Dear Catholic Men … 

Every great thing, begins with a small thing. And every work of the Holy Spirit, for the good of the whole Church, remains a holy and valid foundation for a vocation.

Such were the vocations of the Catholic Knightly Orders of old, who dedicated themselves to the defense of Catholics who were menaced by Muslims and Pagans.

For us men today, this vocation still exists, though it is dormant. That is why there are many men, who have never married or who are widowers, who no matter what their age, are still spiritual attracted to imitate the Crusaders of old, though they may know nothing about the arts of war and have never been in the military.

To these men, I now address myself: because, as we all know well, the vocations from the youth come with needs which a fledgling Order cannot accommodate, without significant support. And because this is true of every new Order, all the more is it true of a Military order.

This great grace which the Holy Father has granted, to establish a new Military Order in the Church dedicated to Saint Louis IX, the Crusader King, in the 800th year of his coronation as King of France, is a most extraordinary spiritual event in the history of the Church. After two centuries of horrific massacres of Catholics throughout the world, in the tens of millions, Holy Mother Church has given us through Christ’s Vicar, Her blessing.

This means, that the Holy Ghost has undoubtedly already seeded the hearts of the good, the brave, the courageous and the able with vocations to this Order, even if these seeds are only very small and not fully functioning.

Perhaps, you too, are a single man, of whatever age, who has spent his life or recent years evaluating the reason for your own existence, and realize deeply in your spirit, that something is missing in your life, if you depart this world without having fulfilled it: and that this something is the admiration you have for the Catholic Knights of Old, the Crusaders of the past who sacrificed everything to help the poor, the widows, the orphans, the persecuted.

To begin the formation of young vocations, however, what is needed first is men like yourself, who are willing to commit yourself to such a foundation, a thing you can do either by donating a large and substantial portion of the wealth the Lord has blessed you with, or by adding to that your own personal service, in whatever humble work you can still do.

This role in the Order of St. Louis IX is called the vocation of a Paladin Knight.

Paladin Knights are men, usually older, who want to join the Order and bequeath to it their entire wealth or a large portion. They become full members and are bound by the light obligations of the Rule of our Order (see here), rather than the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. They obtain by this pledge the right to stay in our Commanderies, when they visit, with the full rights of full members, and true Brothers in arms; and to dwell in them habitually during the time of their personal service, if they are volunteering in administrative or logistic roles; or as trainers or commanders if they have served in the military during life.

With the substantial support of 12 such men, the Order will be able to purchase a large piece of land and ready it to train younger vocations who want to learn the skills and talents used in private security services, which the Order will assign them to during their years as men of service.

Such a dedication as a Paladin Knight brings tremendous merits to each of the men who take up this vocation, just as Christ taught of the wealth man, “If he gives of his substance he will wipe away all his sins.” (cf. Luke 11:41) All the greater is the merit of such charity, when it is given to establish this Order dedicated to the greatest of all charities: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (cf. John 15:13), that is, there is no greater supernatural charity that the Catholic soul can attain to than to risk himself and his own security and welfare, to come to the assistance of the most at risk, Catholics who are persecuted out of hatred for Jesus!

Life is short, and we are not made for this world, but for the world to come. This must be the focus of all the most important decisions we make.

We have wasted our life in this world, if before death, we have not yet done anything great and noble for Our Lord Jesus Christ and His brethren.

Becoming a Paladin Knight in the Order of St. Louis IX, in this way, then, must surely be one of the greatest things a layman can do.

I urge all men, therefore, who are single or widowers, or whom the Lord has blessed with the riches of this world, to give serious thought to lighting the spark which has so often glittered in the depth of your own souls, when reading or watching a film about the Catholic Knights of old, to put into act in this way, that longing which the Holy Spirit has sown there.

Men who are interested please contact me at info AT ordo HYPHEN militaris DOT us, for more information. I am looking for 12 good men who can make the foundation of our first Commandery a reality, which will require about $1 million more or less, the more the better, so we can have a place to train the young men, whom God will send.

Sincerely in Christ,

Br. Alexis Bugnolo

For more information see:  Ordo-Militaris.Org