Note Regarding The Statement Made By The Vatican About Equestrian Orders

(Click on the pages to open them in larger format)

 

November is the month of the Holy Souls, when we remember before the Lord all those of our family, friends and benefactors who have gone before us to their eternal reward.

The holy sacrifice of the Mass will be offered on November 2nd, the Feast of the Holy Souls, for all deceased members of the Order, their families and friends, and all those countless benefactors who have supported the Order over the centuries. May the Lord grant them eternal rest in His heavenly Kingdom.

Pie Iesu Domine, dona eis requiem. Amen.

Animae omnium fidelium defunctorum per Dei misericordiam requiescant in pace. Amen.

The Canonization of Saint Marianne of Molokaʻi

This morning in St Peter's Square the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, Canonized eight new Saints. Among them St Marrianne Cope, "Mother of the Outcasts", who spent thirty years caring for the lepers on Moloka'i. Here are extracts from the Holy Father's Homily.

The Son of Man came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (cf. Mk 10:45)

Dear brothers and sisters!

Today the Church listens again to these words of Jesus, spoken by the Lord during his journey to Jerusalem, where he was to accomplish the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection. They are words which enshrine the meaning of Christ’s mission on earth, marked by his sacrifice, by his total self-giving. On this third Sunday of October, on which we celebrate World Mission Sunday, the Church listens to them with special attention and renews her conviction that she should always be fully dedicated to serve mankind and the Gospel, after the example of the One who gave himself up even to the sacrifice of his life.

These words were the blueprint for living of the seven Blessed men and women that the Church solemnly enrols this morning in the glorious ranks of the saints. With heroic courage they spent their lives in total consecration to the Lord and in the generous service of their brethren. They are sons and daughters of the Church who chose the path of service following the Lord. Holiness always rises up in the Church from the well-spring of the mystery of redemption, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah in the first reading: the Servant of the Lord is the righteous one who “shall make many to be accounted as righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities” (Is 53:11); he is Jesus Christ, crucified, risen and living in glory. Today’s canonization is an eloquent confirmation of this mysterious saving reality. The tenacious profession of faith of these seven generous disciples of Christ, their configuration to the Son of Man shines out brightly today in the whole Church.

.

.

.

 I now turn to Marianne Cope, born in eighteen thirty-eight in Heppenheim, Germany. Only one year old when taken to the United States, in eighteen sixty-two she entered the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis at Syracuse, New York. Later, as Superior General of her congregation, Mother Marianne willingly embraced a call to care for the lepers of Hawaii after many others had refused. She personally went, with six of her fellow sisters, to manage a hospital on Oahu, later founding Malulani Hospital on Maui and opening a home for girls whose parents were lepers. Five years after that she accepted the invitation to open a home for women and girls on the island of Molokai itself, bravely going there herself and effectively ending her contact with the outside world. There she looked after Father Damien, already famous for his heroic work among the lepers, nursed him as he died and took over his work among male lepers. At a time when little could be done for those suffering from this terrible disease, Marianne Cope showed the highest love, courage and enthusiasm. She is a shining and energetic example of the best of the tradition of Catholic nursing sisters and of the spirit of her beloved Saint Francis.

.

.

.

 Dear brothers and sisters, these new saints, different in origin, language, nationality and social condition, are united among themselves and with the whole People of God in the mystery of salvation of Christ the Redeemer. With them, we too, together with the Synod Fathers from all parts of the world, proclaim to the Lord in the words of the psalm that he “is our help and our shield” and we invoke him saying, “may your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you” (Ps 32:20.22). May the witness of these new saints, and their lives generously spent for love of Christ, speak today to the whole Church, and may their intercession strengthen and sustain her in her mission to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world.

