CHARLOTTE — During an Oct. 9 Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral, Bishop Peter Jugis welcomed four new members to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Catholic order for lay men and women.
Ladies and knights invested in the order were: Denise M. Kunas Salvino, Teresa Jean Yaun Taylor, Michael Joseph Salvino and Richard Xavier Taylor, all of Charlotte.
In addition, ladies and knights who received promotions within the order included: Deborah Elizabeth Burns Kane, Joan Marie Grady Slep, William Francis Dealy III, William Robert Kane, Jane Elizabeth Balbirnie and Michael Ignatius Balbirnie, all of Charlotte.
Other ladies and knights who were present at Mass included Michael J. Ruck Sr., KGCHS Lieutenant, of the Middle Atlantic Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order, based out of the Archdiocese of Baltimore; Margareth Sposato, Gwen Hobson, Julian Hobson and Guillermo Calles of Asheville; Billie Mobley of Winston-Salem; and Rita Witt, Michelle McNulty, Phillip Witt and James Beckert of Charlotte. Father John Putnam, pastor of St. Mark Church in Huntersville and chaplain of the order’s Charlotte chapter, concelebrated the Mass.
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem was started by the pope during the Crusades when the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem was under attack. Today, they still defend the Catholic identity of the Holy Land through their financial contributions.
Knights and ladies wear capes featuring a thick red “Jerusalem cross” that has four miniature crosses in each corner of the main cross. Each of the five crosses represents the five wounds of Christ. Learn more about their work at www.holysepulchre.net.
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald