The Order

The Entrance Ceremony

 

The provocation of thought (Message from the King):

God make you a good man and fail not of beauty. The Order was founded in patience, humility, and meekness. Thou art never to do outrageousity, nor murder, and always to flee treason, by no means to be cruel, and always to do ladies, damsels, and gentle women succor. Also, to take no battles in a wrongful quarrel for no law nor for no world's goods.

Thou shouldst be for all ladies and fight for their quarrels, and ever be courteous and never refuse mercy to him that asketh mercy, for a knight that is courteous and kind and gentle has favor in every place. Thou shouldst never hold a lady or gentle woman against her will.

Thou must keep thy word to all and not be feeble of good belief and faith. Right must be defended against might and distress must be protected. Thou must know good from evil and the vain glory of the world, because great pride and bobauce maketh great sorrow. Should anyone require of ye any quest so that it is not to thy shame, thou shouldst fulfill the desire.

Ever it is a worshipful knights deed to help another worshipful knight when he seeth him in great danger, for ever a worshipful man should loath to see a worshipful man shamed, for it is only he that is of no worship and who faireth with cowardice that shall never show gentleness or no manner of goodness where he seeth a man in any danger, but always a good man will do another man as he would have done to himself.

It should never be said that a small brother has injured or slain another brother. Thou shouldst not fail in these things: charity, abstinence and truth. No knight shall win worship but if he be of worship himself and of good living and that he loveth God and dreadeth God then else he getteth no worship here be ever so hardly.

An envious knight shall never win worship for when an envious man wants to win worship he shall be dishonored twice therefore without any and for this cause, all men of worship hate an envious man and will show him no favor.

Do not, nor slay not, anything that will in any way dishonor the fair name of Christian knighthood for only by stainless and honorable lives and not by prowess and courage shall the final goal be reached. Therefore be a good knight and so I pray to God so ye may be, and if ye be of prowess and of worthiness then ye shall be a Knight of The Order.

THE VIGIL

On the eve of the Knighting it is customary to give the candidate a vigil. This is a time for reconciliation, speaking with the Chivalry, Peers and wise nobles of the Order who are present. And a time for introspection to consider the responsibilities and joys of accepting the accolade. The Vigil shall begin after Vespers (10pm) on Friday with a roundtable on Chivalry where those present may discourse on the meaning, exemplars, symbols, duties, and responsibilities of knighthood and peerage of the Order. This round table shall be moderated by the candidate's Knight, and shall continue until Compline (12ish). Thereafter shall commence a time of prayer and contemplation, when ancient, wise, and grave gentles come singly and in pairs to instruct the candidate in the ways, honor, and history of the of peerage and knighthood of the Order.

The candidate shall fast on the vigil, he ought to pray unto God, and confess of his difficulties that he has done against God. He ought to stay awake all night and say his prayers and ought to hear the word of God and things touching the deeds of chivalry and the Order. The candidate shall be clad in a tunic of white next to his skin, that he will hold himself clean, chaste and pure of heart and mind. The candidate shall be clad in a cloak of red, that he might understand and consider that he will be required to spill his blood in order to defend his God, his Order and his people. The candidate shall wear shoes and hose of brown and black to so that he will always have in mind death, and the earth to lie in low. From whence he has come, and wither he will go, Lest into pride he fall. And before he be dubbed an knight the candidate shall bathe in order that felony be washed away and he be fulfilled with courtesy, honesty, and kindness.

 

          THE BLESSINGS

Blessing of the Sword: Grant, we pray, O Lord, our prayers, and see fit to bless with the hand of your majesty this sword with which your servant desires to be girt, to the end that he may be a defender of the Church, of widows, of orphans, and of all the servants of God, against the cruelty of godless heathens, and that he may be the terror and dread of his enemies, ensuring for him the performance of equitable prosecution and just defense. Amen.

