THE ALLURE OF CHIVALRY - Order Journal
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Issue 01 | 2021
Order Journal
of the Grand Bailiwick of Germany
THE ALLURE
OF CHIVALRY
Saint Lazarus
The Military and Hospitaller Order of
www.st-lazarus-orden.de
Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem
Lazarus Days: September 24 to 26, 2021, in Heilsbronn Greeting by the Bailiff of the Grand Bailiwick
Planned programme
Friday, 24 September 2021
10:00 h Chapter meeting (Chapter members only)
15:30 h Arrival / Check-in
17:30 h Welcome at the Religious Education Centre
17:45 h Farewell ceremony for the
Bailiff and Chancellor emeritus
19:00 h Pilgrim’s Supper
20:00 h VIGIL with vesting of the postulants
21:30 h Symphonic tattoo for the farewell of the Bailiff and Chancellor
emeritus in the courtyard of the Minster
22:00 h Ending in the monastery cellar with evening snack
Saturday, 25 September 2021
07:45 h Ecumenical Morning Prayer in the Abbot’s Chapel Dear Sisters and Brethren of the Order,
08:30 h Breakfast
10:00 h Members/Order Meeting dear Friends of the Order of St. Lazarus,
12:30 h Lunch
16:00 h Holy Mass in the Minster with Archbishop Michelle Pennisi – dear ladies and gentlemen:
Investiture of the Bailiff of the Grand Bailiwick of Germany by
the 50th Grand Master: H. E. Francisco de Borbón, Count of
Hardenberg Once again you are holding an issue of our revived Order Journal in your hands. The fact that this is happening so soon fills me
18:00 h Reception of the Grand Bailiwick in the courtyard of the Cathedral with great gratitude. It is above all due to the commitment of the Editor of our Grand Bailiwick, Dr. Martin Haas CLJ. But it is also an
18:45 h Dinner in the refectory expression of the vitality of the Order to which you belong, which you accompany with your sympathy, and in whose activities you
participate.
Communication is the essential means of expressing the bond of our community by sharing and giving, by participating in our
Sunday, 26 September 2021 charitable and hospitaller endeavours, in our thoughts on their further development and in the national and international life of the
Order. Unlike the electronic medium, the Order Journal strives to be a place of reflection and exchange, also of discourse, beyond the
moment. Make use of it!
07:45 h Lauds in the Abbot’s Chapel
08:30 h Breakfast This would be true even without the corona pandemic, but it is particularly true now. May the Journal help us to keep close even
in special times!
09:30 h Protestant service in the Minster
12:00 h Lunch (optional) With most cordial greetings,
afterwards departure
Please note:
The event remains subject to legal restrictions in the
event of persistence of the pandemic. As a precau-
tionary measure, we inform you that we will carry out Prof. Dr. iur. Ingo Reichard KLJ
rapid tests for personal health protection and also Bailiff of the Grand Bailiwick
request evidence of vaccinations from the partici-
pants, as may be appropriate or required.
2 Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus 3
Contents Preface
Greeting by the Bailiff of the Grand Bailiwick 3
Contents 4
Dear Sisters and Brethren of the Order, dear friends
Foreword 5
of the Order of St. Lazarus!
The Allure of Chivalry 6
Order of St. Lazarus International 8
Decree on the Celebration of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus in the Roman General Calendar 8
It gives me great pleasure and joy to present you with our
Order of St. Lazarus National 9 Order Journal. Especially in these times of the corona pan-
Presentation of the new Chapter of the Order 9 demic, when hardly any meetings are possible anymore, it en-
deavours to contribute to the solidarity among the members
Hospitaller Report 2020 13
of the Order and our friends.
Report of the Hospitaller 13
It is a time when active love of our neighbour is in de-
Report of the Almoner 15
mand, and we gladly fulfil our mission to help the weakest and
From the Commanderies 17 poorest people, whether in Germany or in the Third World.
Report: Commandery of Bavaria 17 The Hospitaller report shows where our community is in-
volved. The word “Hospitaller” is reminiscent of our time-hon-
Report: Commandery of Berlin-Brandenburg 18
oured tradition of caring for the sick. We therefore still use this
Report: Commandery of Hesse-Nassau 20 word today and extend it to all charitable and benevolent ac-
Report: Commandery of the Rhineland 21 tivities.
Report: Commandery of Württemberg 22 In the article on “The Allure of Chivalry”, I asked myself
The Lazarus Federation in Germany 23 why the stories about knights, dragons and princesses con-
tinue to inspire us today. For as an order of chivalry in the 21st Regrettably, our order life is also suffering greatly from the
The Humanitarian Grand Priory in Europe 23
century, we no longer walk around in armour, and we have not restrictions of the corona pandemic. Many of our planned
Hereditary Commandery of Rurich 24 events could not take place. I would therefore ask for your un-
taken part in battles for centuries. On the contrary, we have
Membership 25 become a downright pacifist community. Nevertheless, let us derstanding that this journal is slimmer than the last one was.
take a look back and consider the impact of chivalry on our Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy reading it!
Presentation of the new postulants 25
society today.
We remember those who have gone ahead 27
Even today, chivalrous behaviour would often be desira-
Obituary: Peter Gerrard Salt KCLJ SCrLJ, 29 December 1948 – 16 October 2020 28
ble and represents a contrast to the general egoism so often Dr. Martin Haas, CLJ
Obituary: Burkhard Sanner, 25 January 1944 – 14 February 2021 29 Editor and Publisher
observed today.
Obituary: Anthony Toms EGCLJ KMLJ, 21 March 1938 – 25 September 2020 29
Obituary: The Rev. Thomas Schmidt ChLJ, Order Chaplain, 2 August 1962 – 15 June 2020 30
th
Obituary: H.G. François de Cossé, 13 Duke of Brissac, 19 February 1929 – 6 April 2021 30
Dates 31
4 Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus 5
Ultimately, the literature of medieval heroes is far too exten- The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm likewise focus on the
The Allure of Chivalry sive to even begin to do it justice at this point. But we can see world of brave knights and fair princesses.
The influence of the Crusades that much of the allure of chivalry comes from these legends
When we think of knights, our imagination involuntarily
In 1095, Pope Urban II called for the first crusade. In to- and influences us to this day.
depicts a shining hero in glittering armour on horseback, res-
day’s perception, the Crusades are often criticised as a hate The cloak-and-dagger movies
cuing a fair princess from the clutches of a fierce dragon. We crime against people of other faiths, and occasionally even
may think of the time of the Crusades, of the Song of the Ni- used to bolster claims that religion were to blame for all the With the development of filming, new possibilities arise to
belungs, or of the legends of King Arthur and his Round Table. The dragon slayers
evil in the world. Even though this is nonsense, of course, yet entice cinema-goers to foreign worlds and times. However,
The line can be continued right to the cloak-and-dagger mov- we have to admit that the Crusades were an abuse of religion
Legends of heroes who slay a dragon are not exclusive many movie depictions in medieval settings increasingly shift
ies and fantasy novels of our time. As children we might have by secular politics, and that war cannot be justified by the
played with a knight’s castle, and what girl did not love dress- Christian message. It should be noted at this point that, on the to the Middle Ages. There are already examples in Babylo- the focus from chivalric ideals to bloody battle scenes. Instead
ing up as a princess? There is no question that chivalry is still other hand, in the English-speaking world the term “crusade” nian, Hittite and Greek literature or Japanese and African my- of educated individuals standing up for their ideals, often
fascinating today. itself has mostly used positive connotations.
