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The Grand Master goes out to meet members of the Order - Fall 2016

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Investiture in the Philippines

September and October were full of appointments for the Grand Master of the Order, Cardinal Edwin O’Brien. On September 3, His Eminence was in Madaba, Jordan, for the awarding of diplomas to new University graduates. From September 5 to 18, the Grand Master travelled to the Pacific region where he presided over Investiture ceremonies in Guam, Taiwan and the Philippines (see details). September 21, Cardinal O’Brien was again in the Holy Land in order to welcome the new Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Msgr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, on the occasion of his solemn entry into Jerusalem.

The next port of call, on September 24, was France where His Eminence celebrated the investiture ceremony of about thirty new Knights and Dames in Paris. The month of October began with a visit overseas for the installation of the new USA Western Lieutenancy Grand Prior on October 1, followed by an Investiture in Tucson, Arizona, the next day. On October 4, Cardinal O’Brien received the Adelia Prize, awarded by the Saint Pius Foundation in Tuckhaoe, New York.

On October 8, the Grand Master was in Barcelona for Mass for the Investiture of the Lieutenancy for Eastern Spain. Another important moment this Month of the Rosary was the Jubilee pilgrimage of the Italian Lieutenancies – strongly desired by Cardinal O’Brien – to Pompeii, the spiritual home of Blessed Bartolo Longo, to date the only lay member of the Order who has been beatified.

After presiding over the ceremony of investiture of the new Hungarian members in Budapest on October 22, the month ended with the usual fall meeting of the Grand Magisterium at the headquarters of the Palazzo della Rovere in Rome. This year the meeting was held on October 25 and 26 allowing members to celebrate together, on the very feast day October 25, the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine.

Upcoming appointments for the Grand Master include a trip to the US in November, where he will be the main speaker at the Eucharistic Congress in North Dakota with a lecture titled “And Mercy became flesh and continues to become flesh today.” In addition to this important event, Cardinal O’Brien will visit Northeastern USA and Eastern USA Lieutenancies celebrating investiture ceremonies in Boston and New York.


(November 4, 2016)

Investiture in Paris Investiture in Budapest Investiture in Barcelona Investiture in Taipei Investiture in Guam

In Asia a warm welcome to the Grand Master

From September 5 to 18, the Grand Master Cardinal Edwin O’Brien traveled to the Pacific and East Asia for two weeks of visits during which he celebrated three Investiture ceremonies: in Guam, Taiwan and the Philippines, where the Order is growing.

In Guam, the Grand Master, who was Military Ordinary Archbishop for the United States of America for 10 years, celebrated Mass in the navy and air force military bases. After the Investiture, held on September 8, His Eminence received a gift from the Magistral Delegation: a copy of the statue of the patron saint of Guam, Saint Marian Kamalen. The statue dates to 1700 but its origin is shrouded in mystery. Nonetheless, it has a rich cultural history that stretches back to 1941, during World War II when Japan bombed Guam on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8. The statue of Saint Marian Kamalen was placed in safe and guarded by a girl who is now member of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Cardinal O’Brien’s tour continued to Taiwan where, in addition to the joy of another Investiture, celebrated on September 11, the Grand Master was able to meet the new vice president Chen Chien-jen, a member of the Order, who had recently visited Rome and the Vatican.

The last leg of this transatlantic trip was in the Philippines, a majority Catholic Asian country. The Grand Master was welcomed by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy for the Philippines, Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila and President of Caritas Internationalis, who concelebrated the ceremony of Investiture of new Knights and Dames of the Order held September 15. While in Manila, His Eminence had the opportunity to visit the shrine of San Antonio, the oldest church in the city. In addition, Cardinal O’Brien was warmly welcomed at the Catholic University of St. Thomas where a lunch was held in his honor. On that occasion the Grand Master gave a speech on supporting the Holy Land. The Lieutenancy for the Philippines, informed of the difficult situation which many of their compatriots face in Israel as migrant workers, has decided to send a priest to support this growing foreign community from a pastoral point of view.

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