August 1997
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Updated on July 22, 1997
© 1997 The Religious and Military Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the copyright holder. One archival copy may be downloaded and printed for private use.
On Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21 in Greeley, Colorado, more than fifty Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, their families, and friends gathered for the Fifteenth Annual General Assembly. Among the many countries represented by the Knights were Nigeria, England, Canada, Germany, and, of course the United States. In addition to many Fellowship meetings, the Order's Vigil on Friday, June 20 took place at Trinity Episcopal Church. At the Vigil, the Postulants to Knighthood took vows and became Vigilants of the Order. The next morning, in impressive ceremonies, the Vigilants were raised to the rank and dignity of Knight. Eastern Orthodox music was provided by Vox Renatus, a distinguished Renaissance musical group under the direction of Maestro Rex Andrews. Several photographs of the Investiture can be seen by clicking HERE.
The Fifteenth Annual Grand Banquet hosted Guest of Honor, Major Ronald Jenkins, Manor Lord of Aberafan, as well as the new Knights and the Officers of the Supreme Council and their guests. Major Jenkins spoke about the Manor Lord system of England, its history, and its value in modern times. Also, that night several honors and promotions were delivered. On Sunday, June 22, the Knight's Chapel was held at 8:30 AM, and a Knight's Mass was celebrated at the Church of St. Albert the Great at 10:00 AM.
Uriel House came to be in June, 1996, the culmination of much hard work and prayer by a dedicated group of people who desired to created a wholesome, healing environment for the dually diagnosed--those with both chemical dependency and mental health issues. Uriel House was fueled by the vision of the Right Hon. Chev. the Most Rev. Michael W. Whitney, G.Cd.H.S., whose dream of providing a spiritually based environment for this under served population provided the drive and inspiration for this project.
Dual diagnosis is a relatively newly recognized population within the mental health community. A percentage of the mentally ill have difficulty adhering to the rigid medication regime necessary to maintain their stability. With some, it is the unpleasant side-effects experienced as a result of certain psychotropic medications which leads to discontinuation. With others, it is simply an inability to remember to take the medications at all. As a result, some will self-medicate with alcohol or street drugs leading to physical addictions in addition to the already existing mental illness. Very few programs are designed to treat both problems, the vast majority are geared for either one or the other. As a result, program staff are not prepared to treat both concurrently, leaving the dually diagnosed client inadequately served. But this is slowly changing....
Enter Archbishop Michael Whitney, who for six years was program director of the only shelter for the homeless mentally ill in the South (San Francisco) Bay area, where he saw first hand the difficulties these clients experienced. He formulated the vision of a dedicated house to specifically serve this needy population. Thus in June of 1996, Uriel House accepted its first client.
Total capacity of the House is 11 clients, and most of the time, there is a waiting list for admission. There is also a full time, live in program manager, Rev. Phillip Willette, and a live in cook/handyman.
The House did not spring into being overnight. When Archbishop Whitney initially saw the property, it was in a rather neglected state. Renamed Uriel House, a dedicated group of volunteers, lead by Archbishop Michael and Fr. Phil scrubbed, plastered, and painted, throughout the month of May, working a miraculous transformation in eager anticipation of the first client.
As all this was in progress, a call went out to the community, through the Santa Clara County (California) chapter of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, a nation-wide organization for the families of the mentally ill, for much needed furniture, linens of all types, and kitchenware. The community responded, generously donating more than enough for Uriel House to provide the high quality environment envisioned.
At this point, it becomes necessary to back track to the previous January, and the founding of the San Jose Bailiwick. This, too, was the culmination of a vision, the vision shared by the Right Excellent Chev. A. Fred Butler, G.Cd.H.S., H.G.H.S. and the Right Hon. the Most Rev. Michael W. Whitney, G.Cd.H.S. One of the primary functions of a bailiwick is charitable service. With the establishment of Uriel House, the decision was made for the bailiwick to ŇadoptÓ these needy and under served clients as the focus of their service. Many of the clients have no family or their families no longer have any contact with them due to the nature of their illness/addiction. To date, the knights of the bailiwick have provided much needed spiritual and financial support. As the bailiwick has grown in strength and numbers, so has its support of Uriel House. The chevaliers and dames of San Jose Bailiwick look forward to many years of service to the clients of Uriel House.
The Rt. Hon. Dame the Bailiff Erin S.W. Satterlee, G.Cd.H.S., D.S., will receive the Degree of Master of Arts in English from The University of Northern Colorado in commencement exercises to be held August 9, 1997 in Greeley, Colorado. Dame Satterlee's specialty is ancient and modern rhetoric. Dame Satterlee is an Instructor at Aims Community College, Colorado's largest community college.
Benjamin Butler, Esq. (OHS) has been the creative and driving force in the editing and publication of Calliope, the creative writing magazine of San Benito High School. Calliope was published in June of 1997. Squire Benjamin is an artist and has published poetry in Calliope. The Squire is also the author of the web page of the San Benito High School Creative Writing Society. See the Society's web page by clicking HERE.
American actress Jamie Lee Curtis, star of twenty movies, including acclaimed horror film "Halloween" and "A Fish Called Wanda," became a British Baroness when her husband, screenwriter Christopher Guest became the fifth Baron Haden-Guest upon the death of his father in 1996. Lord Guest, who starred in the award-winning rock documentary parody "This is Spinal Tap," assumed his seat in the British House of Lords on Monday, July 21, 1997. Lord Guest has no political party affiliation and, therefore, assumed a seat on the "crossbenches" in the House of Lords, a position reserved for the unaffiliated Peers. Lady Haden-Guest was born in Los Angeles in 1958 and is the daughter of Oscar winners Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. A photograph and brief biography of Lady Haden-Guest may be seen by clicking HERE.
Many are attracted by the romance of monarchy and chivalry, but kings themselves have to deal with realities, more than romance. With the recent activities of King Leka of Albania, King Michael of Romania, and Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, the possibility of the return of monarchy to certain Baltic states becomes ever more and more a reality. Yet what might these monarchs face in their respective countries? Anyone with an interest in the realities of royal rule will find Robert D. Kaplan's political travel book Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History fascinating reading. The book has been praised by The Boston Globe, The New Yorker, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, The Wasington Post Book World, and The New york Times Book Review. Not a dull "travelogue," not a mere retelling of known facts, Kaplan traveled throughout the Balkans on foot, speaking to both peasant and aristocrat, to intellectuals, to college students, to medical doctors, to artists, to clergy, and to shopkeepers. The writer has a clear, forceful, and natural style, and he provides background information where it is needed. The names and activities of the kings and queens and aristocrats of the several Balkan countries appear throughout the book, as in this example in which Kaplan quotes a Romanian Orthodox Priest:
For decades, our King, Michael Hohenzollern, a man who is not a pagan or a thief like our Communist rulers, was not permitted to set foot on Romanian soil. But a bandit like Yasser Arafat was allowed to come here! Tell me, how was this possible? How?
The author often gives concise and precise character sketches, as for example:
There were rumors in Cluj [a Romanian city] that Gheorghe [not his real name] was a colonel in the Securitatae [the hated Romanian Communist secret police]. But I don't believe that Gheorghe was anything more sinister than a classic hustler and survivor, awash in cynicism and pessimism, who despised both the system and those naive enough to openly oppose it. Gheorghe was a type who never starts revolutions, but who always figures out how to benefit from the new order, whatever that new order is.
This highly recommended book is Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History by Robert D. Kaplan and was published in 1993 by St. Martin's Press. The ISBN number is 0-312-08701-2.
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