thology. The first Christian dragon slayers are the Archangel dumb beef-cakes are shown, lashing out with their long-
At any rate, the First Crusade was a tremendous organi- Michael and St. George, who is said to have died as a martyr swords.
sational effort. Troops, equipment and supplies from all Euro- around 300 AD. The best-known legendary figures include
The development of the military from the Romans to the Middle Ages pean countries had to be transported to the Holy Land in a
Siegfried, Dietrich von Bern, Hildebrand, Tristan, and Beo-
coordinated manner via land and sea routes. There, the for-
In the Roman Empire, the military was strictly regulated. mations had to be brought into position in an orderly manner wulf. Fantasy literature
The majority of the troops consisted of foot soldiers. There and commanded during the battle. Many of the fighters re-
were also mounted troops and even armour for horsemen and turned home only after many years. The fight with the dragon symbolises the struggle and In fantasy novels and films, we encounter knightly figures
horses, but they played only a very minor role in warfare. The overcoming of evil and occasionally ensures the hero wins the surprisingly often. Just think of “The Lord of the Rings” or “The
Praetorians, who had a prominent position as an elite unit, are The founding of our Order of St. Lazarus, which is known
to have played an important role in the care of soldiers who hand of a princess, a treasure or the respect of the other Chronicles of Narnia”. There are also many echoes of the
also often likened to medieval knights. In contrast to classical
were injured or suffering from leprosy, falls into this period. knights. world of knights and legends in the Harry Potter novels.
chivalry, however, Roman literature praised the discipline of
(For once, however, we will neglect the role of the orders of
loyal foot soldiers as integral parts of the whole army, rather
chivalry.) Even in the “Star Wars” films, we find unapologetic bor-
than the heroism of a lone warrior. After the collapse of the
rowings from the world of chivalry and its ideals in the Order
Roman Empire, many things were certainly forgotten, and We can therefore imagine that the Crusades left a lasting
The decline of the age of chivalry
only few reports about individual soldiers have survived. The impression on Europe. In the course of time, many legends of Jedi Knights.
holy legends of Roman soldiers who converted to Christianity arose, such as the ones about Robin Hood. However, many Towards the end of the Middle Ages, large armies of mer-
and became martyrs because of it generally give us little in- of these stories were written down only much later.
cenaries on foot, generally known as “lansquenets” or “lands-
sight into the lives of the soldiers of that time. Often these
knechts”, replaced the formations of individual knights. Thus Summary
saints were only later elevated to the status of knights and
depicted artistically with medieval armour. Courtly poetry the Swiss Confederates achieved sensational victories
For me, the allure of chivalry stems to a large extent from
against the chivalric armies of the Habsburgs or the Burgun-
In the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries, many epics celebrating the chivalric ideals as portrayed in the medieval epics. Here
knightly heroes were written, mostly in verse. In Germany, the dians. In addition, the development of firearms brought great
the knights are portrayed as noble heroes who are humble,
The development of chivalry since Charlemagne best known of these is the Song of the Nibelungs. Here we changes. As the age of chivalry was drawing to a close, ar-
meet the tragic hero Siegfried, who defeats a dragon. Like- brave, generous, educated, and unselfish. In many cases,
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, small principali- mour was worn only at tournaments. Significantly, Emperor
wise, the story of Percival (in English often called Peredur), they defeat the superior power of their opponents not by brute
ties and kingdoms arose in some places, of which we know who trains to become a knight and sets out in search of the Maximilian I (1459 – 1519) was given the nickname “the last
force, but by inventiveness and self-control.
relatively little, however. We may also assume that the organ- Holy Grail, is well known. This story is significant for us in that knight and the first gunner”. Eventually, the beginning of the
isation of their comparatively small armies was quite dispar- it describes the knightly virtues that every knight should learn Renaissance also ushered in a new cultural era. As members of an order of chivalry with a history stretch-
ate. It was not until Charlemagne that a European country and imbibe.
was again able to raise larger armies. Unlike the Romans, ing back almost a thousand years, we cannot avoid contem-
however, they were not able to organise this completely, but In France, the Song of Roland was stylised as a national plating the ideals of chivalry. We certainly do not want to live
epic in the 19th century, and in England, the focus is on King
left it to local nobles. This created a class of landed nobles The Romantic Age in the past, but many of the old ideals can also help us in the
Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Spain has a large
who had to recruit, train, equip and provide for soldiers. 21st century to counter the egoism, consumerism and ruth-
number of chivalric novels, most of which were published in
Proven warriors were also rewarded with fiefdoms and could After Don Quixote, hardly any chivalric novels were pub-
the 16th century. The most famous of these* is “Don Quixote”, lessness of our time. We are not fighting dragons, but poverty
thus rise socially. In relation to the Roman army, we have to a novel published as late as some day between 1605 and lished for a long time. It was not until the novel “Ivanhoe” by
imagine these troops as being much more variegated. and disease. As Jesus wanted us to do, we take up not battle
1615, which makes fun of the romances of chivalry. Sir Walter Scott that a popular portrayal of the world of chiv-
axe and mace, but the armour of God (Ephesians 6:13–17).
alry reappeared. The Romantic age transfigured the world of
knights in its own way, and the composer Richard Wagner in- Dr. Martin Haas, CLJ
* Translator’s note: On the Continent. In Great Britain, certainly best
known is Spenser’s epic The Færie Queene (ca. 1590), dead serious and highly stilled new life into the old heroes Siegfried and Percival with
symbolical, which kickstarted Early Modern English literature after two cen- his operas.
turies of silence.
6 Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus 7
Order of St. Lazarus International Order of St. Lazarus National
Decree on the Celebration of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus in the Roman General Calendar Presentation of the new Chapter of the Grand Bailiwick of Germany
Since 1 January 2021, our new Bailiff and Chancellor have been in office by appointment of the Grand Master. The Bailiff then
The text below is taken from a press release of the Vatican’s “Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacra-
proceeded to appoint the Extended Chapter in accordance with the Statute. We would therefore like to introduce the new and contin-
ments”.
uing members of the Chapter at this point. The Chapter also includes the Commandery Presidents, who were not newly appointed
In the Orthodox churches, the resurrection of Lazarus is celebrated on the Saturday before Palm Sunday. In the Anglican and and whose presentation we have dispensed with here for reasons of space.
American Lutheran Churches, as in the Catholic Church, 29 July is observed as Remembrance Day; in the Armenian Church, 9 April
is; in the Coptic Church, 18 October; and in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, 13 March.
