Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre aids Catholics in the Holy Land

Catholics who live there often cannot find jobs and are being forced to sell their property. They cannot support their schools, hospitals and parishes.  

The United States is divided into nine lieutenancies. The Oklahoma dioceses are under the direction of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston and consists of New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. This area of the country remains the leading contributor to the Latin Patriarchate of the Holy Land.   

On a local level, there are 108 members in the archdiocesan section. Members Dean and Cheryl Spence, like Archbishop Coakley, have been active for 11 years. 

“A recent dinner of the local chapter, in association with the local Order of Malta, was held for the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem. Our program was a great success for the only hospital in Israel that provides maternity and fetal care,” Dean Spence said.  

Between three and eight new members are admitted each year from the archdiocese. One recommendation for membership is that members visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.   

Terre Cooke Chaffin and her husband, John Chaffin, M.D., are new members of the society. 

“The society was started almost a 1,000 years ago, during the period of the First Crusade to protect Christianity in the Holy Land. Saint John Paul II put a renewed emphasis on protecting the Holy Land during his reign as pontiff. The goal, of course, is to strengthen members’ practice and faith in the Catholic Church,” Terre Cooke Chaffin said.  

Dorsman and Sheryl Morsman also are members. 

“We are honored to be members of this order. The purpose of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem is to support the Christians in the Holy Land through financial assistance and prayerful support,” Dorsman Morsman said.

“We are urged to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where we are able to walk in the footsteps of Jesus as we walk with the current inhabitants of this land.” 

Dean Spence added, “To walk in the steps of Christ, on the same land as Jesus and to see Golgotha where he died for us and makes every Gospel come alive and enhances everyone’s faith.” 

“While membership is by invitation only, if you are interested in this mission, you can talk to your priest. Your priest will pass along your interest.”    

    The purpose of the order is the following:

 To strengthen in its members the practice of Christian life in absolute fidelity to the Supreme Pontiff and according to the teachings of the Church, observing as its foundation the principles of charity of which the order is a fundamental means for assistance to the Holy Land;

 To sustain and aid the charitable, cultural and social works and institutions of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, particularly those of and in the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, with which the order maintains traditional ties;

 To support the preservation and propagation of the faith in those lands;

 To sustain the rights of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

To learn more, visit holysepulchre.net or search the Vatican website.

Charles Albert is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic. 


Photo: Archbishop Coakley wearing his Holy Sepulchre isignias with Robert and Connie Robles. Photo provided