“A Templar Knight is truly a fearless knight, and secure on every side, for his soul is protected by the armor of faith, just as his body is protected by the armor of steel. He is thus doubly armed and need fear neither demons nor men.” St. Bernard de Clairvaux (Circa 1135) This snapshot of an original Templar Knight was penned by the man who, more than any other, created the beliefs, customs, and historic reality of the Templars. These extraordinary individuals existed almost a full millennia before our time and they left us a remarkable legacy worth remembering. Yet…

For a decade, I have shouldered my Templar Mantle prior to each Templar event and worn it with a solemn pride that is difficult to put my finger on. Sometimes I think it is because I am deeply honored to carry on the tasks in this century that were formerly borne by my remarkable forefathers living within the very shadow of Solomon’s Temple. Yet, other times I am likewise honored by being part of a fellowship that is first and foremost all about honoring the same Christ and His perfect Kingdom – the core focus of Templar life for nearly…

There has always been a sharp disconnect between the Templar Knight of fame and power and the authentic Templar Knight representation passed down from antiquity. The oft-utilized image we have received from their own hands from centuries ago is a seal that exhibits a pair of Templar Knights sitting atop a single horse. Along with that stamp is their proud signature: “Poor Soldiers of Christ.” The idea that thus enshrines one of the most essential attributes the warrior monks wanted to bequeath to us is one of humility and real poverty – so much so that a true Templar Knight…

To all our Templar family in the path of Hurricane Helene today, we pray for your safety and peace. May our God be with you as we lift each of you in constant, fervent prayer! ————————————————————————————-   We 21st-century Templars often think of ourselves as “descendants of the original Templar Knights,” and so we are – at least in some respects. But, eventually, when looking back almost a millennium, the thought should occur to at least some of us, “Just how much has changed in the Order?” The answer to that question is… A LOT! When the Templars became a…

Good Job Team Temple Church! The first virtual Temple Church Business Meeting was held on Sunday evening. It was an amazing success! The member participation was truly off the charts and that is what “enhanced engagement” is all about! It flowed smoothly because of the awesome advanced preparation of (in alphabetical order) Chancellor Tom Beaton, Treasurer Claudia Chamberland, Chief of Protocol Bob Sherman and Assistant Chief of Protocol Patricia Sokol. You guys truly rock! Welcome to the future! ___________________________________________________ “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” – Pierre Teilhard de…

I first arrived as a NASA engineer at the John F. Kennedy Space Center just a few years after the age of the dinosaurs – as measured on a calendar carefully kept by my eight sweet grandchildren. Shortly after arriving, I wound up standing squarely inside geek heaven with one of those nerdy smiles fixed across my face. Let me try and describe why this was on my typical morning. As a NASA Engineer and Safety Specialist, I found myself assigned to the newly constructed, completely stripped out, cavernous, open bay of Orbiter Processing Facility #3 (OPF-3). (Today that processing…

Next Sunday, 15 September 2024, is the inaugural Temple Church Virtual Business Meeting at 7:00 PM. As a Priory member, you are strongly encouraged to be present. We want your input! Our semiannual Business Meeting is your opportunity to listen to the Officer and Scholarship Committee updates, participate in planning discussions, offer your comments, and help determine how Temple Church moves forward as we continue to engage our Templars and perform the SMOTJ mission to serve and protect Christians at risk in the Holy Land and Middle East. Priory business meetings were formerly held during Convent and Investiture weekends either…

Last week, our Deputy Grand Prior for Region III stepped down (due to extended health issues) from his duties after many years of service in the DGP position. His Excellency CAPT Chev. George Custodi, GCTJ, CMTJ, has been a faithful mentor – a rock-solid example of what a 21st-century Templar actually looks like in his chivalrous manner, his words, and authentic Christlike deeds. I have personally depended on Brother George over these past years for his professional and personal advice during important and challenging times. Claudia and I have enjoyed visiting with him and Sandi at their lovely home in…

One of the things that always awes and surprises me about fellowshipping with Templars is their approach to politics. And what is that approach? It is described in a pair of words: resilient respect. I have rarely seen this code of respect broken in the years I have been associated with SMOTJ. When political seasons come and go, when the culture outside is having its periodic meltdowns, when the rumors of extraordinary social division and the cyclic drumbeat of “inevitable civil war” spring up once again, the climate among groups of Templars is reliably always bathed in resilient respect for…

In the Priory of the Temple Church, there have been six Priors who have preceded me as Prior VII. Hence, there has been a Prior leading us for over a decade, always assisted in the background by their predecessors. According to the SMOTJ Manual of the Order, these assembled Past Priors are sometimes referred to as the “Council of Elders.” (SMOTJ Manual of the Order, V 5.0 – Marshal’s Manual, p. 5) Shown here is the Council of Elrond, described in chapter two of the second book of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, where the elders of three kingdoms…