The Bailiff: Instead, I brought my enthusiasm for jurisprudence into
Prof. Dr. iur. Ingo Reichard KLJ close contact with my inclination towards classical studies and,
after completing my studies in Bonn, completed my Habilitation
The Bailiff is the Head of Jurisdiction of the Grand Baili- (formal postdoctoral lecture qualification) in the fields of civil
In the house of Bethany, the Lord Jesus experienced the wick, appointed by the Grand Master. He is the highest repre- and Roman law, which I have been teaching at Bielefeld Uni-
Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary. sentative of the Order in Germany and represents the Grand versity since 2001. I like to remember research stays in Naples
sense of family and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus; Bailiwick internationally. in the nineties. I will continue to exercise my profession with all
that is why John’s Gospel says that he loved them. Martha From the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Disci- its obligations even after reaching the usual age limit.
received him generously in hospitality, Mary listened atten- pline of the Sacraments, on 26 January 2021, the feast day of The combination of charitable-hospitaller commitment and
tively to his word, and Lazarus immediately rose from the the holy bishops Timothy and Titus. a spiritual community that is Christian and thus clearly defined,
but non-denominational and thus non-exclusive, seems to me
tomb at the command of Him who had humbled death. to be extremely promising and attractive. This holds true all the
more as the moment of the tradition of the order of chivalry with
The uncertainty that existed in the tradition of the Latin its ideals is added. And the green eight-pointed cross is carried
Robert Cardinal Sarah, Prefect in many countries: it is truly global.
Church concerning the identity of Mary – the Magdalene to
whom Christ appeared after his resurrection, the sister of Mar- That has always been the special thing: One is a “knight”,
Arthur Roche, Archbishop, Secretary i.e. one has a profession in which one is absorbed and which
tha and the sinner whose sins the Lord had forgiven – and gives one fulfilment and happiness. And from this position, con-
which was the decisive factor in Martha alone being vener- solidated in one way or another, one is prepared to commit al-
truistically to a completely different area and to devote time and
ated on 29 July in the Roman calendar, has been resolved in energy to it, among other things – this is possible even if one
more recent studies and times, as witnessed by the updated does not belong to those who have always consciously done it
in their previous lives. I am looking forward to this.
Roman Martyrology, which also commemorates Mary and
Lazarus on this day. The three siblings are also celebrated on
this day in some particular calendars. In the Order of St. Lazarus I am a homo novus, still a The Chancellor:
young member. I am grateful for the providence that allowed Klaus-Dieter Herbst GCLJ KMLJ SMLJ
In view of the important testimony to the Gospel they gave me to make the acquaintance of members of the Command-
The Chancellor is appointed by the Grand Master and pre-
ery of the Rhineland a few years ago. These and other meet-
by welcoming the Lord Jesus into their home, listening atten- sides over the Chapter of the Grand Bailiwick. In the event of
ings with sisters and brethren of the Order as well as friends
the latter’s absence, he shall deputise for the Bailiff. He is the
tively to him and believing that he is the Resurrection and the of the Order in Heilsbronn led to my entry into the postulancy
administrative and organisational head of all German order
in Erfurt in 2017 and admission to the Order in Düsseldorf in
Life, Pope Francis, at the suggestion of this dicastery, has events. He is also responsible for membership administration,
spring 2018 in the presence of our unforgotten former Grand
which is handled by the Referendary.
therefore ordered the commemoration day of Saints Martha, Commander Ronald Hendriks. I have been a member of the
Chapter since the beginning of 2020, succeeding Clemens Born in Flensburg in May
Mary and Lazarus to be added to the Roman General Calen- Stroetmann, State Secretary (Ret’d.), as Bailiff on 1 January 1950, I moved back to Berlin with
dar on 29 July. 2021. my parents when I was 1½ years
old and grew up there. Baptised
I was born in 1955 in Bremen, which has always had an
Under this name, therefore, the day of commemoration as a Protestant while still in
interdenominational character due to the equal coexistence of
Flensburg, my early youth was
must be included into all calendars and liturgical books for the Lutheran and Reformed Protestantism with natural Catholic
shaped by Christian scouting. I
The Resurrection of Lazarus presence. I spent the second part of my school years in Bonn,
passed the school and the study
celebration of Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours; the changes anecdotally remembering my mother’s certain expectation in
by Giotto di Bondone of general and social pedagogics
and additions to be made in the liturgical texts annexed to the view of the Hebrew lessons: ”He’s probably going to be a pas-
at the Ecclesiastic College in
tor some day!”
present Decree are to be translated and approved by the Berlin, later strengthened by so-
ciology with a doctorate at the
Episcopal Conferences and published after confirmation by University in St. Petersburg
this dicastery.
8 Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus 9
The Referendary: The Chaplain General: Now I have been the Chaplain General for several years
This academic degree is not recognised in Germany due to
André Poppowitsch CLJ The Rev. Klaus Buhl SChLJ and will remain so during this period of the Chapter.
the provisions of the Bologna rules and may not be used here.
The Referendary shall assist the Chancellor in the coor- The spiritual (ecumenical) direction and accompaniment I have been married to my wife Gabriele for over 40 years.
After success in sports, namely handball and the throwing dination of the Chapter, in particular in the administration of of all acts of worship is the responsibility of the Chaplain Gen- 1¾ years ago, our son and daughter-in-law gave us joy in the
disciplines of athletics, I discovered dance as a competitive members. He manages the membership file and coordinates eral, who is assisted by several chaplains. The Chaplain Gen- form of a little Samuel. Since then I have been an enthusiastic
sport. The most important thing was getting to know and love the public relations work of the Grand Bailiwick. He prepares eral presides over the Council of Clerics. grandpa and spend as much time as possible with him.
my wife Gabriele. Thanks to this sports partnership and the all organisational duties, especially in the planning and hold-
ing of events. He deputises for the Chancellor in the latter’s Thank God they live here in town.
successes that followed, we experienced a wonderful togeth-
absence.
erness with our love wedding. The result is a shared path of Professionally, I am going into the final round: From Au-
life that has united us for 46 years by now, since 2011 also in I grew up in Saal- gust on I will be in partial retirement.
the Order. feld/Saale in Thuringia
and studied political sci-
Professionally, I entered the field of social management ence, sociology and mod-
ern history at Friedrich The Hospitaller:
quite early and worked as managing director of a variety of Dr. med. dent. Klaus-Achim Sürmann KCLJ
Schiller University in
organisations for 30 years, first in youth and disability welfare,
Jena. Professionally, I
then in nursing and elderly welfare. Since 1997, I have also The extensive hospitaller work is organised and coordi-
have been working in the
been running my own advisory and consulting company and nated nationwide by the Hospitaller and coordinated with the
ecclesiastic sector for
been active as a senior lecturer in the field of care organisa- regional Commanderies. At the same time, he collects dona-
several years and have
tions for the hospitaller work.
tion and management at several universities. worked in the areas of
press and public rela- I was born on the left
In 2000 I became acquainted with the Order of St. Laza- tions, campaigning, con- bank of the Lower Rhine
rus through Wilhelm M. Konsek and Gisbert von Abercron, gregational law and project management in the Regional in 1960 (which, with the
was accepted there in 2001 and given optimal support by my Church Office of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany exception of the wine,
and in the Evangelical Lutheran Church District of Weimar. was an acknowledged
sponsors Dr. Eckhard Stegenwallner and Prince Georg Frie-
drich zu Waldeck und Pyrmont. After a short time, the organi- good year!) and spent my
For example, I helped to prepare, conduct and evaluate
school years first there,
sational talents I was rumoured to have were recognised in two elections of the congregational church councils in the con-
then temporarily in Wall-
the Order as well, so that in 2004 I was appointed to the Chap- gregations and associations of churches in the Central Ger-
dorf near Heidelberg and
ter as Insignia Keeper, later Treasurer and then Referendary man Regional Church. In the church district of Weimar, I co-
later in Meerbusch near
to the Grand Bailiwick. ordinated the preparations and performance of the events for
Düsseldorf. After training
the Reformation Jubilee 2017. I recently started working for
as a dental technician in
Since January 2021, I have been sharing responsibility Wartburg Verlag in Weimar and, together with a colleague, I
Düsseldorf, I studied den-
am in charge of the parish newsletter portal of the Central
for the Grand Bailiwick of Germany as its Chancellor, follow- tistry in Göttingen and did
German church newspaper “Glaube+Heimat”.
ing the corresponding appointment by the 50th Grand Master, Born in 1959, I have spent my life in Heilsbronn ever so together with my later
made upon recommendation by the Bailiff emeritus and I found my way to the Christian faith quite late and was since, with only a brief interruption. This small town in central wife and even later
baptised at the age of 18. I find it very exciting to discuss with Franconia with its former monastery, well known to most of consœur Hiltrud. In the time when our five children were born,
Chancellor Clemens Stroetmann, State Secretary (Ret’d.),
religious and theological questions. Since 2012, I have been you as the spiritual centre of our German Order of St. Laza- we established a joint practice in Göttingen-Nikolausberg and
supported by the latest Chapter. I owe the 2020 promotion to rus, shaped my childhood and youth. Early on, I got involved continue to enjoy living and working there, now as grandpar-
volunteering as a qualified reader in the proclamation service
Grand Knight of the Cross to the recommendation of the late in children’s religious services and youth work. So my plan to ents of three.
and am about to complete several years of theological training
friend Grand Commander Ronald Hendriks and ultimately to in order to be involved in the proclamation of the Good News become a pastor matured.
the application to the Grand Master by my teacher in all mat- In our early Nikolausberg days, the Lazarus knight Carl-
as a preacher.
ters of the Order, Clemens Stroetmann. After my theology studies and my vicariate, I started as a Heinz Bartels, who was also the founding father of the HDZ
I found my way to the Order of St. Lazarus because I teacher of religious education at a vocational school in Nu- (Stiftung Hilfswerk Deutscher Zahnärzte – German Dentists’
I am grateful to be able to continue to serve our Order in wanted to place my activities under the umbrella of a religious remberg. I was very happy to be in contact with the young Relief Foundation), still used to live in Nikolausberg. This con-
community. When doing research I came across the Saint Or- adults and learn about their first professional experiences, tact and even more that with his successor in the office of
the ecumenical community as Chancellor. Chairman, Cfr. Dr. Klaus Winter, (during a joint tenure in a pro-
der of St. Lazarus, got involved with it and was in contact with “private adventures” and their manifold life models.
Klaus-Dieter Herbst for a long time. A first meeting took place fessional parliament) brought the closeness to our Order, to
at an event in Amberg. I was admitted to the postulancy in Then, in 1991, I was called to the Religious Education which we have been privileged to belong for over twelve
2015 and to the Order in 2016. Together with Klaus-Dieter Centre in Heilsbronn as a lecturer in the area of vocational years. I have been active in the HDZ for the same time, many
Herbst, I prepared the International Order Days in Erfurt and schools. years as Deputy Chairman and a few years as Chairman, al-
Eisenach in 2017. ways at the side of our confrère Klaus Winter.
Since then I have been working there in different areas,
the last two decades as director of the institution. In addition to my family, my job and the Foundation, I also
used to chair the Church Council board of our Lutheran con-
Since the Order of St. Lazarus used to meet a lot in Heils- gregation and the leadership of our church district synod, for
bronn, I became acquainted with many Lazarites, celebrating a total of eighteen years in these offices, now slimmed down
church services and investitures with them. The link became to ecumenism in the Council of Christian Churches in Ger-
closer and closer until I was accepted into the Order. many (ACK) and in inter-religious dialogue in Göttingen.
10 Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus 11
In addition, I have worked in the city parents’ council, man- 1981: Participation in the establishment of “Sponsorship I studied law in Bielefeld, then wrote a doctoral thesis on To me, the Order of St. Lazarus is the organisation that proves
aged a small hall of residence for student, chaired the alumni for dental wards in leprosy areas” Roman law, and continue to work in academia. In addition to the correctness of the Aristotelian thought in quite special way,
association of a silvicultural academic society and am cur- legal history, classical civil law is one of my main areas of ex- by the fact that the hospitaller help of each individual goes
1987: Foundation of the Hilfswerk Deutscher Zahnärzte pertise. along with his or her direct enrichment of the fraternal com-
rently involved in the supporting association of the Protestant
für Lepra- und Notgebiete – German Dentists’ Relief Founda- munity of the Order. Moreover, despite its long history, the life
Hospital Göttingen-Weende, the “Inner Mission” in the border
tion for Leprosy and Emergency Areas (C.H. Bartels Fund) According to Aristotle, who also strongly influenced medi- of the Order prove to be not anachronistic, but on the contrary,
transit camp Friedland, in the palliative care unit of the Uni-
(HDZ) – by confrère C. H. Bartels, Göttingen; since 1987 HDZ eval theology, bliss as the highest goal of every human life is also thanks to the ecumenical idea, modern and promising for
versity Medical Centre, in the Lions Club and as a clarinettist
Trustee; 1998–2017 Chair of the HDZ; achieved only through commitment to the universal. There the future.
and saxophonist in a swing band, the “Swinging Amatörs”.
are many ways to get involved in society, and just as many
1986: Member of the Order, 1993–98 Treasurer, 2002 reasons for an underlying motivation.
Hobbies that I enjoy sharing with the family include culti-
Fund Administrator, 2008–13 Hospitaller, since 1998 Al-
vating our circles of friends, music, hiking and cycling, and fi-
moner;
nally, hunting and fishing.
since 1999: Trustee of the German Lazarus Foundation;
Hospitaller Report 2020
2017: Change of leadership at the HDZ with confrère
The Almoner:
Dr. Klaus-A. Sürmann (Hospitaller).
Dr. med. dent. Klaus Winter GCLJ GCMLJ GMLJ How wonderful that we can once again hold an Order Journal
Holder of the Pontifical Order of St Gregory, and of the in our hands.
The “innate” mission of the Order, to help above all the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
lepers, is translated by the Almoner into the corresponding For avoidance of duplications, the Hospitaller Report will
activities in close cooperation with the Hospitaller. He coordi- For me, getting involved means serving – passing on – confine itself at this point to those activities that are not men-
nates the close cooperation with the German Dentists’ Relief changing. In this, I receive great support from committed sis- tioned in the reports from the Commanderies. In addition, the
Foundation for Leprosy and Emergency Areas. ters and brethren of the Order. requirements of the International Order for the writing of our
reports have changed under the new Grand Hospitaller ad in-
Klaus Winter, born in Rositz terim, H.E. the Chevalier Charles Savona-Ventura, so that we
In collaborative undertakings, I have realised numerous
(Thuringia) in June 1945, grew can write specifically for us and also with less number-crunch-
leprosy education and (dental) medical facilities in Africa,
up in Halle/ Saale as a Protestant ing.
