Greetings, Sir Knights! The Triennial Conclave is about 18 days away! Thank you for your commitment to our Order. I look forward to seeing you in Salt Lake City. Please make sure to stop by the Hospitality Suite and chat with Brian DiMatteo (candidate for Grand Captain General) and me.
I am a huge supporter and proponent of the Holy Land Pilgrimage. Going as a pilgrim minister in 2006 was life- and ministry-changing. It is sad that the Middle East is in such turmoil right now that it is unsafe to send clergy there right now. I pray daily that peace will be restored, and life can resume as normal for all.
However, just because we cannot send pilgrims to the Holy Land right now does not mean we can sit back and do nothing. In fact, now is the perfect time to build up our local and Grand Commandery funds to sponsor more pilgrims as soon as the opportunity permits. Those jurisdictions which have not sent (or it has been many years since they have sent) pilgrim ministers should especially use this time to set aside funds to do so as soon as the opportunity is available. Those who typically send one or more every year should be banking those funds and adding to send additional pilgrims when we are able to resume the program.
I am also calling on the Holy Land Pilgrimage committee of the Grand Encampment, during the 70th Triennium, to take active steps and work with our non-US Grand Commanderies to expand the program’s reach into those jurisdictions. The greatest challenge will be coordinating flights and visas (as necessary), and translators or guides who are fluent in the languages of participating pilgrims, but I have no doubt these are not huge challenges. This is an especially important program we offer, and we need to raise its visibility and participation.
Additionally, during the 70th Triennium, we (the HLP Committee and elected Grand Encampment leadership in particular) need to take the steps necessary to create an endowment fund for the Holy Land Pilgrimage so that there is a permanent fund from which the Grand Encampment, through the Holy Land Pilgrimage committee, can help defray costs of the pilgrimage in future years to limit the costs for the local Commanderies and Grand Commanderies sponsoring pilgrims. Several Grand Commanderies have taken steps to do this within their jurisdictions, but the Grand Encampment fund will grow and help with covering program management costs and reducing the cost to the Commanderies and Grand Commanderies so more pilgrims can be sponsored.
And so, my dear friends and Brothers in Christ, we come to the end of another weekly message, I hope you find these informative and helpful, and I really do getting your feedback!.
I appreciate your time and would also appreciate your support and vote to be the next Deputy Grand Master when we gather in Conclave in August 2024.
If you have questions or comments, feel free to contact me at art@40mileproject.us or through my Facebook page Art Hebbeler for Deputy Grand Master. I am happy to also chat on the phone or in a video call—just ask!