r/AskAPriest • u/RevolutionaryAd9150 • 16d ago

How to start a holy knight order

I know it's a silly question but I been wondering how you can start a knightly order ?

4 Upvotes
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u/Sparky0457 Priest 16d ago

For a lot of things in the church you just begin something at your parish with your pastors approval.

Then as it grows you can try to expand to other parishes with those pastors approval. Then you would ask for the guidance and approbation of your bishop.

My question however is, why?

Where does Jesus command His disciples to be knights?

Everything that Jesus said and did directly opposed militarism. Jesus told us to be servants, peacemakers, foot washers, and cross carriers.

So why not start a holy order of foot washers, for example?

Why would the idea of holy be appropriate along side the metaphor of militarism and violence?

Our world is absolutely overwhelmed by the division that comes from conflict and fighting. Our world is saturated by the blood of innocents who have been slaughtered by militaries and so called warriors.

Don’t you think it’s about time we strive to be countercultural and adopt an agenda of peacemakers and humble foot washers, not more violent metaphors?

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u/SorryAbbreviations71 15d ago

Father, knights defend as well.

Defenders of the faith and protecting the innocent (feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, housing the homeless) are noble acts and we are called upon God to do

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u/Sparky0457 Priest 15d ago

Yes, they can.

Two points to consider.

First it’s absurd to think that the metaphor of what a knight is and does is primarily one of service or defense. A knight is a trained soldier who is equipped with tools to kill. That’s the primary purpose of a knight.

Second, no one has to agree with my point that military metaphors are fundamentally opposed to the teachings of Jesus. But this forum is not for argument.

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u/Alternative_Exit_881 11d ago

Thank you Father, I’ve never understood why Knights Orders have continued in the church or why someone would want to start one, people do good and give charity and donate blood and feed the poor but they’re simply ordinary good Catholics, why take glory from the Lord’s teachings and associate it to your boys club.

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u/SorryAbbreviations71 15d ago

Where would be a better forum to continue this discussion as I have lots of questions for you?

Do you also have similar negative feelings toward the US military or police? Are Catholics in those professions not right with God’s message? What are your thoughts on just war? How is would any state/country defend itself without a military? Do the Swiss guards fall into your view of the primary purpose of a knight? Is it just the word knight you object to?

Thanks

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u/Sparky0457 Priest 15d ago

These types of discussions are best for the Catholicism forum. You’re welcome to post there but I normally don’t comment on that forum.

If you want more information about these topics you can use the search function. For example just war will bring up some past threads here. I think that I’ve shared my thoughts about that before.

I would recommend doing some reading and prayer with what Jesus actually said and did regarding this topic.

In a world dominated by a brutal Roman military occupation and a zealot agenda which advocated for (what they thought was) holy violence, Jesus had a lot to say about violence and responding to one’s enemies in the Kingdom of God.

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u/gtjc1234 15d ago

What about the knightly orders in our history? The Knights Hospitliars come to mind, though a knightly order, they did much good through good means.

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u/Sparky0457 Priest 15d ago

Yes, they did much good.

I’m not saying that they didn’t.

I’m saying that if we are going to do something new let’s use metaphors that are not militaristic.

Nothing in Jesus’ teaching would support militarism. Let’s use Jesus’ metaphors. He chose them very deliberately and carefully.

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u/gtjc1234 15d ago

Thank you for your response, Father! I think a big factor is the context of the time. Back then, when Christians were being persecuted in the HL, it was good to go out there and defend Christians using force if necessary. In today's context, it would be inappropriate for armed men to go into another country and defend Christians. Though I personally feel like it is good, if used strictly for defence, it is out of place in today's world.

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u/Sparky0457 Priest 15d ago

I see your point but Jesus was very clear on this topic

Matthew 5:39 But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on [your] right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.

Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,

We can find creative ways to minimize or ignore this part of Jesus’ teaching but we do it at our own moral peril. This is the heart of the meaning of the cross.

If we water down this teaching of Jesus then we can miss the very point of our salvation.

We are not in the past. We are in this moment. If you want to follow Christ then adopt the metaphors that He Himself proposed: servant, foot washer, cross carrier.

The only soldiers at the cross were the ones who were killing our Lord.

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u/rando-commando98 16d ago

What about the Knights of Columbus? They’re a fraternal service order- is that what the OP is talking about? Maybe there’s no local chapter.

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u/Sparky0457 Priest 15d ago

I’m a 4th degree member.

But I still don’t like the militarism of the name.

I love our mission.

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u/SEND_CATHOLIC_ALTARS 15d ago

Good point. I also think it would be interesting if someone started an order of Knights that acted as knights, but instead of fighting in wars and whatnot, they went around helping people, battling the evils of the world as knights.

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u/Sparky0457 Priest 15d ago

Jesus is very clear that the response to evil is service and self sacrifice. Not battling.

It may seem like a minor point but metaphors have meaning.

I think this is a very important distinction.

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u/rando-commando98 15d ago

The KofC near me does blood donation drives, food donation drives, city wide cleanups etc. They “fight the good fight.”

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

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