Eastern Europe, South America, South-East Asia and monitor
Christian; fled with his family to
them partly through inspection trips.
the FRG in 1960, passed his Abi-
tur (university entrance qualifica- My career in the Christian, ecumenical community of the
Internationally Nationally
tion) at the Jugenddorf Chris- Grand Bailiwick of Germany of the Order of St. Lazarus was
tophorus Schule (CJD) Altensteig honoured in 2020 with the renewed appointment as Almoner As the International Order’s flagship project for 2020, be- It is this very Patriarch who, in his capacity as Protector of
(Black Forest) in 1965; by the newly elected Bailiff, our highly revered confrère come support for the school in the camp for Syrian refugees the Order of St. Lazarus, has turned to the individual jurisdic-
H.E. the Prof. Dr. Ingo Reichard. in Rayak, Lebanon, was selected. The extent of the relief work tions for help in alleviating the great need following the devas-
in 1965–1970 he studied dentistry in Freiburg (Br.), 1971:
provided will be disclosed in the International Order’s report tating explosion in the port of Beirut.
doctorate (Dr. med. dent.), 1971–73: residencies in Lahr (fa-
for last year, which is still pending.
ther’s practice) and Schneverdingen, 1973: establishment of
the practice in Soltau, 1975: move to Bad Lauterberg, foun- The Counsellor:
In any case, this refugee camp is also supported by the
dation of the joint practice with wife Helga, née Biermann Sonja Dieckmann OLJ
Melkite Church under the new leadership of Patriarch Youssef
(since 1992 member of the Order); birth of the children: Chris-
The Counsellor advises the Order on all legal issues and Absi.
tiane (1976) and Björn (1977).
on the Order’s own statutory law, both internationally and na-
1979: Member of Lions Club International tionally.
1979 – 2011 (retirement from dental practice): active na- I am very pleased to
tionwide in various institutions of dental self-administration on introduce myself as the
an honorary basis; member of numerous scientific societies; Counsellor of the Order,
despite the fact that I am
since 2001: member of the board of trustees of Don still only a young mem-
Bosco Mondo e.V., ber of the Order. My du-
Our Bailiff and Chancellor emeritus, Clemens Stroet-
ties include advising the
mann, State Secretary (Ret’d.), had called on the brothers and
since 2014: head of the Future for St. Andrew Foundation Order in all legal matters,
sisters of our Grand Bailiwick to donate to the Lazarus Foun-
of the Bad Lauterberg parish; both in external relations
dation for this purpose in September last year. In a video con-
and in internal relations
ference with representatives of the Patriarchate, the then Ref-
with the members of the
erendary and now Chancellor Klaus-Dieter Herbst and the
Order and also in rela-
Hospitaller discussed the possibilities of immediate but also
tions between members
longer-term help, made proposals for this and agreed on a
of the Order.
further conference after the Protector had completed his de-
liberations on this. However, this virtual meeting has yet to
take place.
12 Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus 13
The “Stiftung Hilfswerk These selfless missions on-site are not well-liked by all gov- Many thanks to all involved for their efforts and this wonderful
Deutscher Zahnärzte für Lepra- ernments of the countries where they take place. So in some hospitaller success.
und Notgebiete” (German Den- cases we have to exercise a certain caution in our public re-
lations work to protect our partners on site. Dr. Klaus-Achim Sürmann KCLJ,
tists’ Relief Foundation for Lep-
Hospitaller of the Grand Bailiwick
rosy and Emergency Areas), or
Together we have been able to provide help in difficult
HDZ for short, which collects do-
times; for this we are grateful and wish to express our hope
nations in the “territory” of our
that the additional difficulties caused by the pandemic in our
Grand Bailiwick, was also quite
project countries, but also in our country, will come to an end
successful once more in 2020.
in the foreseeable future.
Despite declining levels of old-
gold donations in a fiercely competitive market, the high gold
price, several cash donations and many donations in kind
contributed to the HDZ being able to invest the beautiful Almoner’s Report
amount of some € 617,000 into humanitarian projects in Af-
rica, Asia, Europe and South America. Wherever a coopera-
Along with (dental) medical and educational aid, leprosy
tion with the Order of St. Lazarus was possible, this was put This radiance of such help for self-help is one of the most relief is one of the main focuses of the German Dentists’ Relief
into practice. beautiful successes of our work. Foundation for Leprosy and Emergency Areas. Last year,
As usual, the donations were distributed among leprosy around € 53,000 were donated to leprosy projects in China
”Schooling for refugee children” – this is the motto of the
relief projects, dental projects, educational programmes and and India.
Salesians of Don Bosco in the case of the private EVRIM
emergency and refugee aid, respectively. We often take school in Istanbul. The partner organisation of the HDZ funds
things for granted that destitute people in developing coun- school attendance for refugee children for two full years. For
tries do need: a warm meal a day, clean drinking water, (den- most of them, it is the only chance for a normal school day
tal) medical treatment, a roof over their heads, the oppor- among peers of all faiths in the Turkish metropolis. The reason
tunity to go to school, warm clothes for the winter. The many for this: Refugee children are not allowed to attend Turkish
state schools because their parents do not have work permits
positive feedbacks from our project partners show that the In India, too, the staff of the Bombay Leprosy Project
and receive no financial support. Reason enough for the HDZ
HDZ was once again able to make a small contribution to (BLP) supported by us in Mumbai and the team of Dr. Remy
to support this project. ”The district where the public school is
this. Our deep gratitude therefore goes to all our loyal donors, Rousselot’s Leprosy Hospital in Bhuvanēśvar continue their
located is a melting-pot of various cultures and religions,” ex-
without whom it would not have been possible to help. plains Dr. Winter. ”It is therefore of the essence that children work. They are fighting not only against rising corona num-
and young people attend school at an early age and are bers, but also against the spread of Mycobacterium leprae.
A special additional need arose in many of our projects For over 20 years, HDZ has been supporting volunteers
taught values such as social responsibility, tolerance of those
due to the consequences of the pandemic. Since the funds (mostly former lepers) in the Mumbai region in their work to
with different beliefs, and education to peace, as is the case
set aside in last year’s budget for emergency aid, which are there.” However, the HDZ donation of € 17,000 also helps to detect and document new cases so that those infected can
usually used in the event of storm and flood disasters, fortu- implement a large part of the hygiene concept required by the quickly start receiving multi-drug therapy and be cured.
nately did not have to be used in the planned amount, we state. 420 pupils are now enjoying the new corona‐compliant
were able to make special corona payments to the projects equipment with individual desks and better chairs. The hy- In the leprosy clinic of Dr. Rémy Rousselot in Bhu-
calling for help in an unbureaucratic and timely manner. giene measures will help them to feel comfortable at school In the Chinese province of Guǎngdōng alone, our part- vanēśvar in eastern India, around 550 surgeries, including
and less worried about the danger of infection. ”And those ners provide care for several hundred – mostly former – lep- amputations, were performed in 2020. A bed in the hospital
However, the sometimes very touching letters of thanks who feel good learn better,” says Father Simon Härting from rosy patients in 44 villages. Their measures include both drug costs € 5.50 euros per day. In addition to the inpatients, there
also expressed in how forward-looking a manner our project the Don Bosco Mission. therapy and wound treatment, as well as amputations and are hundreds of leprosy outpatients. Destitute patients are
partners on site are in dealing with time and financial re- eye operations in cooperating clinics. In addition, special treated free of charge. Without this clinic, their fate would be
sources. shoes and prostheses continue to be manufactured in the sealed. And without our help, this clinic would not be able to
workshop financed by the HDZ. Although the corona pan- cover the running costs.
