Spirituality

"It is important not to forget that the principal aim of your Order lies in the spiritual growth of its members. Therefore, any success of your initiatives cannot be separate from appropriate religious formation programmes addressed to every Knight and every Dame, so that they may consolidate their own indispensable relationship with the Lord Jesus, especially in prayer, in meditation on the Sacred Scriptures and in furthering their knowledge of the doctrine of the Church." - Pope Francis, Address to the members of the Consulta of the EOHSJ, November 16, 2018)

"It is the Order itself that gives primary importance to the vocation to holiness of its members and aspires to be an instrument of development and of deepening the spiritual progress of each and every person in the environment in which they live and practice their faith."- Fernando Cardinal Filoni, "The House was Filled with the Fragrance of Perfume", 2020.
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Knights and Dames are called to live a life of spiritual growth and increased personal sanctification. Throughout the year, the Covington-Lexington Section offers various special liturgical events and activities in support of this calling and in the practice of the Catholic Faith:

FEAST DAYS OF THE ORDER
These Feast Days and memorials are commemorated by the members of the Section with a day of prayer and the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Sacred Penitentiary has granted to members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem a Plenary Indulgence under the usual conditions for the following occasions:

St. Helena

August 18

Pope St. Pius X

August 21




Exaltation of the Holy Cross
September 14

Our Lady, Queen of Palestine

October 25

St. Helena (248-330 AD) was the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great and Empress of the Roman Empire. In 326 AD, she journeyed to the Holy Land and there discovered the True Cross and other relics of Christ's Passion about the year 327. These discoveries helped to establish the site of the crucifixion and the location of the tomb of Jesus. The discovery of the True Cross, and Helena's dedication to Christianity, helped spread the faith throughout the Roman Empire.

Pope St. Pius X (1835-1914) was the Grand Master of the Order from 1903 to 1914 and was the first member of the Order to be canonized a saint.  Guiseppe Sarto was born into a poor family of Lombardy in northern Italy.  He entered the seminary at the age of 15 and was ordained a priest in 1858.  After serving as a parish priest for seventeen years, he was made Bishop of Mantua in 1884 by Pope Leo XIII.  Ten years later he was named Cardinal Patriarch of Venice, where he served until his election to the papacy in 1903.  Pope Pius X worked diligently to encourage active participation of the laity in the Mass, particularly urging frequent communion.  In addition to urging the reform of canon law, he strove to prevent interference of secular governments in the affairs of the Church, sought to ensure correct teaching of Catholic doctrine, and strengthened the catechetical formation of children.  All he did was carried out in fulfillment of his papal motto: Instaurare Omnia in Christo (To restore all things in Christ).


The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross commemorates the finding of the True Cross by St. Helena on September 14, 327. Eight years after Helena found the cross, on September 13, 335, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was first dedicated. The following day - September 14, 335 - the cross that Empress Helena had discovered was first venerated in a solemn ceremony.

The special relationship of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre dates back to the pontificate of John Paul II. In 1983, 50 years after the institution of the Feast, Saint John Paul II – addressing the Knights and Dames of the Lieutenancies of Northern and Central Italy – urged them to be witnesses of Christ in everyday life and to continue the work of the Order in the Holy Land under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

OTHER FEAST DAYS
The following feast days are observed, but without the grant of a Plenary Indulgence:

Blessed Pope Pius IX

February 7

St. Bartolo Longo

October 5

Blessed Pope Pius IX, born Giovanni Ferretti, was one of the longest reigning popes. During his 31 year papacy, he dealt with Church controversies, external turmoil, and the dissolution of the Papal States. He had a profound impact on the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (EOHSJ). His efforts revitalized the Order, reinforcing its mission during a time of geopolitical upheaval in the region. Prior to Pope Pius IX, the Order had undergone a period of flux. Following the fall of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Franciscans assumed responsibility for the Holy Land. The right to bestow the Order's Knighthood fell to the Franciscan Custos. However, Pope Pius IX's re-establishment of the Latin
Patriarchate in 1847 shifted this authority back to the Patriarch. Pope Pius IX was beatified in 2000 by Pope John Paul II. "Guard the church which I loved so well and sacredly" - Bl. Pope Pius IX on his deathbed.


St. Bartolo Longo (10 February 1841 – 5 October 1926) was an Italian lawyer and former Satanic priest who, in 1872, heard within his heart what he called a divine whisper: "If you are looking for salvation, propagate the rosary. It is Mary's promise: Whoever propagates the rosary will be saved." Obeying that call, he vowed not to leave the region until he had planted there the devotion to the Virgin of the Rosary. From that promise rose the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii and, around it, an entire city reborn. He became a Dominican Tertiary and was eventually awarded a papal knighthood in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, in which he rose to the rank of Knight Grand Cross. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIV on October 19, 2025 and is the second member of the Order to be canonized.

PRAYERS

These prayers may be found in the North Central Lieutenancy's Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
Prayer Book

FIRST FRIDAY VENERATION



HOLY ROSARY



CHAPLET OF THE
FIVE HOLY WOUNDS

PILGRIMAGES

Daily Prayers of the Order (3)
Act of Faith
Act of Hope
Act of Love
The Memorare
Prayer for the Grand Prior
Prayer for the Nation
Prayer for the Intercession of St. Bartolo Longo
Prayer Before Holy Mass
Prayers After Holy Communion
Anima Christi
The Universal Prayer
Meditation on Serving Others



First Friday Veneration of the True Cross - Offered each First Friday of the month from 12:00 - 1:00 pm at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption. The Veneration is held at the same hour as confessions. Veneration is sponsored by the Knights, Dames and Priest Knights of the Equestrian Order.











The Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary - prayed daily to honor Our Lady's many requests to pray the Rosary for sinners, for an end to wars, and for peace in the world. "Always pray and recite the rosary daily for the conversion of sinners and the non-believers and for Christian Unity." (Our Lady to Bruno Cornacchiola, April 12, 1947)

The Chaplet of the Five Holy Wounds of Jesus is a profound traditional Catholic devotion centered on meditating upon the wounds of Christ's passion, crucifixion, and redemptive suffering. Promoted by the mystic Sister Mary Martha Chambon in 1823, this powerful prayer invites the faithful to offer the merits of Christ’s sacred wounds for the pardon of personal sins and the healing of souls. By contemplating His pierced hands, feet, and sacred side, we open our hearts to the infinite treasures of divine mercy. The meditations of the five wounds of this chaplet mirror the meditations on the five wounds found in the Jerusalem Cross, the symbol of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land - Each Knight and Dame promises to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land at least once in their life to visit the lands and sites where Our Lord was born, lived, died, and rose from the dead. This Pilgrimage reaches its climax in Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which our Order was tasked with protecting in the First Crusade. Here, members pray at the very site of Jesus' crucifixion (Golgotha) and inside the tomb of His resurrection.


All Saints Octave Pilgrimage - (Nov 1-8). Members of the Section visit the cemeteries where the deceased members of the Section are laid to rest and pray for their souls. There members also have the opportunity to offer Plenary Indulgences for the souls in Purgatory during the days within the Octave.