© 2004 Our Lady Of The Lake of McCall, Idaho
© 2004 Our Lady Of The Lake of McCall, Idaho
Monday, 12 May 2008 03:53 pm Mountain Time
Canon of the Holy SepulchreOn November 5, 2005, Father Fraser was invested as a Canon of Honor of the Basilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Sepulchre of Our Lord Jesus Christ by His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, Patriarch of Jerusalem.
This honor is given to designated priests in recognition of their work on behalf of the Church in the Holy Land. It entitles the priests to certain rights and privileges which are contained in the decrees and statutes of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Among those privileges are the title "Very Reverend Canon" and the right to a certain coat of arms, with additional liturgical prerogatives.
Father Fraser already holds the Papal Honor of Commander in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, of which he has been a member since June 22, 2000.
Since the Middle Ages, each Cathedral has had its own Chapter of Canons, whose duty it is to carry out those functions and services peculiar to its status. Canons are not well known in the United States, but they are part of the structure of most of the major cathedrals and basilicas of the rest of the world, including those of Rome and other historically important sees.
Canons of the Cathedral of Jerusalem date back to the time of the Crusades. In the year 1071, the Seljuk Turks occupied Palestine and prohibited Christian pilgrims from visiting the Holy Places. In November of 1095, Pope Urban II called upon Christians to engage in crusades to liberate the Tomb of Christ. This call was answered by large numbers and over the next two centuries, various crusades met with mixed degrees of success.
The Second Crusade was headed by Duke Godfrey of Bouillon from Belgium who liberated Jerusalem on July 15, 1099. He immediately established the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem which would last until the final departure of the Crusaders from the Holy Land in 1291.
Duke Godfrey personally refused the crown of King of Jerusalem, although his successors would assume that title. Godfrey entrusted the protection, maintenance and guarding of the Holy Sepulchre to about twenty canons. At about this time, a body of Knights was established to guard the canons and the pilgrims who came to visit the Holy Land. The Church in the Kingdom was under the Patriarch of Jerusalem. He was elected by the Chapter of the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre were officially approved by Pope Calixtus II in the year 1122. They were organized as a clerical body, under the Rule of St. Augustine. Since the defeat of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem and the final exodus of the Crusaders after the fall of Acre in 1291, the Order of Canons Regular survived in various forms at different churches in Europe, most notably Spain, England and Poland. Today, Canons are designated either as "Titular," that is by virtue of their office; or "Of Honor." There are currently 6 Titular canons, all living in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and 12 Canons of Honor, located in 5 countries. There are three in the United States.
The first Bishop of Jerusalem was St. James, the Brother of the Lord, who was martyred in the year 62 A.D. Jerusalem was declared a Patriarchate by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. After the fall of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1291, the Patriarchate eventually was moved from Cyprus to Rome in 1374. There have been 172 Bishops or Patriarchs in the 2,000 year history of the Church of Jerusalem. In 1847, Blessed Pope Pius IX concluded a treaty with the Sultan of the Turkish Empire who agreed to the restoration of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem.
Upon his arrival in Jerusalem in 1878, the new Patriarch, His Beatitude Joseph Valerga became Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. Later this title was reserved to the Holy Father until 1940 when Pope Pius XII entrusted this title to a Cardinal. The Order remains under the personal protection of the Pope and has its headquarters in Rome. The Patriarch of Jerusalem is the Grand Prior of the Order and is also the bestower of the rank of Canon of the Cathedral in Jerusalem, which is also known as the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.