If, for example, a dental prophylaxis programme for
demic made this relief work more difficult, it is still going on
needy children in Argentina cannot be carried out temporarily
under the leadership of Father R… SDB for the leprosy pa-
under corona conditions, the active participants in this pro-
tients.
gramme go out to carry out corona hygiene training and tests
in the surrounding slums.
If our clinic in Bugko in the Philippines cannot be main-
tained to the usual extent, time and money are used to care
for the poorest families in the area. Unsolicited by us, solely
of their own accord!
In the following, all HDZ aid and relief measures from 2020 are listed once more:
Ausbildung statt Abschiebung e.V., Bonn – German Plus courses € 16,102.00
Leprosy Clinic Dr. Rousselot, Bhuvanēśvar, India € 10,000.00
Primary School, Tsihombe, Madagascar – cistern, sports field € 9,120.00
Dental support missions in India € 13,363.46
Dental mission in Madagascar by Planet Aktion – Helfende Hände e.V. € 1,482.75
Prophylaxis programme OHCP III, Philippines, 2nd installment 2019/20 € 11,530.00
Help for sick children’s hearts, Hanover, Germany € 1,118.00
14 Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus 15
Dental equipment for dental wards in Ambilobe and Ambanja, Madagascar € 7,021.02 From the Commanderies
Emergency relief Typhoon Tishoy, Bugko, Philippines € 7,000.00
Training in the Saigon teaching restaurant, Vietnam € 36,460.00 Report: Commandery of Bavaria
Social work Diocese of Satu Mare, Romania € 3,030.00
Toothmobile Eritrea € 55,058.62 Planned commandery meeting in Amberg
Timosgam Dental Station, Ladakh, India € 11,129.00 In 1641, a dedicated vo-
Renovation of the education centre in Socond, Romania € 30,060.00 A commandery meeting of the Commandery of Bavaria tive chapel was built,
Leprosy Clinic Dr. Rousselot, Bhuvanēśvar, India € 10,000.00 was planned for 26 April. After the last meeting in Ben- which, however, soon
Dental station for Uganda € 14,243.71 ediktbeuern took place in January 2020, this time the place proved to be too small for
was to be in northern Bavaria, more precisely Amberg. The the developing pilgrim-
Children’s home in Cần Giờ, Vietnam € 27,700.00
plan would have included an organ concert and a church tour age. After a fire in which
Vocational School Lviv, Ukraine € 22,418.00
in the pilgrimage church Maria Hilf in Amberg. the image of grace was
Hygiene materials Covid19 – for St. Mulumba Hospital, Thika, Kenya € 17,070.00
Dental relief, India, forwarding of donations for GDCI € 1,656.51 spared, reconstruction
Medication Aid Romania € 983.75 began, which was com-
pleted in 1651 with the
Child Protection Centre, Togo € 6,830.00
consecration of the
Bombay Leprosy Project, Covid19 support, India € 5,030.00
chapel.
Socio-economic rehabilitation measures for leprosy patients, Covid19 support, China € 5,030.00
Dr. Rousselot Leprosy Clinic, Covid19 support, Bhuvanēśvar, India € 5,030.00
Corona emergency food aid for school in Nsukka, Nigeria € 5,000.00
Help for sick children’s hearts, Hanover, Germany € 3,000.00
Tokuma school playground, Ethiopia € 10,199.00
Corona special payment, Prophylaxis Project, Buenos Aires, Argentina € 5,000.00
Ramp for home for the disabled, Miercurea Ciuc, Romania € 15,015.00
Infrastructure Improvement Evrim Refugee Schools, İstanbul, Turkey € 16,772.00
New building at the TBC Centre Artisanal, Madagascar € 15,150.00
Transport costs hospital beds Fürth→Satu Mare, Romania € 2,010.18
Dental relief, India, forwarding of donations for GDCI € 2,164.76
Examination fee DIHK for teaching restaurant Saigon € 3,600.00
Social work at the diocese of Alba Julia, Romania € 5,015.00
Corona emergency food aid for school in Nsukka, Nigeria € 3,500.00
Medication aid, St. Matia Mulumba Hospital, Thika, Kenya € 13,000.00
Surgery costs for cleft children, Bolivia € 15,000.00
Material and loading costs for containers, Haiti € 2,092.25
Container purchase and transport costs, Haiti € 6,410.00
Container purchase costs for aid shipment to Togo € 2,400.00
Bombay Leprosy Project, Mumbai, India € 18,345.00
Bosnia – Emergency food aid for refugees (DRK) € 10,000.00 In addition to the organ concert and church tour, lunch and
Water filtration system for gastronomy school, China € 14,460.00 coffee would have been planned at the Mountain Inn in Am-
Support for families in need, Diocese of Satu Mare, Romania € 4,015.00 berg. At the time, the organisers thought it would have been
Social work Diocese of Satu Mare, Romania € 515.00 the last chance to meet at the Mountain Inn in Amberg. There
Funding of outpatient clinic in Carrefour/Haiti € 11,000.00 are highly controversial public plans to renovate and expand
Water tanks for school on Solomon Islands € 22,864.00 the Mountain Inn. Formal errors also seem to have been
The history of the pilgrimage goes back to the years
Dental relief, India, forwarding of donations for GDCI € 2,000.00 made in the termination of the current leasehold of the Moun-
1633/34, when the plague ravaged Amberg during the Thirty
Herzenssache – aid campaign for children in south-west Germany € 5,000.00 tain Inn. According to this termination, the Mountain Inn would
Years’ War. In their distress, the suffering population of the
OHCP Dental Prophylaxis Project, Buenos Aires, Argentina € 10,000.00 now have had to close in mid-July; the tenants are having the
town turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary for help and vowed to
Forwarding donation for Kleine Herzen e.V. Hanover € 5,184.00 termination reviewed by the courts. A decision is expected in
express their gratitude by annual pilgrimages if rescue came.
Hospital chair for Franken Hospice Weinsberg, Germany € 5,000.00 August. So the hope remains that the meeting cancelled be-
The rector of the Jesuit College in Amberg’s city centre at the
GDCI Support Relief Mission India € 1,600.90 cause of the corona virus, including a view of Amberg from the
time, Father Caspar Hell, donated an image of grace, a copy
Costs of donation in kind Medellín, Colombia € 12.98 terrace of the Mountain Inn, can be made up for in 2021.
of the famous image of grace Mariahilf by Lucas Cranach the
Costs dental clinic Uganda € 109.17 Elder, which is in Innsbruck Cathedral. On 3 September 1634
Costs Teaching Restaurant Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam € 517.89 it was hung on the 529-metre-high mountain, which is now Dieter Kohl CLJ
Clinical clerkship travel allowances € 5,350.00 called Mariahilfberg, first in the tower of the old castle, which Deputy Commandery President Bavaria
Total € 569,768.95 was converted into a chapel.
