HISTORY.--St. Helena, daughter of Caylus, King of Britain, consort
of Constantine, and mother of Constantine the Great, in the year
296, made a journey to the Holy Land in search of the cross of
Jesus Christ. After leveling the hillocks and destroying the
temple of Venus, three crosses were discovered. It was now
difficult to discover which of the three was the one sought for by
her. By order of his Holiness, Pope Marcellinus, they were borne
to the bed of a woman who had long been visited by sickness, and
lay at the point of death; she placed her hands upon the second
cross first, which rendered her no service; but when she laid her
hand upon the third, she was restored to her former health. She
instantly arose, giving glory to God, saying, He was wounded for
our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the
chastisement of sin was upon him, and with his stripes we are
healed. On the spot where the crosses were found, St. Helena
erected a stately church, one hundred paces long and sixty wide;
the east end takes in the place where the crosses stood, and the
west of the sepulchre. By leveling the hills, the sepulchre is
above the floor of the church, like a grotto, which is twenty feet
from the floor to the top of the rock. There is a superb cupola
over the sepulchre, and in the aisles are the tombs of Godfrey and
Baldwin, kings of Jerusalem. In 302, St. Helena instituted the
Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ. This Order was confirmed in 304 by his Holiness,
Pope Marcellinus; they were bound by a sacred vow to guard the
Holy Sepulchre, protect pilgrims, and fight infidels and enemies
of the cross of Christ. The city of Jerusalem was rebuilt and
ornamented by Ælius Adrian, Emperor of Rome, and given to the
Christians in 120. The Persians took it from them in 637, and in
1008 it fell into the hands of the Turks, under whose oppressions
it long groaned, until Peter the Holy steered the western princes
to release the distressed church, and in 1096 Godfrey and Baldwin
unfurled the banner of the cross and expelled the Turks. He was
invested with a crown of laurel, and suffered himself to be called
the King of Palestine.
DESCRIPTION, ETC.--The Council must represent a Cathedral Church, the
altar covered with black, upon which must be placed three large
candles, a cross, and in the centre a skull and cross-bones. The
Principal stands on the right side of the altar, with a Bible in one
hand, and a staff in the other; soft music plays, and the veil is
drawn up, and discovers the altar; the choir say:
Hush, hush, the heavenly choir,
They cleave the air in bright attire;
See, see, the lute each angel brings,
And hark divinely thus they sing.
To the power divine,
All glory be given,
By man upon earth,
And angels in heaven.
The priest steps before the altar and says, "Kyrie Elieson; Christe
Elieson; Kyrie Elieson; [that is, O Lord, have mercy; O Christ, have
mercy; O Lord, have mercy.] Amen. Gloria Sibi Domino! [i.e., Glory to
the Lord himself.] I declare this Grand Council opened and ready to
proceed to business." The Priests and Ministers take their several
stations and observe order. The candidates being prepared, he alarms
at the door by seven raps, and the Prelate says to Verger, "See the
cause of that alarm and report." Verger goes to the door and reports,
"Right Reverend Prelate, there are seven brethren who solicit
admission to this Grand Council." Prelate says, "On what is their
desire founded?" Verger--"On a true Christian principle, to serve the
church and its members by performing the seven corporeal works of
mercy, and to protect and guard the Holy Sepulchre from the destroying
hands of our enemies." Prelate--"Admit them, that we may know them, if
you please." They are then admitted. Prelate says to them, "Are you
followers of the Captain of our salvation?" Verger says, "We are,
Right Reverend Prelate." P.--"Attend, then, to the sayings of our
Master, Jesus Christ." Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
This is the first great commandment, and the second is like unto it;
thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself; on these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets. The Verger and Beadle hold the
Bible, on which the candidates place their right hands.
VOW.--"I, A. B., in the name of the high and undivided Trinity, do
promise and vow to keep and conceal the high mysteries of this
noble and Invincible Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, from
all but such as are ready and willing to serve the church of
Christ by acts of valor and charity, and its members by performing
all the corporeal works of mercy, and that, as far as in me lies,
I will defend the church of the Holy Sepulchre from pillage and
violence, and guard and protect pilgrims on their way to and from
the Holy Land; and if I perform not this, my vow, to the best of
my abilities, let me become INANIMATUS [dead].
Interlace your fingers with the candidate, cross your arms, and say,
"De mortuis, nil nisi bonum; [i.e., concerning the dead, say nothing
but good.] Prelate says, "Take the sword and travel onward--guard the
Holy Sepulchre--defeat our enemies--unfurl the banner of our
cross--protect the Roman Eagle--return to us with victory and safety."
The candidates depart, go to the south, where they meet a band of
Turks--a desperate conflict ensues--the Knights are victorious; they
seize the crescent, and return to the cathedral in triumph, and place
the banner, eagle, and crescent before the altar, and take their
seats. (22d chapter St. John read by Prelate.) Then the choir sing:
"Creator of the radiant light,
Dividing day from sable night;
Who with the light bright origin,
The world's creation didst begin."
Prelate then says, "Let our prayer come before Thee, and let our
exercise be acceptable in thy sight." The seven candidates kneel at
the foot of the altar. The Prelate takes the bread, and says,
"Brethren, eat ye all of this bread in love, that ye may learn to
support each other." He then takes the cup, and says, "Drink ye all of
this cup to ratify the vow that ye have made, and learn to sustain one
another." The Prelate then raises them up by the grip (interlace the
fingers), and says, "1st, Sir, I greet thee a Knight of the Holy
Sepulchre; go feed the hungry; 2d, Give drink to the thirsty; 3d,
Clothe the naked with a garment; 4th, Visit and ransom the captives;
5th, Harbor the harborless, give the orphan and widow where to lay
their heads; 6th, Visit and relieve the sick; 7th, Go and bury the
dead." All make crosses and say, "In nomini patria filio et spiritus
sancto. Amen." Prelate says, "Brethren, let us recommend to each other
the practice of the four cardinal virtues--prudence, justice,
temperance, fortitude."
CLOSING.--The Knights all rise, stand in circle, interlace their
fingers, and say, "Sepulchrum." Prelate then says, "Gloria patri, et
filio, et spiritus sancto;" [i.e., Glory to the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.] Brethren answer, "Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper
et in secula seculorum; [i.e., As it was in the beginning, is now, and
shall be, world without end.] Amen."
BENEDICTION.--"Blessed be thou, O Lord, our God! Great first cause
and Governor of all things; thou createst the world with thy
bountiful hand, and sustained it by thy wisdom, by thy goodness,
and by thy mercy! It cometh to pass that seed time and harvest
never fall! It is Thou that givest every good and perfect gift!
Blessed be thy name forever and ever!"
To examine a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre; he holds up the first
finger of the right hand, Knight holds up the second; you then hold up
the third, and he shuts up his first; this signifies three persons in
one God.
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