will be an outdoor barbecue (chicken, pork and beef) and cash bar for those who come early on Thursday night, for only $18 a person. Finally, the hotel rooms are only $99/night at the downtown Hilton Hotel! I truly hope to see you in Atlanta.

In closing, let me ask you to always remember that we are a Christian chivalric Order with an ethos devoted to Christ. We need to take care of our fellow man both in spirit and with our treasure where you can afford it. Re-member what our Lord taught us in Matthew 25:40: Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Now go forth and do great things, for thou art a Templar!

Grand Prior, CAPT Keith H. Larson, GCTJ, GMTJ, of-ficiated at the Convent and In-vestiture for the Priory of The Monitor and The Merrimack at the Larchmont United Methodist Church, Norfolk, Virginia on Sat-urday, October 16. Prior CWO3 Betty J. Kemmerer, DGOTJ,

knights and dames participated in the investiture of MCPO Patrick Adriel Modglin and Stephanie Pearl Short.

LCDR Chev. Randal L. Dedrickson was promot-ed to Knight Commandeur. DCTJ Taeko McFadden, who just returned from her tour in Iraq, was award-ed her 5 Year Long and Faithful Service Award, while her mother, Chevse. Patricia McFadden, DCTJ was awarded her 10 Year Long and Faithful Service Award.

Following the Convent and Investiture, all at-tendees gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nor-folk, Virginia for fellowship and the banquet.”

l. to r. Chevse. Stephanie Pearl Short, DTJ, CAPT Chev. Keith H. Larson, GCTJ, GMTJ, MCPO Chev. Patrick Adriel Modglin, KTJ and Prior CWO3 Betty J. Kemmerer, DGOTJ

GPUSA Priory News...from page 9A Word from the Grand Prior...from page 3

CAPT Chev. Keith H. Larson, GCTJ, GMTJGrand Prior XVII

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12 Beauséant Winter-Spring 2011(grades 1-12) in Ramleh on Tuesday morning, which is southwest of Jerusalem. We met with the principal and his administrative assistant, visited several classes and watched the children play together during recess (60% Christian and 40% Islam). We returned to the school’s conference room where we met with the three students that we are sponsoring (two Grand Prior XVI McGrath scholars and a student spon-sored by the Priory of St. Vincent). The school is located in a predominately Muslim area, but is very much a part of the community which is supported and welcomed by them.

We next journeyed to Ramallah, Palestine on the West Bank, where we visited an Anglican Trade School that is training students for the hotel industry. They provide stu-dents from other schools with a computer lab and an intro-duction to mechanical drawing and mechanical concepts.

The hotel school is a two-year high school program where the students study meal preparation and basic cook-ing, wait staff and domestic skills. They recently converted the top floor of this former children’s home into a bed-and-breakfast facility, where the students and staff take care of all the chores from preparing and servicing the rooms to preparing and serving the meals. Later, we visited the Evangelical Arab Episcopal School that we support with donations to the Anglican Church through the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. We met first with the principal and an Anglican nun who adminis-ter the school (grades 1-12). Once again, we found the stu-dent body a mix of Christian and Muslim students (50/50) playing and studying together without any problem. The highlight of this visit was the serenade by twent-five first graders singing “five little monkeys jumping on the bed.”

Finally, it was time to return to our hotel with good feeling about where the funds are going. All three schools are well run, with happy children and an attentive staff.

On Tuesday, MB THEODOSIUS, Dave Schorn, Robert Miller and I resumed making our official calls. We started in the morning with a call upon Ms Ikhlas Siriani who is Bishop Younan’s personal secretary and the individual who arranged and coordinated many of our official functions. We called upon the Anglican Bishop, the Rt. Rev’d Suheil Dawani, with whom we had not seen in recent pilgrimag-es, so it was good to reestablish that relationship. We were joined by the Rev. Canon Bob Edmonds who serves as Chaplain to the Bishop and pastor of the English speaking congregation at the Church of St. George. His wife Debo-rah serves as the Bishop’s personal assistant. They are on a three-year exchange program from the United States. Their last parish was in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

We expected a short call, but spent over an hour with the Bishop who seemed particularly pleased that we had taken the trouble to visit their schools before calling on him. We presented him with a check for $5,000, in addition to a 2009 check for $5,000 that was delivered in September via the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. This group is a 501(C)(3) organization that has agreed to transmit any funds we wish to send to the Anglican com-munity without any processing or transfer fees. Bishop Dawani returned the check to me, which we forwarded to the American Friends who will send it directly to him.

We who visited the Anglican schools were very im-pressed with what they are doing. If we have not had an emerging crisis somewhere in the world by Decem-ber 15 (2010), it is my intention to request permis-sion of the EXCOM to donate the $10,000 that we are holding for contingency purposes to the Anglicans for 2010. This would bring their total donation to $20,000.