Donations in kind
OHCP Argentina € 480.00
Dental treatment units for dental clinic Port-au-Prince € 42,000.00
Donations in kind to Colombia and Argentina, and for a dental mobile in Hamburg € 4,492.94
Dr. Klaus Winter GCLJ GCMLJ GMLJ
Almoner of the Grand Bailiwick
16 Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus 17
The soup kitchen started its activities in Wedding in 1991 impressive church services in the Augustinian Monastery in
Report: Commandery of Berlin-Brandenburg
with the daily distribution of hot lunches to homeless people Erfurt, in St. Georg’s Church in Eisenach and in the High Ca-
and single men as well as women and migrants. What started thedral in Erfurt; a lively panel discussion on ecumenism in
We wanted to see a recipient for our action in helping the with 20 people a day has expanded over time to up to 400 the Wartburg Singers’ Hall; and a fantastic charity concert in
weakest in our society, namely the children. The Christian daily meals. In addition to the lunch, clothing is offered from the Predigerkirche in Erfurt.
children’s and youth welfare organisation “Die Arche”, an equipped clothing store, as well as basic humane hygiene
founded in Berlin in 1995 by the Rev. B. Siggelkow, is com- in the in-house hygiene station. The work is done mainly by During the International Order Days 2017, the desire
mitted to these. volunteers, including our postulant Dr. Chr. Marcinkowski. arose to revive religious life in Thuringia. However, structures
and contact persons on site are important for this. Three sis-
In the facilities, which are now spread all over Germany, ters and brethren of the Order live here. Adaptation of the Or-
“Die Arche” not only offers the children a free daily hot meal, der’s statutes made it possible for the Weimar convent to be
but also helps with homework and integrates the children founded within the Commandery of Berlin-Brandenburg.
through leisure activities with games, sports and music. The
Rev. Siggelkow states in this regard:
”In Germany, up to 4.5 million children are affected by
poverty. These children need our support and help. Because
poverty excludes and is almost always a vicious cycle that
Order life in the Commandery was swayed by the rules of children cannot escape without outside help.”
conduct imposed on all of us during the corona period.
The offers of Die Arche’s work have convinced us; be-
We have been unanimous in ensuring that the rules about cause the keys to the children’s hearts are love and relation-
meeting – or rather about non-meeting – are strictly complied ship, appreciation and trust regardless of social background.
with, in the knowledge that only adherence to the measures Therefore, confrère Benjamin and I have sent out our appeals
to be taken can help to bring about a timely overcoming of the for a donation to Die Arche. It is with great pleasure that we
restrictions imposed on us. can announce that a total of € 4,000 has been received, which
we can provide for the work of Die Arche. On 9 March 2021, we were able to hand over € 2,000 to
The members and friends of the Commandery have fol- the responsible manager of the soup kitchen, Mr. Backhaus,
lowed this consideration to comply with the rules of contact After consultation with a representative of Die Arche, I who also expresses his heartfelt thanks to all the sponsors
even on the smallest of scales – whether it is for a birthday or learned that the funds are going to be used for the “Virtuelle involved for their generous donation.
other celebration – and not to allow any gatherings to take Arche” (Virtual Ark) project. With this project, the aid agency
place. This was and is painful for everyone – but it cannot be is building an infrastructure that helps children to keep up at Consul (Ret’d.) Dr. Eckhard Stegenwallner GCLJ GCMLJ
helped. Nevertheless, in the summer of 2020, a prospect for school. The offers range from learning platforms and digital Commandery President of Berlin-Brandenburg
our community was found in the person of Dr. Christoph tutoring to equipment with leased tablets and routers. We be-
Marcinkowski, who, after several personal discussions with lieve that the donations have been used wisely and in fulfil- Due to the pandemic, the solemn proclamation of the
me, was admitted to the postulancy by deed dated 10 Novem- ment of our mission to help.
Foundation of the Convent of Weimar/Thuringia Convention in Weimar had to be cancelled. This will certainly
ber 2020. I am grateful and happy that despite external con-
be made up as soon as the situation allows. However, we
straints our community is growing, which I take as a good The bereaved family of our deceased Confrater Burkhard
Today’s Thuringia – apart from Schlatt – is where the were not idle. Our first concern is to make the Order of St. Laz-
sign. as well as Confrater Joachim had asked that instead of dona-
roots of the Order of St. Lazarus in the German-speaking area arus known in Thuringia, to build networks, to address people,
tions of flowers for the celebration in the church, a donation
lie. Landgravine Elisabeth, who is now venerated as a saint, and to arouse interest. Thus, some 35 letters with a presenta-
Due to the cancellation of the annual Rixdorf Christmas be made to the Commandery Berlin of the Order of St. Laza-
Market caused by the corona pandemic and the associated and her husband, Landgrave Ludwig IV, entrusted the knights tion of the Order, the latest Order Journal and other material
rus.
of the Order of St. Lazarus with the responsibility for the Mary were sent to potential partners – the Protestant regional
impossibility of our work at our Lazarus booth, we had a total
I am delighted to report that the request for donations has Magdalen Hospital in Gotha. Further branches followed in church and the Catholic diocese, church districts and par-
loss of income for our hospitaller work.
been met on a large scale, as € 2,085 has so far been depos- Braunsroda, Breitenbich and Helmsdorf. With the founding of ishes, spiritual communities and orders. Initial contacts have
We thought about how and whom we could support and ited in the account of the Commandery. For this great partici- the Nesselhof, the formation of the first commandery was been made with the Regional Bishop of the Protestant Re-
in what way. Confrère Benjamin Rosenthal came up with the pation I express my heartfelt thanks to all sponsors with the completed in 1291. The Order’s presence in Thuringia lasted gional Church, Friedrich Kramer, and with the Diocese of Er-
idea of not giving any or only very limited customer gifts for call: God bless you! until the end of the 15th century. furt, especially with Auxiliary Bishop Dr. Reinhard Hauke, with
his company and to donate the money thereby made availa- the Protestant Brotherhood of St. George, and with the Wei-
ble to a social cause. I thought this was a great idea, and de- Together with Confrater Joachim, I thought about whom A trip of the Order to Thuringia in 2014 led to the Order’s mar-Jena Sub-Commandery of the Order of St. John. This
we could give the donations to, and we came to the conclu- historical sites. First contacts were made. The suggestion of year was the first time that the Referendary of the Order of
cided to ask friends and sisters and brethren of the Order to
sion that we should give the money to the Franziskanerklos- the current Referendary André Poppowitsch CLJ in an Am- St. Lazarus took part in the meeting of the Regional Bishop of
make a donation for a hospitaller cause. This solved the “how”
ter/Pankow soup kitchen, which had always been supported berg beer garden led to international Order Days being held the Protestant Regional Church with spiritual communities
of our consideration, and all that remained to be done was to
by our deceased brother. in Erfurt and Eisenach in 2017, in the year of the 500th com- and orders. This will be repeated next year.
find a recipient for the money collected.
memoration of the Reformation. Many things are fondly re-
membered: Deborah Poppowitsch OLJ
Speaker in the Convention Weimar
18 Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus 19In summer we would like to organise an internal trip of the And – to give another example – we are currently applying for
Report: Commandery of Hesse-Nassau
Commandery to the Rheingau or to Rhenish Hesse, and in inclusion into the official “Ecumenical Yearbook”, which is the
December we are planning a church service in honour of our “Who’s Who” of churches and church institutions here in the
The Commandery of Hesse-Nassau Unfortunately, the 3rd Ecumenical Church Convention Order’s patron saint, Saint Lazarus. But all this, as well as our Rhine-Main area. We want to be noticed because our ap-
Since the publication of the previous issue of the Order (ÖKT) next May will not take place as planned in terms of type regular Commandery meetings and a planned pilgrimage, are proach of living ecumenism, equality of ladies and gentlemen,
Journal, the life of our Commandery of Hesse-Nassau has and scope, but will instead switch to virtual formats. This is unfortunately still under reserve of the corona pandemic. tolerance of lived Christian chivalry and hospitality anchored
been continuously impacted by corona-related contact re- extremely regrettable, because we had made the support of in deep tradition can offer many people today a spiritual home
the Grand Bailiwick in this central event of ecumenism one of The charitable work of our Commandery members is mul- and task.
