Welcome to KHS
Thanks to a great team effort the Royal visit last week went extremely well and everyone seemed happy with the occasion. There has been little time to ‘bask in our success’ though as life at the Cathedral never stands still for very long and we move on this weekend to an event that has been more than three years in the planning, and dare I say with just as much or more detailed planning.
We are delighted to be welcoming the Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre who take over the Crypt and the Cathedral on Friday and Saturday. They have a Vigil Service on Friday evening in the Crypt Chapel, and then the main programme on Saturday is a Mass Of Investiture followed by an Investiture lunch. A busy weekend indeed but what and who are the Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre? Under its Papal Constitution, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre is a legal entity in Canon Law: as a Religious (but not Pontifical) Order of Knighthood, it is one of only two such recognised by the Holy See (the other is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta). The purposes of the Order as stated in its Constitution are:
* To strengthen in its members the practice of Christian life, in absolute fidelity to the Supreme Pontiff and according to the teachings of the Church, observing as its foundation the principles of charity of which the order is a fundamental means for assistance to the Holy Land;
* To sustain and aid the charitable, cultural and social works 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;
* To support the preservation and propagation of the Faith in those lands, interesting in this work the Catholics scattered throughout the world, united in charity by the symbol of the Order, and also all brother Christians;
* To sustain the rights of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.
Membership of the Order is by invitation only; it is offered to Roman Catholic men and women, lay or clerical, aged over 25, whose record of service to the Church and community indicates that they can be expected to make a significant contribution to the Order’s work. As such it should be seen not as an honour but rather as a privileged opportunity for service. The Order has some 23,000 members (Knights and Dames) in 50 countries. Its governing body in Rome consists of the Cardinal Grand Master, the Governor-General (His Excellency) Count Agostino Borromeo, and an international council, the Grand Magisterium. Archbishop Edwin O’Brien succeeded Cardinal John Foley, becoming Grand Master on being appointed a Cardinal. Each country or (in larger countries) region has its own Lieutenancy, led by a Lieutenant appointed by the Cardinal Grand Master. If you happen to be around the Investiture Mass is always a wonderful occasion and is worth staying for.
Also this weekend there will be one of the Synod representatives talking about the process that each and everyone of us is invited to take part in at each Mass in the Cathedral and Crypt. This is your opportunity to be heard. Your views and opinions are important and we want you to be there. Please see over the page for details of the meetings. If you can’t make the meetings you still have time to complete the Synod Online Survey which hundreds of people across the Archdiocese have already done, but please note that this will close on Sunday 30 June 2019.
Claire Hanlon
Assistant to the Dean
Canon O’Brien is away
