The Allure of Chivalry
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Issue 01 | 2021 Order Journal of the Grand Bailiwick of Germany THE ALLURE OF CHIVALRY Saint Lazarus The Military and Hospitaller Order of www.st-lazarus-orden.de Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem Lazarus Days: September 24 to 26, 2021, in Heilsbronn Greeting by the Bailiff of the Grand Bailiwick Planned programme Friday, 24 September 2021 10:00 h Chapter meeting (Chapter members only) 15:30 h Arrival / Check-in 17:30 h Welcome at the Religious Education Centre 17:45 h Farewell ceremony for the Bailiff and Chancellor emeritus 19:00 h Pilgrim’s Supper 20:00 h VIGIL with vesting of the postulants 21:30 h Symphonic tattoo for the farewell of the Bailiff and Chancellor emeritus in the courtyard of the Minster 22:00 h Ending in the monastery cellar with evening snack Saturday, 25 September 2021 07:45 h Ecumenical Morning Prayer in the Abbot’s Chapel Dear Sisters and Brethren of the Order, 08:30 h Breakfast 10:00 h Members/Order Meeting dear Friends of the Order of St. Lazarus, 12:30 h Lunch 16:00 h Holy Mass in the Minster with Archbishop Michelle Pennisi – dear ladies and gentlemen: Investiture of the Bailiff of the Grand Bailiwick of Germany by the 50th Grand Master: H. E. Francisco de Borbón, Count of Hardenberg Once again you are holding an issue of our revived Order Journal in your hands. The fact that this is happening so soon fills me 18:00 h Reception of the Grand Bailiwick in the courtyard of the Cathedral with great gratitude. It is above all due to the commitment of the Editor of our Grand Bailiwick, Dr. Martin Haas CLJ. But it is also an 18:45 h Dinner in the refectory expression of the vitality of the Order to which you belong, which you accompany with your sympathy, and in whose activities you participate. Communication is the essential means of expressing the bond of our community by sharing and giving, by participating in our Sunday, 26 September 2021 charitable and hospitaller endeavours, in our thoughts on their further development and in the national and international life of the Order. Unlike the electronic medium, the Order Journal strives to be a place of reflection and exchange, also of discourse, beyond the moment. Make use of it! 07:45 h Lauds in the Abbot’s Chapel 08:30 h Breakfast This would be true even without the corona pandemic, but it is particularly true now. May the Journal help us to keep close even in special times! 09:30 h Protestant service in the Minster 12:00 h Lunch (optional) With most cordial greetings, afterwards departure Please note: The event remains subject to legal restrictions in the event of persistence of the pandemic. As a precau- tionary measure, we inform you that we will carry out Prof. Dr. iur. Ingo Reichard KLJ rapid tests for personal health protection and also Bailiff of the Grand Bailiwick request evidence of vaccinations from the partici- pants, as may be appropriate or required. 2 Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus 3 Contents Preface Greeting by the Bailiff of the Grand Bailiwick 3 Contents 4 Dear Sisters and Brethren of the Order, dear friends Foreword 5 of the Order of St. Lazarus! The Allure of Chivalry 6 Order of St. Lazarus International 8 Decree on the Celebration of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus in the Roman General Calendar 8 It gives me great pleasure and joy to present you with our Order of St. Lazarus National 9 Order Journal. Especially in these times of the corona pan- Presentation of the new Chapter of the Order 9 demic, when hardly any meetings are possible anymore, it en- deavours to contribute to the solidarity among the members Hospitaller Report 2020 13 of the Order and our friends. Report of the Hospitaller 13 It is a time when active love of our neighbour is in de- Report of the Almoner 15 mand, and we gladly fulfil our mission to help the weakest and From the Commanderies 17 poorest people, whether in Germany or in the Third World. Report: Commandery of Bavaria 17 The Hospitaller report shows where our community is in- volved. The word “Hospitaller” is reminiscent of our time-hon- Report: Commandery of Berlin-Brandenburg 18 oured tradition of caring for the sick. We therefore still use this Report: Commandery of Hesse-Nassau 20 word today and extend it to all charitable and benevolent ac- Report: Commandery of the Rhineland 21 tivities. Report: Commandery of Württemberg 22 In the article on “The Allure of Chivalry”, I asked myself The Lazarus Federation in Germany 23 why the stories about knights, dragons and princesses con- tinue to inspire us today. For as an order of chivalry in the 21st