strictions. Nevertheless, through meetings on a smaller scale,
our main projects. Thus the preparatory work done for this be- tifaceted and provides relief where help is needed. It ranges
regular chats in our WhatsApp group and frequent phone
came completely moot. Yet, in the run-up to the ÖKT we were from regular work in the railway mission to the involvement of The Commandery of Hesse-Nassau is on a good course
calls, we were able to keep the connection among us close.
able to present the Order of St. Lazarus, its particularities and foundations and donations of clothes and books. In the year and has gained profile both internally and externally in the
And we have worked successfully to make our Order and our
objectives several times in – partly extensive – articles in ec- ahead, we want to devote more time to joint local and regional past quarters. In our region, the Order of St. Lazarus was first
Commandery better known in our region.
clesiastic print and online media. For example, a full-page il- projects. Preliminary talks on this have already taken place, mentioned with the Commandery Schönauer Hof in a docu-
We were able to intensify our dialogue with the Protestant lustrated report appeared in the “Evangelische Sonntags- but are severely limited by the local contact restrictions due to ment dated 1253. For a time, this Commandery was even the
and Catholic churches. Last January, at the invitation of the Zeitung”, which brought the Grand Bailiwick of Germany and the pandemic. However, we are confident that we will be able seat of the German Master of the Order and is one of the old-
Catholic Dean of the City, we were allowed to take part for the our Commandery into the public eye. This reporting led, inci- to report more details in the coming months. est branches of the Order in the German-speaking world. In
first time in the Mass of Charlemagne in Frankfurt’s Imperial dentally, not only to a variety of church contacts and interested the spirit of our Order motto “Atavis et Armis”, we feel commit-
It remains our goal to strengthen the Commandery inter- ted to this heritage and consciously tie in with these roots. This
Cathedral and, together and on an equal footing with the Mal- persons contacting us about joining the Order: An author of
nally, to anchor it sustainably in clergy and lay circles and thus gives us courage and strength to continue our journey in a
tese, Knights of St. John, Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and historical novels, whose latest book featuring Hospitallers and
to give greater resonance to our ecumenical way and the fraternal spirit, even in these difficult times.
Teutonic Order, to accompany the high clergy as they entered Lazarites in Crusade-age Jerusalem is about to go to press,
goals of the Order.
the cathedral and to take our seats in the choir stalls. Also for asked us for another critical review, which we were gladly to
this January, the invitation was extended to the most im- give. This is also supported by the individual commitment of
portant ecclesiastical event in the Rhine-Main region, in which our Commandery members who publicly profess to be Laza- Bernd A. Rauch KCLJ
the anniversary of the death of our city patron, Emperor Char- Due to the prescribed contact restrictions, some of our
rites. For example, three members of our Commandery of Commandery President of Hessen-Nassau and
lemagne, has been commemorated since the Middle Ages. scheduled dates unfortunately had to be cancelled or re-
Hesse-Nassau are running in various parishes in the upcom- Marshal of the Grand Bailiwick
We were happy to accept this invitation. This year, however, stricted to a small circle. But despite these restrictions, mem-
ing church council elections.
coronavirus-related restrictions led to a sharp reduction in the bers of our Commandery were able to take part in the Corpus
number of participants at this highly regarded pontifical mass, Christi procession of the cathedral parish and in the ecumen-
which was even reported in the Frankfurter Allgemeine ical Day of Repentance and Prayer at St. Catherine’s Church
Zeitung, naming the Order of St. Lazarus. Martin Lorenz, Knut in Frankfurt, and display the green cross.
Mikoleit and Dr. Uwe Winkler from our Commandery man- Report: Commandery of the Rhineland
We were also particularly
aged to each get one of the only 147 places. The entry of
pleased that in December we Mr. Sascha Pech contacted Klaus-Dieter Herbst and ex-
Bishops Bätzing from Limburg and Feige from Magdeburg
were able to celebrate the begin- When trying to look back on this year, the only thing that pressed his interest in our Order.
and Auxiliary Bishop Löhr into the Imperial Cathedral could
ning of Dr. Uwe Winkler’s postu- really comes to mind is the coronavirus and the things you
this year be accompanied by only one representative from Mr. Pech and I have already exchanged emails, but we
lancy in private fashion in the could not do because of the pandemic.
each order of chivalry. Our Order was represented by our have not yet been able to meet in person due to work prob-
course of a simple but solemn
Commandery President, Bernd Rauch. Plans such as our jours fixes, the meeting in Weimar and lems, illness and the corona protection requirements which
devotion in the Epiphany Church.
The Rev. Hoffmann, who gave many other things fell victim to the pandemic and the corona have now been tightened again; it is planned to take place in
The good contacts of the Commandery of Hesse-Nassau
the blessing, provided special protection requirements. 2021.
with the Catholic Church are complemented by close cooper-
ation with the Protestant Church in the spirit of our ecumenical support in this. Andreas: Thank
Without wanting to gloss over this, one could also notice, We were able to make a donation amounting to € 1,200
way. Our Commandery found a home in the Protestant you also again for the excellent
however, that in the time before the coronavirus, without real- to the “Netzwerk Mensch” in the Langwaden monastery. This
Epiphaniaskirche in Frankfurt’s Nordend district, which we are tower blower! Unfortunately, we
ising it, one was partly absorbed by so-called important social is made up of a donation from our Swiss confrère Carlo Demé,
very happy to use – among other things, our Commandery have to postpone the donning of
obligations. a share from the Commandery account and individual dona-
meetings take place here. Andreas Hoffmann, pastor of the the grey mantle – as well as the
tions from the Gerckens family, Edna Hoffmann, the Mittel-
St. Peter parish, to which the Epiphany Church belongs, also investiture of Knut Mikoleit – until What is important for our Commandery is that we have staedt family, Ingo Reichard, Katharina Retzlaff, Günther
declared his readiness to take on the role of pastor alongside the next possible meeting of the two new postulants among us. Helga and Andreas Gayko Thiele and Joachim Gutzke. Many thanks to the donors.
Cfr. Prof. Samerski, to act as further Spiritual Advisor of the Grand Bailiwick. have now been accepted in virtual fashion as postulants. We
“Hesse-Nassauers”. We were also able to develop good con- hope that we will soon find a date for the dignified presentation 2021: Compiling an annual planner would certainly be
In addition to quarterly commandery meetings, our activ-
tacts with the church council, who accepted our application of the certificates and the postulants’ crosses. pointless now, as we do not know what lies ahead.
ities planned for the next quarters include participating in the
for a vigil in their church on the occasion of the 3rd Ecumenical
Easter Vigil church service in the Epiphany Church and taking
Church Convention in Frankfurt. And we were allowed to pre-
part in the Corpus Christi procession of the cathedral congre-
sent our Commandery to the Protestant Vice-Dean for Frank-
gation in the centre of Frankfurt as well as in the ecumenical
furt and Offenbach.
service for the Day of Repentance and Prayer of the congre-
gation of St. Catherine.
20 Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus Journal of the Order of St. Lazarus 21You can also read
