EQUESTRIAN ORDER OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE OF JERUSALEM

(EOHSJ) – Western Canada

 

Lieutenancy of Canada-Vancouver

 

1996 – 2006

 

 

PEOPLE  HELPING  PEOPLE

 

The history of the EOHSJ is a story of inspiration, challenge and success.   It is a record of those who accepted the call and the opportunity to partnership in the Church.   “It is not possible to stress sufficiently that the charitable work of the Order must have its roots in the spirituality of its members” (preamble to the Constitution).

 

The establishment of the Order in Vancouver began in 1979 when His Excellency Professor Charles Engel, Lieutenant of Canada-Quebec approached His Grace Archbishop Carney of Vancouver about expanding the Order to Western Canada.   The Archbishop supported the initiative and requested that the Toronto Lieutenancy spearhead the drive.   Unfortunately these efforts turned out to be premature due to health concerns experienced by the principals involved.

 

Interest in the Order was re-kindled in the early 1990’s through parallel efforts by Monsignor Pedro Lopez-Gallo, Judicial vicar of Vancouver, and Dr. Gerald Ricard, PhD.   Dr. Ricard, a resident of Victoria, traveled to Toronto to join the Order in 1991.   He worked closely with His Excellency Sir Francis McKernan, Lieutenant of Toronto, and Sir Francois Aubert, a knight who had recently moved to Victoria from Paris, to foster the Order in Victoria.   Monsignor Lopez-Gallo obtained support for the Order from His Grace Archbishop Exner of Vancouver.

 

Under the sponsorship and the benevolence of H.E. Sir Gerald Guest of the Toronto Lieutenancy, the first group of investees to the future Lieutenancy was invested in Vancouver in 1993.

 

The early years of the group emphasized physical support for the Church in the Holy Land, and communication concerning the Christians in the Holy Land to members of the Vancouver Catholic community.   Recruitment concentrated on religious members and parish communities.   In 1995 the Section became a Magistral Delegation with appointment of His Grace Archbishop Exner as Grand Prior, and Sir William Whelan as Magistral Delegate.   By 1996 the group had grown to 57 members (28 knights, 22 ladies and 7 clergy).   The generosity of major benefactors and a diverse membership base formed the foundation for the future personality of the Lieutenancy.

 

 

Nineteen hundred and ninety six:

 

On October 1st, 1996 the Vancouver Lieutenancy was created and its first investiture con celebrated by His Eminence Carlo Cardinal Furno, Grand Master, His Grace Archbishop Adam Exner, OMI, KC*HS, Grand Prior, and other clergy at Holy Name Catholic Church in Vancouver.   Sir William Whelan was installed as the first Lieutenant.

 

The direction of the Lieutenancy acquired a major additional focus in 1996 when a group of knights, ladies and clergy responded to the exhortation of Pope John Paul to all members of the Order to go, at least once in a lifetime, on pilgrimage to the Holy Land.   Such a pilgrimage helps individual members of the Order grow in faith and become ambassadors concerning the plight of Christians in the Holy Land, while supporting the employment of local Christians and their apostolic work.

 

Our first pilgrimage introduced members to the sacred sites of the Holy Land and established personal contact with the Latin Patriarch.   It solidified a core group within the Lieutenancy and increased the awareness of the spiritual role of the Order and the international scope.   The Lieutenancy became closer to the Magisterium in Rome and the Latin Patriarchy in Jerusalem.   This resulted in increased information for members, more personal relationships with Catholics in the Holy Land, and an appreciation that support of the living Church is concerned with real people living their faith under siege.

 

 

Millennium-Two thousand years:

 

A second pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land occurred in 2000.   This pilgrimage increased the dedication to the goals of the Order.   The pilgrimage utilized a Christian guide Rimon Makhlouf, who provided a Christian perspective on their daily lives.   The pilgrims visited some of the many projects supported by the Order.

 

 

BEIT SAHOUR SCHOOL DURING CLASS

 

During these years the Lieutenancy also expanded its spiritual program for members.   Retreats, vigils and prayer chains continued to play an important role in the spiritual life of members.    A pilgrimage to Lourdes in 2002 furthered this dimension of our Lieutenancy.   Members increasingly gave testimony to the maturing of a closer personal Relationship with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  

 

 

Lourdes 2002.