Regrettably, our order life is also suffering greatly from the The Humanitarian Grand Priory in Europe 23 century, we no longer walk around in armour, and we have not restrictions of the corona pandemic. Many of our planned Hereditary Commandery of Rurich 24 taken part in battles for centuries. On the contrary, we have events could not take place. I would therefore ask for your un- Membership 25 become a downright pacifist community. Nevertheless, let us derstanding that this journal is slimmer than the last one was. take a look back and consider the impact of chivalry on our Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy reading it! Presentation of the new postulants 25 society today. We remember those who have gone ahead 27 Even today, chivalrous behaviour would often be desira- Obituary: Peter Gerrard Salt KCLJ SCrLJ, 29 December 1948 – 16 October 2020 28 ble and represents a contrast to the general egoism so often Dr. Martin Haas, CLJ Obituary: Burkhard Sanner, 25 January 1944 – 14 February 2021 29 observed today. Editor and Publisher Obituary: Anthony Toms EGCLJ KMLJ, 21 March 1938 – 25 September 2020 29 Obituary: The Rev. Thomas Schmidt ChLJ, Order Chaplain, 2 August 1962 – 15 June 2020 30 Obituary: H.G. François de Cossé, 13th Duke of Brissac, 19 February 1929 – 6 April 2021 30 Dates 31 4 Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus 5 Ultimately, the literature of medieval heroes is far too exten- The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm likewise focus on the The Allure of Chivalry sive to even begin to do it justice at this point. But we can see world of brave knights and fair princesses. The influence of the Crusades that much of the allure of chivalry comes from these legends When we think of knights, our imagination involuntarily In 1095, Pope Urban II called for the first crusade. In to- and influences us to this day. depicts a shining hero in glittering armour on horseback, res- day’s perception, the Crusades are often criticised as a hate The cloak-and-dagger movies cuing a fair princess from the clutches of a fierce dragon. We crime against people of other faiths, and occasionally even may think of the time of the Crusades, of the Song of the Ni- used to bolster claims that religion were to blame for all the With the development of filming, new possibilities arise to belungs, or of the legends of King Arthur and his Round Table. The dragon slayers evil in the world. Even though this is nonsense, of course, yet entice cinema-goers to foreign worlds and times. However, The line can be continued right to the cloak-and-dagger mov- we have to admit that the Crusades were an abuse of religion Legends of heroes who slay a dragon are not exclusive many movie depictions in medieval settings increasingly shift ies and fantasy novels of our time. As children we might have by secular politics, and that war cannot be justified by the played with a knight’s castle, and what girl did not love dress- Christian message. It should be noted at this point that, on the to the Middle Ages. There are already examples in Babylo- the focus from chivalric ideals to bloody battle scenes. Instead ing up as a princess? There is no question that chivalry is still other hand, in the English-speaking world the term “crusade” nian, Hittite and Greek literature or Japanese and African my- of educated individuals standing up for their ideals, often itself has mostly used positive connotations. fascinating today. thology. The first Christian dragon slayers are the Archangel dumb beef-cakes are shown, lashing out with their long- At any rate, the First Crusade was a tremendous organi- Michael and St. George, who is said to have died as a martyr swords. sational effort. Troops, equipment and supplies from all Euro- around 300 AD. The best-known legendary figures include The development of the military from the Romans to the Middle Ages pean countries had to be transported to the Holy Land in a Siegfried, Dietrich von Bern, Hildebrand, Tristan, and Beo- coordinated manner via land and sea routes. There, the for- In the Roman Empire, the military was strictly regulated. mations had to be brought into position in an orderly manner wulf. Fantasy literature The majority of the troops consisted of foot soldiers. There and commanded during the battle. Many of the fighters re- were also mounted troops and even armour for horsemen and turned home only after many years. The fight with the dragon symbolises the struggle and In fantasy novels and films, we encounter knightly figures horses, but they played only a very minor role in warfare. The overcoming of evil and occasionally ensures the hero wins the surprisingly often.