RALEIGH — Members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem from the Carolinas, Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C., gathered Oct. 23-24 for their annual meeting and investiture, hosted by the Diocese of Raleigh.
The Middle Atlantic Lieutenancy of the chivalric order, which supports the Church in the Holy Land, welcomed 29 new members. Invested from the Diocese of Charlotte were: Stephen Barringer, Father Casey Coleman, Patricia Guilfoyle, Lorena Haynes and Jason Haynes. Promoted to the rank of Knight Commander was Zachariah Blankenbaker, and promoted to the rank of Dame Commander were Gail Buckley Barringer and Justice Blankenbaker.
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem was founded nearly a thousand years ago, during the Crusades when Jerusalem came under attack, and the pope remains its sovereign.
Today, men and women of the order still defend and support the Christian presence in the Holy Land through their charitable work. The order has approximately 30,000 members in 40 nations worldwide who contribute millions of dollars annually to fund schools, hospitals, clinics, seminaries and social welfare projects managed by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (including institutions like Bethlehem University) across Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian territories and Cyprus.
Knights and ladies wear capes featuring a thick red “Jerusalem cross” that has four miniature crosses in each corner of the main cross. Each of the five crosses represents the five wounds of Christ.
Learn more about their work at www.midatlanticeohs.com.
— Catholic News Herald