 

 Blessing of the Candidate: O Lord, omnipotent father, eternal God, who alone establish and lawfully rule the order of all things: who to put down the malice of reprobates and to defend justice have, by your beneficent disposition, permitted men on earth the use of the sword, and have willed to institute a Chivalric Order for the protection of the people: and who said by way of the blessed John to the soldiers who came to him in the desert that they should do violence to no man, but be content with their pay: we humbly pray that, just as you granted to ur child David the power to vanquish Goliath, and as you caused Judas Machabbeus to triumph over the nations who did not call upon your name, so grant, through your heavenly bounty, to this your servant, who comes a new recruit to put his neck under the chivalric yoke, the power and valor to defend the faith and justice, increase him in faith, hope, charity, the fear as well as the love of God, humility, perseverance, obedience and good patience, and direct him lawfully in all things, so that he will never injure anyone unjustly with this or any other sword, and so that, just as he is raised from an inferior station to the new honor of knighthood, so, putting off the old man with his deeds, he will put on the new man, to fear you and render you just worship, to avoid the society of the wicked, to pour out his charity upon his neighbor, to obey the articles of his oath lawfully in all things, and to fulfill his office justly at all times. Through Jesus Christ out Lord. Amen.

 

CHARGING THE CANDIDATE

 Right mindful of your prowess on the field, and responsive to the wishes of your peers, we are minded to make you knight. Know that to wear the belt and chain of a knight is to hold a sacred trust; that the obligations of knighthood will demand your efforts every moment of your life.

 A knight of The Order must be respectful of all religions, never offending the faith of another.

 A knight must respect all those who are weak or defenseless, whether because of age, infirmity, poverty, or vow, and be steadfast in defending them.

 A knight must love his Order and his province, and fulfill most faithfully his feudal duties to his Order and his State.

 His word must be dependable beyond doubt or question. He must never flee from the face of his foes. He must be generous to all.

 And, always and everywhere, he must be the champion of the right and the good.

 The Laws of The Order and the customs of the Kingdom require that a knight be prow, as you have demonstrated you are upon the field; that a knight be courteous, as you have shown yourself to be and as these noble gentleman attest; and that a knight be loyal to his State and The Order. Do you then desire to accept the burden of knighthood and swear fealty to The Order?

The Candidate will accept.

 

 

THE VOWS OF ENTRANCE

 

First Vow

 

          We will never bring disgrace on this our Order by an act of dishonesty or cowardice.

 

          We will fight for the ideals and Sacred Things of the Order both alone and with many.

 

We will revere and obey the Order’s laws, and do our best to incite a like reverence and respect in those above us who are prone to annul them or set them at naught.

 

We will strive increasingly to quicken the Orders sense of Civic duty.

 

Thus, in all these ways, we will transmit this Order, not only, not less, but greater and more powerful then it was transmitted to us.

 

 

 

 

 

Response of the King

 

          Be always ready with your armor on, except when you are taking your rest at night.

         

Defend the poor, and help them that cannot defend themselves.

 

          Do nothing to hurt or offend anyone else.

 

Be prepared to fight in defense of your Order.    

 

At whatever you are working, try to win honor and a name for honesty.

 

Never break your promise.

 

Maintain the honor of your Order with your life.

 

Rather die honest then live shamelessly.

 

          The Order requireth that you should be trained to perform the most laborious and humble offices with cheerfulness and grace; and to do good to others.

 

Second Vow

 

          On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my Order, and to obey the Orders laws. To help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

 

Third Vow

 

          I do hereby promise, on my honor as a Knight, that I will always and faithfully observe and preserve the traditions of the Orders: Templar, Teuton, Hospitalliter, Santiago, and Jerusalem.

 

          I will always regard the ties of brotherhood in the Order as lasting, and will seek to preserve a cheerful spirit, even in the face of irksome tasks and weighty responsibilities, and will endeavor, so far as in my power lies, to be unselfish in service and devotion to others.

