Staff report

The S.C. Priory of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem held its Fall Convent and Investiture in Newberry on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24. About 60 Knights and Dames from South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia participated in the ceremony.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Priory-of-St-Vincent-2015-10.jpgThe S.C. Priory of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem held its Fall Convent and Investiture in Newberry on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24. About 60 Knights and Dames from South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia participated in the ceremony. Courtesy photo

NEWBERRY — The S.C. Priory of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem held its Fall Convent and Investiture in Newberry on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24.

A reception and business meetings were held at the Firehouse, while services were held at the ARP Presbyterian Church on Main Street. Overall about 60 Knights and Dames participated in the ceremony from all over South Carolina, southern North Carolina and northern Georgia. It has been the practice of the Priory to donate to a local charity in the town hosting the meeting. This year the Priory donated $2,000 to The Boys Farm.

The Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem Inc. is an autonomous and independent organization, incorporated in the United States, which seeks to emulate the chivalric and charity traditions of the original Templars.

The group is a modern Christian Order of Knighthood dedicated to seeking God and promoting love and respect for the community; increasing understanding between religions, helping pilgrims visit holy places, and maintaining a Christian presence in the Holy Land; supporting the poor, sick, and unjustly accused, standing against oppression, and protecting freedom of speech; and encouraging the noble ideas of Chivalry; maintaining the monuments, archives, and history of the Knights Templar.

The Modern Knights Templar is an Ecumenical Christian and Chivalric charitable order that does not claim a direct linage to the original Knights of the Temple, but does seek to emulate their positive attributes in their daily lives. Members have adopted two of the original Templar missions of protecting Christians at risk particularly in the Holy Land and the Middle East and in keeping the road to Jerusalem open to all people.

Members aspire to serve faithfully as Knights of God’s Temple. The motto of the Order — “Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini Tuo da gloriam” — is the Latin version of Psalm 115, verse 1: “Not unto us, Oh Lord, not unto us, but to Thy Name be given glory.”

The members of this Order believe they have an obligation to participate in the coalescing and preservation of a constructive force similar to that which created knighthood and chivalry during the Middle Ages. The Order has both a Chaplain’s Corps for ordained ministers and a Chirurgeon’s Corps for medical professionals. It also has an associated honorary Order of Merit that recognizes accomplished individuals of all faiths for their extraordinary work for God and humanity.

To become a Knight Templar, one must be a Christian by faith. The Order is ecumenical so it does not restrict membership to a single Christian Church.

The Order recognizes the Constitution and statutes of the United States and of its several states as sovereign and temporally supreme public law. The Order does not allow its members to act contrary to their obligations to their country. The Order is not a political organization and does not engage in politics.

The Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem Inc., also referred to as SMOTJ, is not associated in any way with Freemasonry.