On the front cover of the bulletin and elsewhere, you may have noticed that there are three initials after my name (K. H. S.). These letters denote my knighthood in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. The origins of the Order date back to the First Crusade. Among the many missions of the Order, it aims to strengthen in its members the practice of the Christian life, in absolute fidelity to the teachings of the Church. It lives this out through sustaining the charitable, cultural, and institutions of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, particularly those of and in the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, with which the Order maintains traditional ties.
At the parish level, we actively participate in the Pontifical Good Friday Collection each year. This is the result of the Pope’s wish for the bond between Christians and the Holy Land to remain strong.
Membership in the Order is not reserved for just clergy. You may not be aware, but our parishioners, Ed and Tricia Stuckey (pictured below), are also members of the Order. Last weekend at the annual meeting of the North Central USA Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, they were promoted to the rank of Knight Commander and Dame Commander, respectively.
A promotion to the next rank is a recognition of the merits earned by those members who have shown evidence of active participation, commitment, and generous charitable action, and who can be held up as an example to others in the Lieutenancy. No promotion may be granted by seniority but only and exclusively by merits. It must be accompanied by the evidence of good services performed.
Please join me in congratulating Ed and Tricia on this prestigious accolade. Moreover, we extend our appreciation for their devotion to charity to our local parishes and the larger Church abroad.
“Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” (Luke 6:38)
I am indebted for all that you do for our downtown parishes. May the Holy Spirit inspire us to transform our world, empower us to seek good for all people, and give us a spirit of solidarity, making us one human family.
~ Fr. Sean
Knight Commander Ed Stuckey and Dame Tricia Stuckey