 

Fourth Vow

Upon the true faith of a Christian, may God witness that I hereby vow and dedicate myself as a servant of Christ and the poor, the first qualification of a true Knight.

As a member of this body, I promise to be faithful and loyal to the ideals of the Order; to do everything in my power to contribute to its glory, protection, prosperity, support and utility; to combat everything prejudicial to its well being; never to act contrary to its dignity, but to conduct myself always as a true Knight of Christ, that is to say, as a good Christian and a person of honor.

Believing that Christ will grant me a special token of His favor, I, therefore, in all humility, charity and respect, agree to join with every sincere and Godly Christian of whatever church to bring about by prayer and deed the salvation of the Christian World by helping to promote a lasting Christian Unity.

I will adorn my Knighthood with true charity, the mother and solid foundation of all virtues.

I will wear on my person the Cross, to constantly remind me of my religious vow of always bearing in my heart the Cross of Jesus Christ, adorned with the virtues that attend it, so help me God.

 

Response of the King

 

“Beloved brethren, ye see that the majority are agreed to receive this man as a brother. If there be any among you who know anything of him, on account of which he cannot lawfully become a brother, let him say it; for it is better that this should be signified beforehand than after he is brought before us.”

 

“Brother, are you desirous of being associated with the Order?”

 

Response of candidate, If Yes continue.

 

 “Are you willing that he should be brought in, in God’s name?”

 

Response of the Orders Assembled Members: “Let him be brought in, in God’s name.”

 

Candidate was now again asked by his sponsors if he still desired to enter the Order

 

Receiving an affirmative reply, the candidate folds his hands and literally flings himself upon his knees:

      

Sir, I am come before God and before you for the sake of God and our Dear Lady, to admit me into your Society, and the good deeds of the Order as one who will be all his life long a servant and the slave of the Order.

 

 

Answer of the King:

 

          Beloved brother, you are desirous of a great matter, for you see nothing but the outward shell of our Order. It is only the outward shell when you see that we have fine horses and rich caparisons, that we eat and drink well and are splendidly clothed. From this you conclude that you will be well off with us. But you know not the rigorous maxims which are in our interior. For it is a hard matter for you, who are your own master, to become the servant of another. You will hardly be able to perform, in future, what you wish yourself. For when you may wish to be on this side of the sea, you will be sent to the other side; when you will wish to be in Acre, you will be sent to the district of Antioch, to Tripoli, or to Armenia; or you will be sent to Apulia, to Sicily, or to Lombardy, or to Burgundy, France, England, or any other place or country where we have houses and possessions. When you will wish to sleep, you will be ordered to watch; when you will wish to watch, then you will be ordered to go to bed; when you will wish to eat, then you will be ordered to do something else. And as both we and you might suffer great inconvenience from what you have mayhap concealed from us, look here on the holy evangelists and the word of God and answer the truth to the questions which we shall put to you; for if you lie you will be perjured and may be expelled from the Order, from which God keep you!

Questions are asked on Holy writ. If the answers proved acceptable, the King continues:

          Beloved brother, take good care that you have spoken the truth to us: for should you have spoken false on any one point, you might be put out of the Order-from which God keep you! Now, beloved brother, attend strictly to what we shall say unto you. Do you promise to God, and to our Dear Lady Mary to be, all your life long, obedient to the Master of the Order, and to the prior who shall be set over you?

Response of Candidate: Yea, sir, with the help of God!

          Do you promise to God, and to our Dear Lady Mary, to observe all your life long, the laudable manners and customs of our Order, both those which are already in use and those which the master and Knights may add?

Response of Candidate: Yea, sir, with the help of God!

          Do you promise to God, and to our Dear Lady Mary, that you will, with the strength and powers which God has bestowed on you, help as long as you live to conquer the Holy Land of Jerusalem; and that you will, with all your strength, aid to keep and guard that which the Christians possess?

Response of Candidate: Yea, sir, with the help of God!