 

 


Dr.  Sir Declan Lawlor, Sir Bert Beks and Dr. Sir Gerald Landy.

                      
                                                                   Rev. Sir John Horgan, KCHS

                                        

The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.

                                          

 

 

By 2003 the Lieutenancy had established a strong tradition of physical and spiritual support for the Church in the Land of Jesus.   It began to accept new challenges emphasizing the strengths that set the Order apart from the other Catholic organizations.

 

Dr. Sir Declan Lawlor was appointed as our new Lieutenant in 2003, when the Lieutenancy commenced a major outreach program to expand the Order to other Catholic Rites and into Alberta.   The Ukrainian Epoch of Vancouver, Bishop Severian Yakymyshyn, Archbishop Thomas Collins and Bishop Luc Bouchard of St. Paul, joined the Lieutenancy.   Archbishop Raymond Roussin, SM was named as Grand Prior subsequent to his appointment as Archbishop of Vancouver.   Bi-monthly spiritual evenings became established.

 

The Investiture of Bishop Severian Yakymyshyn, OSB, KC*HS

 

.                

                                                       

 

 

In 2004 the Lieutenancy participated in its third pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Rimon our Christian guide.   This pilgrimage emphasized opportunities for prayer and reflection at the holy places and visits with Christian people, boys and girls, parents and religious, as well as projects supported by the Lieutenancy.   The highlight of the pilgrimage was the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, celebrated by our Chaplain, Reverend Sir Ronald Thompson inside the Most Holy Tomb where Jesus was laid and rose from the dead.   Pilgrims also visited parish schools, including Beit Sahour near Bethlehem, the rehabilitation centers for the handicapped, the homes for the elderly and places of work in Israel, Palestine and Jordan.

 

 

 

Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Jerusalem.

 

 

 

His Beatitude Michel Sabbah at Deir Rafat, October 31st 2004 feast of Our Lady Queen of Palestine

 

 

 

In 2005 the Lieutenancy marked the first major investiture of members from Alberta.   Membership now includes 135 knights, ladies and clergy in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan including three archbishops, two bishops and thirteen priests.   Its members represent a wide variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds from around the world.   The Lieutenancy has one of the highest per capita contributions of any lieutenancy in the Order, due in part to the significant generosity of several major benefactors.   It continues to provide significant opportunities for spiritual growth for members through the untiring efforts of our clerical members and dedication to regular pilgrimages to the Holy Land.   The major thrust of the charitable projects of the Lieutenancy is towards the education of the Christian population, the girls and boys on whose leadership the future rests.

 

As 2006 unfolded, hostilities increased, and war ensued in Lebanon, which obligated the rescheduling of the September Pilgrimage.   The pervasive and systematic oppression of our Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land is real and of grave concern to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.   The members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem provide material assistance, in addition to spiritual and moral support, to the dwindling Christian presence.

In 2007, after eight years as this Lieutenancy’s Chancellor, and a further four year term as our second Lieutenant, Dr. Sir Declan Lawlor retired from service on the Council for Canada – Vancouver.

 

With Sir Declan’s retirement, the Lieutenancy entered a new era, on a solid foundation built upon the leadership and vision of Monsignor Lopez-Gallo, our first two Lieutenants, Sir William Whelan and Dr. Sir Declan Lawlor, together with the charter members of Canada – Vancouver.

 

Since 2007, the Lieutenant of Canada-Vancouver has been Sir William McCarthy, KC*HS.

 

The knights and ladies of the Order concentrate their prayers and resources to ensure that they are not a witness to the “Twilight of Christianity” in the Holy Land but to a strengthening of resolve that good will prevail.

 

The legacy, which we hope to leave future generations of Christians in the Holy Land will be, the grace to see the face of God in all people, and a faith, which will lead individuals and communities to live a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

 

This faith in God, based on love and forgiveness, embraces a concept of freedom and security, which should lead to permanent peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DEUS  LO  VULT