Spirituality

"It is important not to forget that the principal aim of your Order lies in the spiritual growth of its members. Therefore, any success of your initiatives cannot be separate from appropriate religious formation programmes addressed to every Knight and every Dame, so that they may consolidate their own indispensable relationship with the Lord Jesus, especially in prayer, in meditation on the Sacred Scriptures and in furthering their knowledge of the doctrine of the Church." - Pope Francis, Address to the members of the Consulta of the EOHSJ, November 16, 2018)

"It is the Order itself that gives primary importance to the vocation to holiness of its members and aspires to be an instrument of development and of deepening the spiritual progress of each and every person in the environment in which they live and practice their faith."- Fernando Cardinal Filoni, "The House was Filled with the Fragrance of Perfume", 2020.
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Knights and Dames are called to live a life of spiritual growth and increased personal sanctification. Throughout the year, the Covington-Lexington Section offers various special liturgical events and activities in support of this calling and in the practice of the Catholic Faith:

FEAST DAYS OF THE ORDER
These Feast Days are commemorated by the members of the Section with a day of prayer and the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Sacred Penitentiary has granted to members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem a Plenary Indulgence under the usual conditions for the following occasions:

St. Helena

August 18

Pope St. Pius X

August 21

Exaltation of the Holy Cross
September 14

Our Lady, Queen of Palestine

October 25

St. Helena (248-330 AD) was the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great and Empress of the Roman Empire. In 326 AD. she journeyed to the Holy Land and there discovered the True Cross and other relics of Christ's Passion about the year 327. These discoveries helped to establish the site of the crucifixion and the location of the tomb of Jesus. The discovery of the True Cross, and Helena's dedication to Christianity, helped spread the faith throughout the Roman Empire.

Pope St. Pius X (1835-1914) was the Grand Master of the Order from 1903 to 1914 and was the first first member of the Order to be canonized a saint.












This Feast commemorates the finding of the True Cross by St. Helena on September 14, 327. On 13 September 335, eight years after Helena found the cross, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was first dedicated. The following day - September 14, 335 - the cross that Empress Helena had discovered on 14 September 320, was venerated in a solemn ceremony.

The special relationship of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre dates back to the pontificate of John Paul II. In 1983, 50 years after the institution of the Feast, Saint John Paul II – addressing the Knights and Dames of the Lieutenancies of Northern and Central Italy – urged them to be witnesses of Christ in everyday life and to continue the work of the Order in the Holy Land under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

PRAYERS

These prayers may be found in the North Central Lieutenancy's Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
Prayer Book

VENERATION




ROSARY





PILGRIMAGES

Daily Prayers of the Order (3)
Act of Faith
Act of Hope
Act of Love
The Memorare
Prayer for the Grand Prior
Prayer for the Nation
Prayer for the Intercession of St. Bartolo Longo
Prayer Before Holy Mass
Prayers After Holy Communion
Anima Christi
The Universal Prayer
Meditation on Serving Others

First Friday Veneration of the True Cross - Held from 12:00 - 1:00 pm every First Friday of the month at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in conjunction with confessions. The Veneration is sponsored by the Knights, Dames and Priest Knights of the Equestrian Order.

The Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary - is prayed daily to honor Our Lady's many requests to pray the Rosary for sinners, for an end to wars, and for peace in the world. "Pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace in the world . . . for she alone can save it." (Our Lady, July 13, 1917).

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land - Each Knight and Dame promises to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land at least once in their life to visit the places where Our Lord was born, lived, died, and rose form the dead. A Pilgrimage reaches its climax at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where pilgrims pray at the actual site of the crucifixion and inside the tomb of the resurrection.
All Saints Octave Pilgrimage - (Nov 1-8). Members of the Section visit the cemeteries where deceased members of the Order are laid to rest to pray for their souls. It is also an opportunity to offer Plenary Indulgences for the souls in Purgatory.