The enduring chivalric service to the Holy Land of the Knights and Dames of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

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Salt Lake City members of the Western USA Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem are shown at their mid-year meeting in February.

“We are called to build a future of hope and future of peace. In a special way, that future depends on the continued well-being of our Christian families and most especially the education of their children.”

– Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

We, the Knights and Dames of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, take a vow to protect our Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land in fidelity to a tradition of Catholic chivalry of more than nine centuries.

Far from the anachronism that it may seem, chivalry lives, thrives and serves today, for beyond mere decorous social conduct and by no means a purely honorific token of recognition, knighthood or damehood is a call to the exemplarily virtuous service of others. As Peter Bander van Duren writes in Orders of Knighthood and of Merit, “From its beginnings, the aim of [our] Order was the protection of the Holy Places and of pilgrims,” with the explicit designation of guarding the Holy Sepulchre, which is the gloriously empty tomb from which our Lord rose from the dead, according to the Scriptures.

The Constitution of our Order requires that we engage ourselves in the fulfillment of such purposes as aid to “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,” as well as the preservation and propagation of the faith in the Holy Land, involving in this work “Catholics scattered throughout the world.”

Ultimately, as Her Excellency Dame Margaret Romano, Lieutenant of the Western Lieutenancy remarks, “We are called to love and to serve the Lord. As members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, we do this by our acts, helping our Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land. Where Jesus walked, we walk, following in his footsteps, bringing his message of love and hope.”

In such a spirit, before war broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, we ordinarily raised funds to support the many Catholic ministries and other entities in the Holy Land already in operation: orphanages, homes for the elderly, parishes, schools, family businesses, a university and a seminary are many of the recipients of the generosity of devoted members. Since the latest conflict, however, while support is still needed for those same ministries, we have also put a focus on humanitarian aid named the “Peace and Mercy Crusade.” Our goal is to raise $1 million over the next year to sustain that which is most urgent and necessary: food, housing, utilities and medicine.

While humanitarian aid fulfills day-to-day needs, another major focus of ours remains education, as the Latin Patriarch has identified that the recovery of the schools will be a major step in the return to normalcy. This includes teacher salaries, scholarships and much-needed school repairs.

Through these efforts, we intend that those who live in the Holy Land may come to know that the whole Church is with them in prayer and in deed, giving hope of current survival and of future rebuilding and assuring them that, in the land where our Lord Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again for us, they have not been abandoned.

These and similar efforts are in practice locally, too. In the Diocese of Salt Lake City approximately 62 devout Knights and Dames contribute to the good works of the Order, led by Dame Rolinda and Sir Raymond Dardano of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Co-Councillors for the  diocese, under the spiritual direction of Bishop Oscar A. Solis. Inspiration toward personal sanctification comes from the effort by several members who coordinate first Monday rosaries each month held at St. Vincent de Paul Parish’s Benvegnu Center (led by Dame Madalyn and Sir James Seaman) and St. Mary of the Assumption Old Town Chapel (led by Dame Pamela and Sir Fredrick Strasser).

Members of the Order also participate in many liturgical, devotional and educational events throughout the year. We attend ordinations, special Masses such as the Chrism Mass, often celebrate feast days of the Order and attend special events such as the Eucharistic processions and pray First Monday rosaries together. The Salt Lake Area supports humanitarian and educational activities in the Holy Land including support for the Zarqa Schools under the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. Finally, the spiritual highlight of the year is the Annual Meeting of the Western Lieutenancy, which will be held here in Salt Lake City in October under the theme “Salt of the Earth” (Matthew 5:13).

Sir Raymond and Dame Rolinda were invested into the Order in 2014 and have served as Area Co-Councillors for the Salt Lake Council since 2020, of which they say, ”It is a privilege and a blessing to serve the Diocese of Salt Lake City alongside our fellow Knights and Dames, in supporting the Christian community in the Holy Land.”

Written by Dame Margaret Romano, DGCHS, Dame Rolinda and Sir Raymond Dardano, KC*HS, and Sir M. R. Weinberg, KCHS.

For information about the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in Utah, contact Rolinda and Raymond Dardano, Salt Lake Area Co-Councillors, at SL_Councillor@eohsjwesternusa.org or visit the website of the Western Lieutenancy of the Order: https://www.eohsjwesternusa.org