Lieutenancy of Canada — Toronto
Welcome to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem — Lieutenancy Toronto Canada
For nearly a millennium, Knights and Dames of the Order have answered one call: to sustain Christian life in Jerusalem and the lands where our faith was born...
Our Events
Feast of the Order
25 October 2026
Our Lady, Queen of Palestine
Announced in the Bulletin
The Lieutenancy keeps the feast of Our Lady, Queen of Palestine, principal patroness of the Holy Land, with Mass and a gathering.
About the feastUnder the protection of the Holy See
Guided from Rome and Jerusalem
The Order is placed under the protection of the Holy Father, governed by its Cardinal Grand Master, and bound to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, whose works it sustains. In Toronto its members are led spiritually by the Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy.
Pope Leo XIV
Supreme Pontiff · Protector of the Order
Cardinal Fernando Filoni
Cardinal Grand Master
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem · Grand Prior of the Order
Cardinal Francis Leo
Archbishop of Toronto · Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy
I
The Order
A papal order with one sacred purpose
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a lay institution under the protection of the Holy See. Its members are called to strengthen the practice of Christian life, to sustain the charitable, cultural and social works of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, and to preserve the Christian presence in the place where the faith was born.
Contributions from members are among the principal sources of funding for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, whose territory covers Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus.
II
The calling
Three calls that define the Order
Since the medieval Crusader period these three calls have defined what it means to be a member, and what we owe to the lands where Christ walked.
I
Deepen your faith
Membership calls us to grow in the practice of Christian life, through the sacraments, prayer and solidarity with the Church's universal mission.
II
Support the Holy Land
We fund hospitals, schools, parishes and institutions of the Latin Patriarchate, the primary Church authority in Jerusalem, Cyprus and Jordan.
III
Preserve the presence
We ensure the Church endures in Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem, protecting the living witness to two millennia of Christian heritage.
III
The works
Where your generosity reaches
Jerusalem
Latin Patriarchate seminary, parishes and the St James Vicariate for Hebrew-speaking Catholics
Bethlehem
Bethlehem University and the Caritas Baby Hospital
Nazareth
Parish schools and family housing for young Christian couples
Jordan
Patriarchal schools and St Rachel's Centre
Cyprus
Parishes of the Patriarchate's Cypriot territory
Everywhere
The Widows and Orphans Fund
What your support sustains
In the Holy Land
41
Patriarchal schools in the Holy Land
19,000+
Pupils and students taught today
1,600
Teachers and staff whose salaries the Order funds
68
Parishes of the Latin Patriarchate
Figures published by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The works your generosity sustains
Nine centuries of service
From the first knights to this Lieutenancy
The Order traces its origins to the knights created at the Tomb of Christ after the First Crusade. Nine centuries later, its call is unchanged.
Knights are created at the Tomb of Christ after the First Crusade, charged with guarding the holiest shrine in Christendom.
Pope Alexander VI places the Order under the protection of the Holy See, reserving its highest office to the Pope.
Pius IX restores the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and entrusts the Order with sustaining its schools, parishes and works.
Leo XIII opens the Order to women — Dames serve with the same call and rank as Knights.
Pius XII names Cardinal Nicola Canali Grand Master; the Order's seat is established at Palazzo della Rovere in Rome.
Some 30,000 Knights and Dames in lieutenancies across the world sustain Christian life in the Holy Land — among them the Lieutenancy of Canada — Toronto.
Deus lo vult.
God wills it — the cry that gathered the first Crusaders at Clermont, and the motto of the Order for nine centuries since.
Upcoming from the Lieutenancy
Our Lady, Queen of Palestine
A feast of the Order. The venue and time are announced in the Bulletin and by email.
Date
25 October 2026
Place
Announced in the Bulletin
Membership
The Order calls Catholics of exemplary character
Members are proposed by their parish and received by invitation. Those admitted commit to a life of prayer, to the support of the Holy Land, and to the service of the Church in their own diocese.