Our next call was on Father Isidor Minaev, Archiman-drite for the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem.

Pilgrims renew their wedding vows at the Franciscan Wedding Church at Cana

13BeauséantWinter-Spring 2011We had not called on the Russian Orthodox Church there be-fore as an Order, but decided to do so in honor of MB THE-ODOSIUS. We were greeted particularly warmly because of his presence, and I think Fr. Isidor was just overwhelmed that we did come. Fr. Isador had a Russian nun who spoke excellent English and translated for him. However, she had a difficult time keeping keeping up as Fr. Isidor and MB THEODISIUS had a wonderful conversation in Russian.

We had a big surprise when it came time to present our check for $5,000. He seemed exceptionally pleased that we would consider making such a donation. However, since we had not done this before, we had not named the payee on the check. When we asked that question to him, he paused for a while and then said that Holy Trinity Church and the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission received their funding di-rectly from the Moscow Patriarchate and were pretty well taken care of. However, he suggested that the check should be given to a school in Bethany run by a Russian nun named Sister Martha. He explained that the school does not receive such funding and they needed the money more than he.

You could have knocked me over with a feather when he telephoned Sister Martha, who informed me that she was delighted with the news and agreed to come to our hotel on Thursday night for dinner and to receive the check at that time. Our videographer, Chev. Robert Marcarelli, GOTJ, OMTJ, broke off from the Pilgrim-age to go to her school and film the children on Satur-day, October 30. We hope to add this footage to the doc-umentary which we are preparing, that will cover who the Templars are and what we do with regard to charity.

Our final call of the day was with Fr. Pizzaballa, the Franciscan Custos. We were joined for that call by Fr. Peter Vasko, OFM, KCTJ. The Custos was most generous in his praise for what we are doing. We learned firsthand about some of the projects that the Franciscans are undertaking including the building of low income housing for Christian families who choose to remain. He pointed out that education is important, but if they cannot afford to live there, the young Christians are not going to stay. So far, the Franciscans have built over 6,000 units. We presented a check for $30,000 to the Custos, which he returned so that it could be sent to the non-profit Franciscan Foundation in Washington, D. C.

It was time to return to the hotel to meet with the rest of the pilgrims who had arrived from the United States that afternoon. Fr. Peter and a young Marine joined us for dinner that evening at the Christmas Hotel which was the start of our “guests for dinner program.” By week’s end, we hosted Fr. Peter, The Rev. Canon Bob Edmonds and his wife Deborah (Anglican/Episcopal exchange pastor) and Erwin, a second year pharmacy student who we are spon-soring through the Franciscans, Sister Martha (headmaster of the Orthodox School in Bethany), Fr. Isidor and Sister Elana of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, Pastor Michael

Wohlrab (Lutheran exchange pastor from Germany), Ms. Ikhlas Siriani and her husband George (Bishop Younan’s personal assistant), three members of the Commandery of the Holy Land and three members of the USMC Security detachment posted at the US Embassy. It was a wonder-ful way for all of the pilgrims to meet and talk with those individuals who actually live there. They did a wonderful job of moving about so they truly got to meet everyone.

Dave Schorn and I broke away from the group to call upon Sister Maria, later in the week when were in Beth-lehem. We had a fascinating discussion with her on how she is running her own habitat-for-humanity-type pro-gram. Essentially, she has created a program to build bet-ter housing for Christian families while using it to em-ploy those with construction skills, or train those without skills to become craftsmen so they will be employable. So far, she has renovated over 400 units. It is exciting to meet with someone who is so creative at finding solu-tions to family problems in such a harsh environment.

We held an SMOTJ Convent on Saturday, October 30 at the Lutheran Church of the Ascension at Augusta Victoria. We planned to invest one knight, but in the end this proved too difficult due to church politics. We had a lovely service, with all members of the Commandery of Holy Land who were in attendance having a role to play. The convent in-cluded an ecumenical communion served by our two pilgrim clergy, the Very Rev. Dr. Jean Meade (Episcopal) and the Rev. Prof. COL John Schmeling, Ph.D. (Lutheran). Bishop Younan opened the Convent and participated in the commu-nion. We visited the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church briefly after the Convent. We had a wonderful luncheon at the Ambassador Hotel, where we hosted Bishop Younan and the members of the Commandery as our guests. As if that was not enough food for the day, the Christmas Hotel laid out a very impressive spread for a farewell dinner to die for, as we departed for Tiberius the following morning.

