St. Vincent Home Officers Past Priors Christian Order About the Order Grand Priory USA OSMTH Aims of the Order Knights Templar History Suggested Reading Events Newsletter Charities St. Vincent History Photo Gallery Flowers of the Forest Membership Contact Information
Membership in the Order
Membership in the Order requires that the candidate be a Christian of any denomination, and is by invitation only. The principal focus in selecting members is good character, accomplishments in life and obvious commitment to the ideals of the Order. A candidate’s involvement in other charitable, military, religious and hereditary organizations or loyal societies provides a means of assessing a candidate's eligibility, as does his or her professional and social accomplishments. The Order selects only those men and women who deport themselves in an honourable and chivalrous manner, who will be committed to the Order’s values and precepts and who are ecumenical in thought.
Application for membership originates at the local Priory or Commandery level (a Priory has 25 or more members and a Commandery has less than 25 members). The sponsors for any candidate must be active members of the Priory or Commandery and must know the candidate personally, so as to recommend the candidate to the Priory or Commandery without hesitation. The sponsors should initially present the name of a prospective member to the Priory or Commandery Membership Committee with background information about the candidate, and at the earliest opportunity introduce the candidate to members of the Membership Committee. The Membership Committee will then review the information and if a favorable consideration is reached, the Prior or Commander will issue a formal invitation to affiliate and forward an application to the prospective member. The completed application and supporting documents are returned to the Prior or Commander for approval, accompanied by a passage fee. The application must be approved by both the Prior or Commander and the Grand Prior.
Interested parties may first wish to look at either the international Templar web site (osmth.org) or the U.S. Grand Priory web site (smotj.org) to learn about the Order's aims, objectives and activities.
In the case of someone who is not personally known to an existing member, our Membership Committee would require a resume, biography or some detailed written background information on the individual. All of this information is kept in the strictest confidence and is not used for any other purpose.
St. Vincent Home Officers Past Priors Christian Order About the Order Grand Priory USA OSMTH Aims of the Order Knights Templar History Suggested Reading Events Newsletter Charities St. Vincent History Photo Gallery Flowers of the Forest Membership Contact Information