Hosting the Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre
On Saturday, October 5, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe was privileged to host an event never before held there. This year, the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre—specifically, those of the Midwestern region known as the North Central Lieutenancy—held their annual investiture and promotion ceremony in La Crosse. Watch the Video Where can you Find Jesus?
Supporting the Holy Land
The Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, are widely believed to date back to 1099 A.D., to the first crusade. For centuries their mission has been to support the Christian community in the Holy Land. While the Order has been obliged to adapt its structure over time, its essential mission continues, especially through carefully organized financial aid. Members also attend meetings and pray for the Holy Land. They are “a lay institution under the protection of the Holy See,” according to the official global Vatican website.
La Crosse, Wisconsin
The Order is divided geographically into “lieutenancies,” with a lieutenant over each. The North Central Lieutenancy of the U.S. includes Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Every year, the Knights and Dames, as many as are able, gather in one of the states for the annual ceremony in which new members are invested and others are promoted. In previous years when the event took place in Wisconsin, it was always held in a larger city, like Milwaukee. This year, for the first time, the investiture ceremony was held in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Choosing the Shrine
This new location was due in large part to the initiative of Mary Hovel, a resident of La Crosse who has been involved with the Order since 2008. Having asked, and then planned, for years for a meeting in La Crosse, Mrs. Hovel describes how the location’s success surprised everyone. “Usually we have about high 200s that attend,” she explains. “We’re the furthest west. They said, well, we can have it there, but don’t expect to have high numbers. There were over five hundred. … We have the highest record number of investees; we have a record number of promotees. So the draw of La Crosse, the draw of the Shrine—it’s beautiful. The draw of the Shrine, the Shrine grounds, the draw of La Crosse, the Mississippi—it’s brought in a great, great group.”
Gratitude
Jack Felsheim and his wife, Joyce, also members who live in La Crosse, likewise found with deep gratitude that meeting in their hometown proved most fruitful for everyone. “Comments received were all positive,” says Jack. “The Shrine was the perfect place for our Saturday promotions and Mass. We celebrated a Votive Mass of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and what better place than the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.”
Naturally, the community at Our Lady’s Shrine was honored and grateful to welcome the Knights and Dames. “It was a great grace to host,” says Fr. Zachary Edgar, Director of Sacred Liturgy. “Several hundred Knights and Dames, a great number of whom were first-time pilgrims, came to the Shrine … The Shrine Church was the most full I had seen it in several years! May God bless each of them and their generosity to persecuted Christians in the Holy Land.”
Love of the Holy Land
As Fr. Edgar notes, members of the Order are committed to serving their brothers and sisters in an especially precious and vulnerable country. “We are involved because we love the Holy Land and want to do all we can to help support this most fragile area of the world,” says Jack Felsheim. “Membership in the Order strengthens our practice of the Catholic Faith. The members of the Order are known for their love of the Holy Land; we support the Christian presence therein.”
Praying for God’s Children, Especially Those in Need
Our Lady’s Shrine was blessed to play some part in that work through hosting the investiture ceremony. The purpose of the Shrine, as the Mission Statement explains, is to “serve the spiritual needs of those who suffer poverty in body and soul,” to offer “ceaseless prayer for the corporal and spiritual welfare of God’s children, especially those in most need.” In welcoming the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, the Shrine was able to help offer prayer and service for the corporal and spiritual needs of God’s children in the Holy Land. The Shrine’s mission, like Our Lady’s love, transcends distance and differences to reach God’s children everywhere.
