We welcome you on the new site of the Lieutenancy of Montreal of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Founded in 1099 by the knight Godfrey de Bouillon, in the city of Jerusalem, the Order has a long and prestigious history spanning over more than 900 years.
Through its charity work, it provides funding for different programs in the Holy Land (Jordan, Palestine and Israel). The Order provides material and spiritual help to local populations, and lessens the desastrous effects of 60 years of war on the populations of all origins and faiths.
Since the mid-1900s, numerous Christian families have left the Holy Land because of wars, ethnic tensions, and difficult life conditions. In some regions, only 2 to 4% of the Christians remain and they survive the best they can. As a lay institution of the Vatican, the Order supports the activities of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which tries to give those people a better quality of life.
Beginning in the middle of the 19th century, the Order has funded the construction of 40 schools and wishes now to help pay their operating costs, including the maintenance of the buildings and the salaries of some 900 teachers and the administrative personnel. Today, about 19,000 students attend those kindergarten, elementary and high schools, and technical schools. The student breakdown is about 60% Christian (Catholics, Orthodox, etc.) and 40% Muslim, and the Order believes these young can learn to live in peace and mutual respect if these values are encouraged and if they mix and play together from an early age.
Among the other accomplishments of the Order are the construction of medical clinics, orphanages, churches and houses for young families, a swimming pool, the purchase of a x-ray imaging system, etc.