Knights of the Holy Land

�We prayed a little bit and talked while further down the river there were two men fishing, and I said to my guide, �This is tremendous, like Christ calling his apostles to come follow him.� It all hit me at that site,� said Dietl, an extraordinary minister of holy Communion and member of the parish finance council at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Pembroke Pines.

Despite his own safety concerns about traveling to Israel, and after overriding the concerns of his sons, Dietl pressed on and said he immediately felt at ease after arriving in the Galilee region. His faith-enriching experience there connected scripture with a new understanding of the Holy Land�s geography, history and people.

�Everything makes more sense when reading the Bible,� Dietl said. �I was there and I saw it, and that means a lot. I also took close to 500 pictures.�

�I wouldn�t say I�ve become a holier person because of it but I am satisfied with a better understanding of the region at time of Jesus and of the Catholic religion,� he added.

Dietl�s experience in the Holy Land was the result of a longtime friend in Sarasota who sponsored his membership into what is called the Southeastern Lieutenancy (a geographic division) of The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. The centuries-old Vatican-affiliated organization is both a charitable and chivalric entity with membership reserved solely for practicing lay Catholic men and women as well as clergy.

In addition to fostering lay formation and Catholic values locally, the order facilitates financial and material support for select missions, schools and church activities of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, a specific title for the Jerusalem-based archdiocese of the Holy Land territories, which include Israel and areas beyond, including Jordan.

The order currently has 52 Lieutenancies: 24 in Europe, 15 in the U.S. and Canada, 5 in Latin America and 6 in Australia and the Far East. At present, the total number of active members in the order is around 23,000.

The Miami Archdiocese has about 100 members with another 20 candidates in the process of formal acceptance, according to Bernard Wolff, president of the Miami section of the Southeastern Lieutenancy, who in his semi-retirement is pursuing a doctoral degree in higher education administration at Barry University.

According to Wolff, members can participate in about four annual activities, including a regional conference with investiture ceremony for new members, a day of reflection, a local Mass and dinner with the archbishop, and an invitation to tour the Holy Land with expert guides such as New York-born Franciscan Father Peter Vasco, president of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land and a leading voice for the Christian presence in the Holy Land.

At special church events, the knights and ladies of the order can often be seen in their ceremonial dress: white cape and berets for the knights, black cape and mantillas for the ladies, and the signature fivefold cross, also known as the Jerusalem or Holy Land cross, as well as other decorations including the pilgrim shell for members of the order who travel to Jerusalem and meet the Latin Patriarch. Every five years, members can advance through the �ranks� through participation in the order�s activities.

Currently, Cardinal Edwin Frederick O'Brien, until recently the archbishop of Baltimore, serves as the order�s Grand Master in Rome. The order�s name corresponds to the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, which most Christians believe marks the location of Christ�s crucifixion and tomb and Christianity's most important place of pilgrimage since the fourth century.

�We don�t actively recruit people and are not elitist by a long shot, but to be considered a candidate a member of the order has to know you and see that you are a practicing Catholic, involved with a local parish,� Wolff said.

In Europe, membership is sometimes associated more with noble family heritage, but joining always requires letters of recommendation from the local bishop and a candidate�s pastor.

Members are encouraged to cultivate an interest in sustaining the historic Christian presence in the land of Jesus� birthplace through material and other support. The Christian exodus from historically Christian towns such as Bethlehem has been well-documented and owes to a variety of socio-political factors affecting the region.

�There is a horrible decrease, almost a diaspora of Christians out of the Holy Land, and the idea is to try to keep these people in place,� Wolff said. �Now we see Lebanon is suffering a dramatic decrease in the number of Christians.� 

Pope Benedict XVI visited Lebanon earlier this month, Sept. 14-16.

�When people think of Arabs they may think of Muslims but there are many Arab Christians: we have them here in Miami with Lebanese and Syrian Catholics. Many of (the hardships) that are apportioned out to Muslims (in the Middle East) extend to Catholics including discrimination of Catholics,� Wolff said.

Margaret Binder, a 20-year member of the order who bears the title Lady Grand Cross, and whose husband Bob Binder is a longtime deacon at St. John Neumann Parish in Miami, finally made a long-anticipated journey to the Holy Land after her retirement as a speech language pathologist.

�We went without a worry, and it was wonderful, a well-planned tour, very spiritual and I learned so much,� said Binder.

�We realized the purpose of the order and believe in the Holy Land, the Catholic presence there and so we support it. Those sites where Jesus walked and taught and began our Church are very important and sacred to Catholics,� she said.

Wolff said the order in Miami is now focused on developing the quality of the local gatherings of members, to increase opportunities for social and spiritual development.

�A lot of what we do in the states is more for spiritual development and camaraderie,� he said. �We hope to sponsor a morning of reflection late this year and a Dominican priest at Tulane University in New Orleans may give that talk.