St Marriane Cope - "Mother of the Outcasts"

 Since its foundation the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem has had a special care for those suffering from leprosy. Indeed it began by welcoming knights from other Orders who had been stricken by this disease. Those suffering from leprosy, or Hanson's Disease as it is now known, have always been at the heart of the mission and prayers of the Order. The Order is overjoyed that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, will tomorrow raise to the Altars Mother Marriane Cope, a woman beloved in Hawaii and known as “Mother of the Outcasts” for her work among the sick, declaring her a Saint. Her Canonisation comes nearly a century after Mother Marianne's 1918 death at Kalaupapa, an isolated peninsula on Molokai Island where Hawaii governments forcibly exiled leprosy patients for decades.

St. MARIANNE COPE (1838-1918)
Virgin, Professed Sister of St Francis,
missionary to leprosy patients

Barbara Koob (now officially "Cope") was born on 23 January 1838 in SE Hessen, West Germany. She was one of 10 children born to Peter Koob, a farmer, and Barbara Witzenbacher Koob. The year after Barbara's birth, the family moved to the United States.

The Koob family found a home in Utica, in the State of New York, where they became members of St Joseph's Parish and where the children attended the parish school. 

Sisters of St Francis

Although Barbara felt called to Religious life at an early age, her vocation was delayed for nine years because of family obligations. As the oldest child at home, she went to work in a factory after completing eighth grade in order to support her family when her father became ill.

Finally, in the summer of 1862 at age 24, Barbara entered the Sisters of St Francis in Syracuse, N.Y. On 19 November 1862 she received the religious habit and the name "Sr Marianne", and the following year she made her religious profession and began serving as a teacher and principal in several elementary schools in New York State.

She joined the Order in Syracuse with the intention of teaching, but her life soon became a series of administrative appointments. 

God had other plans

As a member of the governing boards of her Religious Community in the 1860s, she participated in the establishment of two of the first hospitals in the central New York area.

In 1870, she began a new ministry as a nurse-administrator at St Joseph's in Syracuse, N.Y., where she served as head administrator for six years. During this time she put her gifts of intelligence and people skills to good use as a facilitator, demonstrating the energy of a woman motivated by God alone.

Although Mother Marianne was often criticized for accepting for treatment "outcast" patients such as alcoholics, she became well-known and loved in the central New York area for her kindness, wisdom and down-to-earth practicality.

In 1883, Mother Marianne, now the Provincial Mother in Syracuse, received a letter from a Catholic priest asking for help in managing hospitals and schools in the Hawaiian Islands, and mainly to work with leprosy patients. The letter touched Mother Marianne's heart and she enthusiastically responded: "I am hungry for the work and I wish with all my heart to be one of the chosen ones, whose privilege it will be to sacrifice themselves for the salvation of the souls of the poor Islanders.... I am not afraid of any disease, hence, it would be my greatest delight even to minister to the abandoned "lepers'". 

Children and adults stand outside Father Damien's church in the late 19th century when around 600 sufferers were shipped to the island

A mother to the lepers

She and six other Sisters of St Francis arrived in Honolulu in November 1883. With Mother Marianne as supervisor, their main task was to manage the Kaka'ako Branch Hospital on Oahu, which served as a receiving station for patients with Hansen's disease gathered from all over the islands.

The Sisters quickly set to work cleaning the hospital and tending to its 200 patients. By 1885, they had made major improvements to the living conditions and treatment of the patients.

In November of that year, they also founded the Kapi'olani Home inside the hospital compound, established to care for the healthy daughters of Hansen's disease patients at Kaka'ako and Kalawao. The unusual decision to open a home for healthy children on leprosy hospital premises was made because only the Sisters would care for those so closely related to people with the dreaded disease. 

St. Damien and Mother Marianne

Mother Marianne met Fr Damien de Veuster (today Saint Damien is known as the "Apostle to Lepers") for the first time in January 1884, when he was in apparent good health. Two years later, in 1886, after he had been diagnosed with Hansen's disease, Mother Marianne alone gave hospitality to the outcast priest upon hearing that his illness made him an unwelcome visitor to Church and Government leaders in Honolulu.

In 1887, when a new Government took charge in Hawaii, its officials decided to close the Oahu Hospital and receiving station and to reinforce the former alienation policy. The unanswered question:  Who would care for the sick, who once again would be sent to a settlement for exiles on the Kalaupapa Peninsula on the island of Molokai?

