A 900-year legacy
The story of the Order begins in 1099, when Godfrey de Bouillon liberated Jerusalem during the First Crusade and founded the Order of Canons of the Holy Sepulchre. What started as a brotherhood of guardians became, over nine centuries, a global community of 30,000 faithful men and women united by a single purpose: sustaining the Christian presence in the land where our faith was born.
Pope Pius IX restored the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in 1847 and reorganized the Order under papal authority. In 1932, Pope Pius XI opened membership to laypeople beyond the Holy Land. Pope Paul VI approved the modern Constitution in 1977, and Pope St. John Paul II gave the Order canonical standing in Vatican law. In 2020, Pope Francis granted the current Constitution, reaffirming the Order's mission for a new generation.
Today, the Order operates across 60 Lieutenancies in 40 countries. The North Central Lieutenancy — covering Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin — is one of nine in the United States.
Christians in the Holy Land today
That's all. Christians make up just 2 to 4 percent of the population in the region where Christianity began. Their communities survive because of the schools, hospitals, parishes, and elder care homes that the Order funds — more than 40 institutions serving tens of thousands of people every year. Without this support, the living stones of the Holy Land face an uncertain future.
Our mandate
The Order exists to serve four purposes, drawn directly from our Constitution. We strengthen the practice of Christian life among our members. We sustain the charitable, cultural, and social institutions of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land — particularly those connected to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. We support the preservation and growth of the Faith in those lands, inviting Catholics and all Christians worldwide to join in this work. And we uphold the rights of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.
We are not a social club or an honorary society. We are a community of Knights and Dames who pray, give, and serve so that the Church endures in the place where it began.
"May the celebration of the Jubilee help you to grow in the fervent practice of your faith, in exemplary moral conduct, and in generous collaboration on Church activities in the Holy Land."
— Pope St. John Paul II, Address to the Order, 2000
How the Order is organized
The Pope himself serves as Grand Master of the Order. A Cardinal Grand Master leads the Grand Magisterium in Rome, which governs worldwide activities and coordinates with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to identify projects and allocate resources.
The Order is divided into more than 60 Lieutenancies, each covering a geographic region. The North Central Lieutenancy encompasses six states and is organized into 23 Sections — local groups aligned with Catholic dioceses where Knights and Dames gather for prayer, fellowship, and service.
Grand Magisterium
Rome — governs the worldwide Order
60+ Lieutenancies
Regional jurisdictions across 40 countries
North Central Lieutenancy
IL, IN, KY, MI, OH, WI — 23 Sections
Local Sections
Diocesan-level groups of Knights and Dames