Do you promise to God, and to our Dear lady Mary, never to leave this Order for stronger or weaker, for better or worse, than with the permission of the Master, or the chapter which has the authority?

Response of Candidate: Yea, sir, with the help of God!

          Do you finally promise to God, and to our Dear Lady Mary, never to be present when a Christian is unjustly and unlawfully despoiled of his heritage, and that you will never, by counsel or by act, take part therein?

Response of Candidate: Yea, sir, with the help of God!

          Then, in the name, of God, and His Son Jesus Christ, and in the name of St. Peter of Rome, and in the name of all the brethren of the Order, we receive to all the good works of the Order which has been performed from the beginning, and shall be performed to the end, you, your father, your mother, and all your family whom you will let have share therein. In like manner do you receive us to all the good work which you have performed and shall perform. We assure you of bread and water and the poor clothing of the Order, and labor and toil enough.

 

Upon the giving of the lance:

          As Fear of the lance drives back the unarmed, so the Knight drives back the Enemies of the Church.

 

 

Upon the giving of the sword:

          The two edges of the sword show that the Knight serves God and the people. One edge to cut to the truth, one edge to administer justice and a scabbard to counsel mercy.

 

Upon the giving of the belt:

          The knights' white belt symbolizes purity, and chastity that a knight must reign in his body steadfastly, avoiding the scandals of the body: gluttony, sloth, and lechery. Purity of purpose and a new beginning or rebirth, like baptism, to begin again the steps on the Path to Chivalry.

 

Upon the giving of the spurs:

          As knights spurs goad the warhorse so should they goad the knight to Valor, Service, Diligence and Swiftness. Let the spurs hasten the knight to his duty that he might maintain his Order in the high honor that belongs to it. By placing precious golden spurs near his feat a knight displays disdain for worldly things. They should be worn with honor and discretion lest they be hacked from your heals in shame and disgrace.

 

Upon the giving of the cloak:

          Shamefastness or Fear of shame. These arms ensure that all might know this knight from afar, and judge him fair or foul, to ensure obedience to the Order of knighthood. It symbolizes the hardships and travail that a knight will suffer foremost in battle and always placing his body between his Order and her foes just as the surcoat receives any blows, rain, or insult before the armor and body of the knight.

 

Upon the giving of the chain:

          The candidate has been invested with the trappings of the office of knighthood now we bind him to them and his oath of fealty. This chain is of gold, purest of the metals to signify the purity of the chain of fealty which binds the knight and his sovereigns to one another. The chain is heavy to symbolize and remind the knight of the heavy responsibility he bears. The chain is strong and runs round the neck of the knight signifying obedience to the commands of his Savior and the Order. Pray let your behavior and deeds charge this our symbol with as great a reverence and respect as the symbols of our forbearers.

 

DUBBING THE KNIGHT (THE ADOUBEMENT)

In remembrance of oaths given and received." (Strike the  right shoulder)

"In remembrance of your lineage and obligations." (Strike the left shoulder)

"Be thou a good knight." (Strike the head)

         

Awake from Evil dreams and Keep watch, faithful in Christ and praiseworthy in fame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fifth Vow

         

The Candidate Placing his hands between those mentioned.

           

To Jesus:

          I become your man from this day forward, and unto you shall be true and faithful for the grace I have from you.

 

To the King of Jerusalem:

          I become your man from this day forward, and unto you shall be true and faithful for the honor I have from you.

 

The candidate is admitted. The mantle with its cross is placed by the master over the neck of the candidate, and clasped firmly by him. The Chaplain recites the first Psalm and the prayer of the Holy Ghost, and each brother repeats a paternoster.

 

Psalm 1

 

Blessed is the Man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

 

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.

 

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

 

The ungodly are not so: but are like chaff which the wind driveth away.

 

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

 

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

 

Prayer of the Holy Spirit

 

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.

Oh God, who has taught the hearts of the faithful       by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may be always truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation.