Editor’s Note: In November 2024, Knights and Dames from the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in the Diocese of Camden were featured on our “Talking Catholic” podcast. The following article is based on that interview.
In addition to his strong leadership in South Jersey, Bishop Dennis Sullivan can be credited with the rejuvenation of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem across the Diocese of Camden.
“It was important to [the Bishop] when he first came to the Diocese,” recalled Msgr. Louis A. Marucci, pastor of Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish, Gibbsboro. “The chapter was few in numbers and inactive [in the Diocese], but he believed so much in the mission of this order that he wanted to give great visibility to it and support Christians in the Holy Land.”
Bishop Sullivan invited the monsignor to serve as diocesan chapter coordinator of the order, and together their efforts prompted it to grow from eight members to its current tally of 96 Knights and Dames.
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem dates back to the time of the First Crusade; the mission of the Knights in battle was to defend Jerusalem and its holy places, propagate the faith and ensure charity. Today, dedicated to the spiritual and financial guardianship of the Holy Land, the order has about 30,000 Knights and Dames worldwide.
Currently, only 1.9% of the people who live in the Holy Land are Christians.
“People are enduring intense suffering,” Msgr. Marucci noted. “With the high cost of living, a lack of employment, high taxes, and the lack of basic human rights, they are fleeing left and right to find a better place to live.”
The Vatican lists the order’s current aims as strengthening the practice of Christian life in fidelity to the Pope; sustaining and aiding the charitable, cultural and social works and institutions of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, particularly those of and in the Latin Patriarchate (who oversees Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Cyprus, Syria and Egypt); preserving and propagating the Catholic faith in those lands, and upholding the rights of the Catholic Church. Contributions made by its members are the main source of funding for maintaining holy places and shrines; medical care and housing for the poor, young families and senior citizens; scientific research; training for clergy; orphanages; Catholic schools, and pastoral care for the 29 parishes in the Holy Land.
Bishop Sullivan worked to attract faithful of the Camden Diocese to the order. One such person was Father Allain Caparas, who had noticed the Knights’ colorful vestments and asked a fellow priest about them.
“I then received a letter of invitation from Bishop Sullivan and felt called to be part of the order,” he said. Two planned trips to visit the Holy Land have been postponed due to conflicts in the region, but Father Caparas, now pastor of Mary, Mother of Mercy Parish, Glassboro, is steadfast in his desire to aid the Christians.
“I have become more sensitive to suffering,” he stated. “When we are exposed to the suffering of Christians in the Holy Land, it becomes more personal to me. The desire, the calling had been planted in me for many years, but it was Bishop Sullivan and his invitation [which inspired me] to go to next level.”
In turn, Father Caparas extended an invitation to Meryl Cerana, the parish’s pastoral associate/business administrator. Cerana, who recently became a Dame in the order, prayerfully considered membership when she saw the order’s charisms matched her own.
“It’s part of who I am,” she attested. “I was humbled yet excited; it’s a role you take on for a lifetime.”
Msgr. Marucci described the important traits necessary for becoming a Knight or Dame in the order. “There should be a commitment in the heart of the person,” he began. “We are looking for people to give witness to their faith, live an exemplary Christian life, and be willing and able to make a contribution to the Holy Land.
“I admire the Bishop for his consistency in promoting the order,” he concluded. “He always acknowledges the Knights and Dames; they are a beautiful community of Christians in our Diocese.”
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