The Responses
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The Postulants give their responses of assent during the Vigil Ceremony.
New Vigilants
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Former Postulants, now Vigilants of The RMOKHSJ, receive the Vow of Silence at the Vigil Ceremony.
© 1997 The Religious and Military Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. All rights reserved. No part of this article or the photographs 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.
As part of its Fifteenth Anniversary Celebration, this Order of Chivalry held the largest class in its history to date with nine Postulants elevated to the Rank and Dignity of Knight. Attending the three-day event were 55 Knights and guests. The Celebration was held in Greeley, Colorado, a university town located 55 miles directly East of Denver, Colorado and the location of the Grand Magistry.
About These Pages
There are 21 photographs to see, so, to reduce loading times, there are three Sections--the Vigil (which you are reading now), the Investiture, and the Post-Investiture. Also, all photographs have been reduced in size and are interlaced GIFs. Each photograph has a caption and commentary. Each page in this report has several links to help you in navigating.
At the Vigil Ceremony, the ancient rites of purification (hand washing), penance, and pardon are performed, and prayers are offered on behalf of the Postulant. The Postulant also venerates the Cross by bowing. Then, the Vow of Silence is imposed and then sealed by pressing the handle of the Sword upon the lips, and the person is dismissed to the Vigil. At the Dismissal, the person is no longer a "Postulant," but a "Vigilant" of the Order.
The Vigilant continues the Vigil by reading and meditating according to his or her particular Church tradition. Fasting is optional. The Vigilant will not speak a word (except for dire emergency) until the Investiture the next morning, at which time the Vigilant will be released from the Vow of Silence.
It should be noted that both men and women are received equally into this Order of Chivalry, the Dames holding equal rights and privileges with the Chevaliers, including access to the various Offices at all levels.
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The Postulants give their responses of assent during the Vigil Ceremony.
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Former Postulants, now Vigilants of The RMOKHSJ, receive the Vow of Silence at the Vigil Ceremony.
Your questions and comments about the Vigil and Investiture are welcome and may be made via eMail by clicking HERE.
To go to the second page with the nine Investiture photographs, click HERE
To go to the third page with the ten post-Investiture photographs, click HERE
To go to the History of the Holy Sepulchre, click HERE
To return to the Noble House of Maxalla main page, click HERE