Nau mai Haere mai - Welcome
“You are to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." ~ Acts 1.8
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is an association of Catholic Christian faithful entrusted with an important mission from the Church – to serve as witnesses to the Christian faith and supporters and protectors of the Church and the living Christian communities in the Holy Land.
The Order’s mandate originates from the time of the crusader knights who were responsible for protecting the Christian pilgrims travelling to the sacred sites. Today the Order’s members continue to aid the Church in the Holy Land and to strengthen the practice of Christian life amongst its members.
About the Members
The Order has at its heart an individual commitment to personal spiritual development, a collective endeavour of supporting the Church and Christian people in the Holy Land and across the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem- a jurisdiction that includes Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, and Jordan.
About the Order
The Order of the Holy Sepulchre originates in a Christian organisation, the Canons, established at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in 1099, immediately after the conquest of the City by the Crusaders. It has religious aims and the function of protecting pilgrims to the Holy Land.
History
In New Zealand, the Order is articulated in a single Magistral Delegation, led by Dame Carleen Anne Blucher, DCHS.
The Grand Prior of the Magistral Delegation is His Excellency, Bishop Stephen Marmion Lowe KC*HS,
The first member in New Zealand was also, our first bishop, Jean-Baptiste François Pompallier and he is commonly depicted with the Jerusalem Cross of the Order.