We were not able to meet with the Greek Patriarch while we were in Jerusalem, as he was out of town. Both Ikhlas and Moses, the owner of the hotel (who is half-Greek) tried to reschedule our call but no one seemed will-ing to meet with us. That may have been due to the pres-ence of MB THEODOSIUS and the fact that they wanted someone suitably senior to meet with such a delegation.

I do not want to mail such a check to them and have decided to forgo the $5,000 donation to the Greek Pa-triarch for this year. I will seek to have the EXCOM ap-prove sending that $5,000 to Sister Martha and the Ortho-dox School in Bethany instead. We can do this through the Russian Church in Exile in New York City, which is a 501(C)(3) organization. We hope to meet with the Greek Patriach next year with an even larger donation.

We were unable to meet with the Latin Patriarch as well. continued on page 14


for priories to showcase their activities. There will be two raffles to raise money for the Scholarship Fund to send Christian children to high school. There will be sev-eral Templar themed items available in the primary raf-fle. A special raffle will offer a custom-made Pennsylva-nia (or Kentucky) rifle and is limited to 125 tickets only.

The Grand Convent and Investiture will be held Sat-urday afternoon at Christ the King Lutheran Church. The Grand Convent’s schedule of events (avail-able on the SMOTJ website) will culminate with the Grand Banquet on Saturday evening. We invite you to explore the Heart of the South and all it has to offer.Getting to the 2011 Grand Convent with Ease

The Convent site is located just a few miles north of the I-285 beltway and getting to this location is effortless.

Public Transportation: The MARTA station is located in the west end of Hartsfield Terminal between the baggage claim areas. Take the GOLD LINE to Doraville Station ($2). Hotel shuttles will meet you there and take you to the hotel five miles away. TAXI /LIMO: It is not recommended as it very expensive. RENTAL CAR: See driving directions.

Driving to Atlanta: The Hilton Hotel is located at 5993 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, which is acces-sible from the I-285 Beltway. It lies midway between I-75 in the west and I-85 in the east. From the south, I-75 and I-85 run concurrently through Atlanta and separate north of the downtown area, select either route. The ho-tel is 3.5 miles north of I-285. Please ensure that you fol-low the signs for Peachtree Industrial road at the divide. There is ample free parking. Your best bet for accurate directions is to use your GPS device or Mapquest.comWhat to do in Atlanta

Atlanta is replete with tourist attractions and activities throughout the city. Museums, shopping and sports are avail-able within walking distance of a MARTA station, which allows access to the sights of downtown Atlanta without the hassle of traffic or locating parking. The Hilton Hotel will provide shuttle service throughout the day to the MARTA station and anywhere within a five-mile range of the hotel site. Trips to nearby shopping, parks or an excursion to the nearby town of Norcross, which is listed on the Register of Historic Places. Some of the sights you may want to visit are:

Georgia Aquarium. The largest aquarium in the world, with over 8-million gallons of water, is a top Atlanta attraction located in the heart of downtown.

World of Coca-Cola. It is a permanent exhibition featuring the history of the Coca-Cola Company and its well-known ad-vertising, as well as a host of entertainment areas and attractions

Centennial Olympic Park. It is one of the most en-during legacies of the 1996 Olympic Games that is a liv-ing monument to the city’s memories (both good and bad) of that seminal event. Intended as a universal gathering

place, it’s an oasis of rolling lawns crisscrossed by brick pathways and punctuated by artwork, rock gardens, pools and fountains. There are usually a few free events each month, such as festivals, artist markets and performances.

The High Museum. The High Museum holds more than 11,000 works of art in its permanent collection. Included in this collection are 19th and 20th century American art, Euro-pean art, decorative art, African-American art, modern and contemporary art, photography and African art. Highlights of the permanent collection include works by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Claude Monet, Martin Johnson Heade and others.The Convent Program for Atlanta 2011

The Atlanta 2011 Committee is planning a multi-page, full color program for the Grand Convent service at Christ the King Lutheran Church. You are invited to become a sponsor for this event as a way to help fund the program and the Scholarship Fund. You can be a sponsor for this pro-gram for $25, with the names of individual knights, dames, companions or family (Chev. & Mrs.. or Chvse. & Mr. or Chev. & Chevse.) listed in the program. There is a category for in memoriam, where one can honor a deceased knight or dame. Grand priories, priories and commanderies may participate at a cost of $100 for each entry, with the name and country of the priory listed. Funds raised by this means will be used only to support the Grand Convent. Whatever is raised that is not required to support the service will be donated to the Scholarship Fund. You need not attend the service in Atlanta to be listed in this commemorative pro-gram. We will mail you a copy of the program if you con-tribute and are not able to attend. Please type or print the full name as you would like it listed in the program. En-close your check for $25 ($100 for Priory/Commandery) payable to SMOTJ and mail it to the following address: Chev. David Grant, Grand C & I Program Treasurer, Atlanta 2011, 408 Parkbrook Way, Canton, GA 30114.