In 1888, Mother Marianne again responded to the plea for help and said:  "We will cheerfully accept the work...". She arrived in Kalaupapa several months before Fr Damien's death together with Sr Leopoldina Burns and Sr Vincentia McCormick, and was able to console the ailing priest by assuring him that she would provide care for the patients at the Boys' Home at Kalawao that he had founded. 

Optimism, serenity, trust in God

Together the three Sisters ran the Bishop Home for 103 Girls and the Home for Boys. The workload was extreme and the burden at times seemed overwhelming. In moments of despair, Sr Leopoldina reflected:  "How long, O Lord, must I see only those who are sick and covered with leprosy?".

Mother Marianne's invaluable example of never-failing optimism, serenity and trust in God inspired hope in those around her and allayed the Sisters' fear of catching leprosy. She taught her Sisters that their primary duty was "to make life as pleasant and as comfortable as possible for those of our fellow creatures whom God has chosen to afflict with this terrible disease...". 

Awarded the Royal Order of Kapiolani by the Hawaiian government and celebrated in a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, Mother Marianne continued her work faithfully. Her sisters have attracted vocations among the Hawaiian people and still work on Molokai. 

Mother Marianne never returned to Syracuse. She died in Hawaii on 9 August 1918 of natural causes and was buried on the grounds of Bishop Home.

Mother Marianne’s generosity and courage were celebrated at her May 14, 2005, beatification in Rome. She was a woman who spoke “the language of truth and love” to the world, said Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. Cardinal Martins, who presided at the beatification Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, called her life “a wonderful work of divine grace.” Speaking of her special love for persons suffering from leprosy, he said, “She saw in them the suffering face of Jesus. Like the Good Samaritan, she became their mother.”
 

Mother Marianne died on August 9, 1918 and was beatified in 2005 and is now to join the glorious ranks of canonized Saints.

Prayer to
St. Marianne Cope

Lord Jesus, you who gave us your commandment of love of God and neighbour, and identified yourself in a special way with the most needy of your people, hear our prayer. Faithful to your teaching, St. Marianne Cope loved and served her neighbor, especially the most desolate outcast, giving herself generously and heroically for those afflicted by leprosy. She alleviated their physical and spiritual sufferings, thus helping them to accept their afflictions with patience. Her care and concern for others manifested the great love you have for us. Through her merits and intercession, grant us the favor which we confidently ask of you so that the people of God, following the inspiration of her life and apostolate, may practice charity towards all according to your word and example. Amen.

Through the intercession of St. Marianne Cope, I ask for the grace of (mention your request).

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be..

 St Marriane of Molokai pray for us and for the Order of St Lazarus

St Damien of Molokai pray for us and for the Order of St Lazarus

Statement on the Secretariat of State's Clarification on Equestrian Orders

The Grand Priory welcomes the clarification issued by the Vatican Secretariat of State today on the status of Equestrian Orders.  It rightly makes the point that there are only five Papal Equestrian Orders, and only two others recognised by the Holy See.  It goes on to speak of the need for the faithful to be aware that other groups claiming to be Papal Orders or Equestrian Orders have no legitimacy.

This seems an opportune time to explain that the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of  Jerusalem is not an Equestrian Order, and has never been a Papal Order.  Indeed, it is not a Royal Order either, although it has come under the Temporal Protection of the Royal House of France since 1154.

Today, the Order remains under the protection of the Royal House and its head, the Comte de Paris.  The Order is also recognised as a Non Governmental Organisation by the UN, and in several countries it is recognised by the Holy See as a Pious Union of the Lay Faithful.  Just last month the Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal Duka was installed as Chaplain General of the Order in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio to the Czech Republic, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza.

