WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ten people from the Diocese of Charlotte recently became members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, during a special investiture Mass Oct. 29 at St. Matthew Cathedral. The newly invested knights and dames are: Jane Brock, Katie Matlak, Peggy Metty, Beau Braden, Brooks Braden, Chris Frank, Bruce and Marilyn Mlakar, and Bryan and Joann Somerville.
Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori served as the investing officer and Mass celebrant. The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem was founded by the pope during the Crusades when the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem – built upon the site of Christ’s crucifixion, death and resurrection – came under attack.
Today, members of the order still defend and support the Catholic presence in the Holy Land through their financial contributions. There are approximately 30,000 members in 40 nations. Members are required to travel regularly on pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
The global amount of aid they send to support the work of the Latin Patriarchate and the other Catholic institutions in the Holy Land exceeds $10 million annually. Knights and ladies wear capes featuring a thick red Jerusalem cross that has four miniature crosses in each corner of the main cross. The five crosses represent the five wounds of Christ.
Learn more about the order’s work at www.holysepulchre.net.
— SueAnn Howell. Photo provided