However, we did meet with Fr. Bernt Besch of his staff, who was staying at our hotel in Tiberius. He agreed to take our $1,000 check and deliver it in person to the Patriarch in Jerusalem.

I feel in my heart that the religious and charitable out-reach aspect of the Pilgrimage was particularly success-ful. Our GPUSA was recognized as the organization that is doing the heavy financial lifting in Jerusalem, and we continue to open new doors in the region. We delivered in less than thirty days over $36,000 ($20,000 + $16,000 in fund-raising dollars) to Canon Andrew White, plus $70,000 to the major churches of the Holy Land. We plan to deliver another $15,000 before the end of 2010.

I am exceedingly proud to have been selected to lead this wonderful organization called GPUSA.

Grand Convent and Investiture 2011...from page 1

Fall 2010 Pilgrimage to the Holy Land...from page 13

15BeauséantWinter-Spring 2011Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem

Autonomous Grand Priory of the United States of America

SPRING CONVENT AND INVESTITURE - ATLANTA, GEORGIAHILTON ATLANTA NORTHEAST HOTEL MAY 19 -22, 2011 - REGISTRATION FORM

To register to attend electronically (preferred) go to the SMOTJ website at: http://www.smotj.org/ and click on upcoming events. If you would prefer to fax or mail in your application, fill in this form and mail it with your check or credit card information to:

SMOTJ Grand Administrative OfficePO Box 83926 Gaithersburg, MD 20993

Fax: 301-251-0716

Registration is as follows: By May 1On-Site

(cash or check only)

Templar Registration Fee – including Grand Prior Reception and Banquet $180.00 $185.00Postulant and Guest - Grand Prior Reception – Friday Evening (Cash Bar) $35.00 $40.00

Postulant and Guest Banquet - Saturday Night (Cash Bar) $75.00 $80.00BBQ- Thursday Night – tickets on sale at the registration table or at the doorYou are encouraged to register early as discounts are being offered as stated above for early registration.

Registration DOES NOT include your Hotel. Hotel Registration Form is available on the website.

Group rate ($99/night) is not guaranteed after May 4, 2011. Room availability is limited.

Your First Name Your Last Name

Military Rank / TitleTemplar Rank/

Order of Merit RankYour Address Your City

Your State Your CountryYour Postal Code Fax

Your Priory Position/OfficeHome Phone Cell Phone

Your Email AddressCircle Banquet

Meal Choice Strip Steak or Veal Loin or Red Snapper

Please list each guest separately and check the box for each event the guest will attend.

Guests:

Name Title Priory & RankGrand Prior

Recption Grand Banquet Amount Due

HILTON ATLANTA NORTHEAST HOTEL, 5993 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Norcross, Georgia, 30092-3416 Phone: (770) 447-4747

BeauséantThe Journal of the Grand Priory of the United StatesSovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem

P.O. Box 83926Gaithersburg, MD 20883-3926

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDSIEMONS MAILING

SERVICE

Prie DieuLet Us Pray!

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Give ye heed to the bishop, that God also may give heed to you. My soul be for theirs that are submissive to the bishop, to the presbyters, and to the deacons, and may my portion be along with them in God! Labour together with one another; strive in company together; run together; suffer together; sleep together; and awake together, as the stewards, and associates, and servants of God. Please ye Him under whom ye fight, and from whom ye receive your wages. Let none of you be found a deserter. Let your baptism endure as your arms; your faith as your helmet; your love as your spear; your patience as a complete panoply. Let your works be the charge as-signed to you, that ye may receive a worthy recom-pense. Be long-suffering, therefore, with one another, in meekness, as God is towards you. May I have joy of you for ever!

Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp and the EphesiansChapter VI.—The duties of the Christian flock

2011 Pilgrimage to the Holy LandKnights, Dames and Companions – your Grand

Priory will conduct our next Pilgrimage to the Holy Land on October 31 (afternoon of departure from JFK airport in NYC) through November 11, 2011 (date of return to JFK airport in USA ). Our guide for this trip will be our own Father Peter Vasko, OFM who has lived in the Holy Land for over 30 years.

The Tour Operator will again be George’s Inter-national Tours. This is the same tour provider that arranged the Order’s Pilgrimage in 2007 and 2010. An extra day has been added so that we may attend a C & I with the Commandery of the Holy Land on Saturday, November 5 and have Sunday morning to attend a church of our own choice in Jerusalem.

Complete details are available, including reser-vation form, on the GPUSA website (smotj.org)

creo

beauséant - carpe diem spring 2019carpediem.osmth.org/documents/priory_pubs/2011_spg.pdf ·...

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