We well understand why the Holy See has felt the need to issue this clarification on its own Orders.  There are a number of other groups styling themselves 'the Order of St Lazarus', often including titles such as 'sovereign', 'reunited', 'constitutional', or 'obedience'.  Some of these groups perform admirable charitable work, but they do not benefit from the historic legitimacy of our Order.  Clearly the Holy See has a special concern for the legitimacy of its own Orders and those Orders it recognises, and it is right to issue the timely clarification it has done today.

It would be mistake, however, to think that this clarification is aimed at anything other than bogus equestrian orders claiming papal legitimacy.  Our Order (just like other groups as the Knights of Columbus, the Knights of St Columba and the Knights of Columbanus) makes no such claims, but rather rejoices in our own history and our tradition of humble service to the Church.

Investiture 2012 Admissions & Promotions

Admissions

Three new members were welcomed into the noble Order last weekend at our Annual Investiture. Confrere William Douglas and Consoeur Elizabeth Douglas had been Companions of the Order, and have now decided to become full members. Consoeur Ann Lyon has also been a good friend to the Grand Priory, attending several functions over the last few years. We are delighted to welcome them.

Confrere William Douglas,BLJ

Consoeur Elizabeth Douglas,SLJ

Consoeur Ann Lyon, SLJ

Promotions

Three members of the Grand Priory were promoted. Confrere Daniel Lawler was promoted to the rank of Serving Brother. Consoeur Margaret Lawler was promoted to the rank of Serving Sister. Confrere Anthony Dickinson was promoted to the rank of Knight.

Confrere Daniel Lawler, SBLJ, & Consoeur Margaret Lawler, SSLJ

Chevalier Anthony Dickinson, KLJ

Transfer of Obedience

The Most Revd Much Honoured Chev Michael Chenery of Horsbrugh and Whitehope, KLJ, declared his allegance to the Order under the 50th Grand Master.

 

Investiture 2012

 Members gathered after the Solemn Mass of Investiture

Last weekend the Grand Priory of Great Britain held its annual Investiture in Lancashire.  Three Postulants were received into the Order and the Most Revd Much Honoured Chev Michael Chenery, Baron of Horsbrugh and Whitehope KLJ declared his allegance to the Order under the 40th Grand Master.

It was a also good opportunity to pass on the good news to those members who could not travel to Prague last month to see Cardinal Duka invested in the Order as the Chaplain General for the whole Order, at the splendid St Vitus Cathedral, in the presence of the Papal Nuncio.  

Our present Grand Master, Jan Count Dobrzenský z Dobrzenicz has been very keen to enhance our traditional link with the Church, so for example, in several countries the Order is now recognised as a Pious Union by the Catholic Church and there is a strong insistence throughout the Order that, unlike some of the other green cross organisations, members are forbidden to be Freemasons (again to be in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church).  He has also worked very hard for the Order to recently become an NGO in Luxembourg and to be granted Consultative Status at the United Nations.   You can read more about the Order at our international site and on our British site.  Anyone interested in learning more about the Order or interested in becoming a member should use the links page on the sites to contact the Grand Secretary internationally or here in Great Britain.

As to  the rest of the weekend, after the Vigil Service on Friday evening, to invoke the Holy Spirit for the Investiture, the Grand Prior, H.E. the Much Honoured Baron of Fetternear, presented a cheque for £1,000 to Mr Norman Cutler, representing St Catherine's Hospice  in Leyland. The Hospice is the British charity the Grand Priory is supporting this year (the international one being SUROL - a leprosy charity under the patronage of Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, for which we have raised £9,000).

 

The Vigil

 Postulants praying at the end of the Vigil

After the Vigil there was a Drinks Reception for members and guests.

 Mr Norman Cutler receiving the cheque for £1,000 from our Grand Prior and with other members.

Afterwards, we held a Charity Dinner at Farington Lodge.

The Charity Dinner

On Saturday morning we celebrated High Mass with an excellent Schola singing Casali's Mass in G, followed by the Investiture of new members and a Gala Lunch.

The Solemn Mass of Investiture

Drinks Reception after Solemn Mass

 

Congatulations to our new members and those who were promoted, details to follow!

Atavis et Armis