A 900th Perspective — An Introduction about the Vision and Mission of the Order
SGM (Ret.) Chev. Scott M. Simon, GCTJ
Ultimately the 900th anniversary celebrations that will be held by the Grand Priories of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem - Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani (OSMTH) will reaffirm their commitment to the vision and mission of the Modern Order while remembering those Knights of the ancient Order who paved the way for our Modern Order.
The goals of the original Order in the early 12th century were developed by royals and nobles from France; a movement that quickly included other countries to join the major collective efforts that formed the crusades, and the work of the Order in the Holy Land. With the revival of the Order in 1804, the French Parisian Knights known as the Odre du Temple (Order of the Temple) published “Principles” in 1841. This document provided the framework of our modernized vision and mission we use today. The document is housed in the OSMTH Archives in the History of the Order directory. The “Principles” (1841) continued their use into the 21st century.
To clearly understand our current updated Vision and Mission of the Order a person should read two important OSMTH documents titled, the Brussels Declaration and the Windsor Statement. We are very fortunate that, in 2007 and 2008 through the major efforts of OSMTH, these documents were created.
We commend the Grand Magisterial Council of OSMTH, which consists of the Grand Priors and elected OSMTH officers for their collective work of solidifying and updating the vision and mission of the international Order from the previous Fontes era. Both of these documents are listed in the CODEX of the OSMTH. For members of the Order, copies of the original “Brussels Declaration” and the “Windsor Statement” can be found in the Members Area of http://www.osmth.org under “Governing Documents” and in the OSMTH Archives in the Minutes directory.
This year OSMTH and its member Grand Priories around the world begin celebrating the 900th anniversary of the founding of the Poor Knights of Christ of the Temple of Jerusalem. The Grand Priories’ celebrations will highlight the history, principles, and ideals that survived into the Modern Order. Some celebrations will have additional selected themes about the Order through special planned venues and reenactments.
Our members should be proud to be part of the Modern Order; one that accomplishes many tasks including supporting major Christian churches in the Holy Land and providing Interfaith-based diplomacy among the faiths of Abraham. The Grand Priory of the United States, as an example, annually funds scholarships to a number of Christians in the Holy Land ranging from elementary to high school years, and in some cases continuing support for those needing training in trade fields, and funding those who continue education through college scholarships. The work of the Grand Priories collectively provides over tens of thousands of local area man-hours in direct work-effort to charities. One can only begin to imagine the scalability of this ever-expanding effort that continues year-after-year. The Grand Priories deserve high marks for all their collective work, and the members should be thanked for their ongoing support. These great challenges, accomplishments are based on the beginning mission of the Poor Knights of Christ of the Temple of Jerusalem; keeping the road open to Jerusalem for Pilgrims, helping the poor and sick, and providing charity where possible. Today we find the ancient vision and mission has been adopted and greatly expanded into the modern order’s vision and mission.
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