Knights of the Holy Temple Established 1999
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Knights of the Holy Temple Established 1999 “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.’ [And] he was speaking about the temple of his body ” (John 2:19). 3rd Edition Fall 2014 The Knights Within the Parish The Knights of the Holy Temple is one unique path among many possibilities for the evangelization, discipleship & formation of young men in the Church today. It is not a onesizefitsall opportunity for ALL young men, and not every young man is a good fit for this model. If a young man does not seem to be a good fit for the Knights or vice versa, our apostolic pastoral creativity should provide other good options for him. The Knights has a unique potential to be a place for young men who are disengaged from other activities in parish life; these young men should be pursued with evangelical passion. The Roles of Chaplain & Confrere The roles of Chaplain and Confrere are essential for a chapter's ongoing quality and success. Observing all appropriate professional and ministerial boundaries, the Chaplain and Confreres are essential for mentoring and for building values & vision in the lives of the Knights. These roles have to be intentionally cultivated. They should be advisory, helping to teach the Knights about and . Young men rarely receive any focused formation in these important lessons. We cannot expect them to have already mastered them; this is the essential value of the Chaplain & Confreres. The Chaplain and Confreres should regularly meet with and mentor the Officers and other Knights. Good communication and trust are key. Chapter Size Chapters seems to operate in the healthiest possible ways when membership numbers are between 815 Knights and where there is one confrere for every 34 Knights. If a parish chapter has more than 15 Knights it should seriously consider creating multiple chapters that can each operate with 815 Knights and appropriate numbers of Confreres. If this situation arises, multiple chapters within one parish should operate autonomously but cooperatively. The Honor Code The Honor Code is to be memorized and recited corporately: immediately following the opening prayer of every chapter meeting & officer meeting, and immediately preceding the Prayer Before Meals at every social gathering. The Name & Purpose of the Knights of the Holy Temple The purpose of the Knights of the Holy Temple is to assist particular young men of high school age to experience Godly masculine adventure, battle and beauty, with a foundation firmly grounded on fraternity, formation and parish service. Do not lose sight of nor neglect these things! Keep your eyes on the prize! Fraternity in the Knights All around us we find many types of community, often surrounding entertainment, sports, clubs and organizations. It is not good that man be alone (Genesis 2:18; John 17:11; Romans 1:12) because he is a social creature and is most himself when he is united with others in community. However, at the end of our life which type of community will matter the most? Entertainment, sports, clubs and organizations do not last forever, and they do not unite all people. Before his suffering and death Jesus prayed to the Father (John 17:11) “ (that they all might be one.) Jesus calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Catholic Church (Catechism 1). In this present culture i which is full of attempts at community, the Knights of the Holy Temple is an excellent opportunity for men to have the highest form of communion possible: life in Jesus Christ. Focused on fraternity, brother Knights grow in their conviction of the truth. “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17) A soldier alone is no soldier at all. The Order is a practical opportunity where brothers can be united in the highest, richest, most powerful way possible. By their intentional commitment to one another, the Knights will be sure examples to our world of the richest community made possible by Jesus, the Lord of all. Officer Election Process The officer election process is one of the most important parts of a healthy and successful chapter. Over the years, many election processes have been tested. A updated process is included here in the manual. Any other format that easily allows a “popularity” vote should be actively avoided. Chapter leadership must be intentionally pursued and executed by Knights who are qualified and take their role seriously. Chaplains and Confreres should invest time and effort to identify and develop potential leaders. Duties of Draper It seems fitting to assign the Draper the duty of arranging the agenda and taking minutes at chapter meetings. This duty is removed from the Seneschal. The Draper will collect agenda items from the Master and other officers, prepare the agenda and provide it to all members at the chapter meeting. He will record the minutes, compile them and send them to the Master following each chapter meeting. Degrees of Gabriel, Raphael & Michael The Degrees of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael are suspended at the current time. There is good potential in them, but at this time the Order needs to focus more attention on its foundational pillars, culture and responsibilities. Corrective Action Process During the past fifteen years of experience, there have been occasions when chapters have needed to deal with Knights who had become seriously disengaged from their life as a Knight. They became absent and inactive in the chapter life. They lived contrary to the Honor Code. They were not willing to make their life as a Knight and their brother Knights a priority among their other activities in life. Let this be known: when these occasions arise, it is evident that there has been a breakdown of important things within the chapter. Any time corrective action or dismissal is needed, it is evident that the Officers, Chaplain and Confreres need to reevaluate and assess the essential relationships and processes of the Order within the chapter. When a healthy chapter is giving proper attention to quality recruiting, formation, fraternity and mentoring, a corrective action process should not be a common occurrence. You can find this new process in the pages following the “Attendance and Communication Policy.” ii (1 Chronicles 29:1113). iii iv THE NAME AND PURPOSE OF THE KNIGHTS OF THE HOLY TEMPLE The Order shall be known as the Knights of the Holy Temple . Individual chapters may select a secondary name appropriate to their parish. The purpose of the Knights of the Holy Temple is to assist particular young men of high school age to experience Godly masculine adventure , battle and beauty , with a foundation firmly grounded on fraternity , formation and parish service . The formation of the Knight will include: • a deep reverence and devotion to Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and in service to the poor; • a profound commitment to protecting and fostering the Culture of Life; • an environment for leadership development, Christian fellowship, and prayer support; • vocational discernment for the priesthood, consecrated life, or married life; • encouragement to properly live the faith both privately and publicly. HONOR CODE 1. In all things, we are aware of God: our place in his plan, our need of his grace, and always conscious of all we have received from him. A good man willingly submits to God’s wisdom, not his own. 2. In order to sustain our ability to fight the spiritual battle, we frequent the Sacrament of Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Reconciliation as often as possible. These sacraments are to be seen as the source of our strength. 3. As we are defenders of God’s Holy Church, we accept our responsibility of learning the Truth She teaches and are not afraid, reluctant, or even hesitant to defend Her honor. 4. We never underestimate the power of our witness as men to the truth of Jesus Christ and his Church. Hence, we conduct ourselves as Catholic gentlemen at all times by purity of action, decency in speech, modesty in dress, respect toward others, and a spirit of good nature. This Honor Code should be memorized and recited corporately: immediately following the opening prayer of every chapter meeting & officer meeting, and immediately preceding the Prayer before Meals at every social gathering. 1 ADVISORY The Knights of the Holy Temple will attract much attention for the many good works the fraternity accomplishes. But because of the makeup of its membership - young Catholic men - the brotherhood may even attract those who would wish to accomplish great harm within her membership. As young men, we must be prudent at all times. When anyone (especially an adult), now or in the future, attempts to lure us to do actions which we, in our conscience, deem immoral, a report should be made to the proper authorities. Teachers, coaches, Boy Scout leaders, relatives, or even clergy all have the capacity to abuse the relationship they have with us and destroy the trust we place in them. Let this be declared and adhered to: No person is to enter within the sacred Order as a brother, a confrère, or as a chaplain, with the intention or purpose of accomplishing any act of evil or any crime (including, but not limited to sex, alcohol, drugs, vandalism, or harassment). Any brother, confrère or chaplain suspected of such behavior is to be reported immediately to the proper authorities (both civil and ecclesial). Evil will not be tolerated within the ranks of the Order. Every diocese in the United States has published rules of protocol for adults ministering to youth. This protocol must be followed.