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ORDO SUPREMUS MILITARIS TEMPLI HIEROSOLYMITANI®
The Magistral Grand Priory of The Holy Lands
(Notre Dame, Saint Mary of Magdalene)
Research on the Rights and Election of a Grand Master
By
The Most Revd. Gary Beaver KGCTJ
The Rights of
the Grand Master 1160 a.d.
i) The Grand Master was entitled to four
horses and an entourage which included a chaplain, two knights, a clerk, a
sergeant and a servant to Carry his shield and lance. The Grand Master also had
his own farrier, a Saracen Scribe to act as interpreter, a turcopolier and a
cook. By Jacques de Molay’s Grand Mastership, the entourage had increased to
include a serving brother to care for his harnessing and animals, another to
provision the household and two to guard his chamber.
ii) When a new consignment of horses
arrived from the West, the Master was entitled to select any of them for
himself, as well as two others, which he could award to worthy secular men or
friends of the House.
iii) At a time of war, the Grand Master
could select up to ten Knights to accompany him personally at all times.
iv) On any overnight journey, he was
assigned two pack horses, increased to four on campaign or in dangerous regions.
v) Every Maundy Thursday the Grand Master
washed the feet of thirteen paupers and distributed to each of them a shirt,
breeches and shoes, as well as two loaves of bread and two deniers in cash.
The Election of
a New Grand Master
A Grand Commander is chosen to govern the
Order in the interim, and then a group of “the worthy men of the House”
selected one of their number to act as a presiding officer. After a night of
prayer, he, together with a designated companion, chose two further brothers,
and the group in turn added another two until they reached twelve, in honour of
the twelve apostles, before finally co-opting a chaplain to take the place of
“Jesus Christ”.
This made an electoral college of
thirteen, consisting of eight Knights, four sergeants, and one chaplain, as far
as possible reflecting the diverse countries from which the membership was
drawn.
A majority decision was acceptable. The
new Master was acclaimed by the brothers and then, while the chaplain sang the
Te Deum, they carried him to the chapel before the altar, as a means of offering
him to God.
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Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini Tua da gloriam!
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