40 years of St. Willibald: Eichstätter Order of Knights helps in the Holy Land

40 years of St. Willibald: Eichstätter Order of Knights helps in the Holy Land

Eichstätt recently witnessed a special event: The Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem celebrated its 40th anniversary of the Commandery of St. Willibald Eichstätt. This celebration took place in the city's Holy Cross Church and gathered numerous believers and members of the order. The Order of Knights is a lay order with a deep spiritual and social mission focused on supporting projects in the Holy Land.

The Commandery of St. Willibald was founded in 1984 and today has an impressive 34 members. The spiritual director of this community is the cathedral captain Reinhard Kürzinger. Programmatically, the order of knights emerged from a late medieval pilgrimage movement and was recognized as a papal lay order in 1868. Its members, consisting of nuns and knights, are part of a worldwide network of around 30,000 people, including 1,460 in Germany and around 400 in Bavaria. This community has made it its mission to support the Christian communities in Israel, Jordan and Palestine.

Important projects in the Holy Land

The organization says it contributes to securing the religious homeland of Christians through prayer, pilgrimages and financial support. In particular, the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem, which is responsible for 60,000 to 70,000 Roman Catholics, is supported. According to senior commander Marlies Müller, the order makes significant contributions to 44 schools and kindergartens, a retirement home and the University of Bethlehem. Around 1,700 teachers teach around 20,000 children and young people in Catholic educational institutions.

One of the most pressing challenges facing the Community is high unemployment in the West Bank. That's why the order of knights offers support to over 13,000 people by, among other things, issuing food coupons, covering rental costs and providing medical care and medication. The organization also offers university scholarships for needy students. In addition, the order financially supports family and youth centers as well as a seminary.

At the ceremony in Eichstätt, the Commandery's impressive work was recognized and participants reflected on the importance of supporting the Christian communities in the Holy Land and taking their needs seriously. The festivities are an expression of the commitment and solidarity that the members of the Order promote at both local and global levels.

The anniversary celebration was an impressive reminder of how important it is to maintain the connection to one's Judeo-Christian roots. Support from the knightly order is seen as crucial to strengthening Christian identity in a region that has been affected by conflict for decades. The commitment of members shows that each individual can make a difference through their own actions and compassion.

Particular attention was also paid to the future challenges that the Commandery intends to address in order to continue its efforts over the next decades. This can play an important role in not only transmitting material assistance, but also bringing hope for peace and stability to affected areas. For further information, those interested can read the report on www.bistum-eichstaett.de read up.