Templar Life

I've always had an interest in the Renaissance period. I suppose it started as a young girl when I romanticized brave and noble knights suited up in their shining armor atop a loping steed with their fair maidens in tow adorned in beautiful flowing gowns riding through pastoral settings of kingdoms dotted with stone castles, surrounded by meadows blooming with wildflowers. Yeah . . . those were the thoughts of a young girl.

But, as a mature woman, I delved into history and that was rarely the case. That era was full of challenging times and hard living. The ruling class of kings and queens did live a life with some luxuries, but they were hard fought, as many dynasties warred with one another.

That period also brought about the Crusades, a movement organized to defend Christianity, along with the advent of the Knights Templars, whose original mission was to protect pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. As I read more about the Templars, I developed a genuine admiration for their mission and their dedication to their faith.

Around the year 2010, I came to realize that the Templars really never went away. Although the original Templars were wrongly tried, officially disbanded and executed by a bad king and a bad pope, they actually rose from the ashes like a phoenix in the late 1700s with their traditions being revitalized in Europe. Today, there remains many active Templar Orders all around the world, including the U.S.

In 2018, my husband and I joined an Order based out of London. Unfortunately for us, all of their activities were in Europe, leaving us little interaction with members. Therefore the hunt began for an Order here in the United States. After researching for months and months, my husband found Templar Orders here and we were excited to join one. Being part of a merit-based Order and fulfilling all the requirements, I was knighted in October 2020. Yes, women in modern-day Orders are treated equal to men and can be knighted.

My husband and I both so love the era, that we chose to marry in period dress in a historic church in Connecticut, surrounded by our Templar brothers and sisters. At the ceremony's end, we exited the church under an archway of lifted swords. It was such a fantastic experience and truly made a wonderful destination-wedding memory!

For me, being a Templar is basically an extension of my Christian faith. My Templar membership doesn't replace my church attendance or change my belief system, it simply adds to and enriches it. Being a person of faith, having love of the period and possessing that Templar spirit are generally the reasons people are drawn to join a Templar Order. Members honor the history and mission of the original Templars by defending the faith in ways we can in modern society, such as partnering with organizations that provide aid to persecuted Christians across the globe and being watch guards of our churches and schools and in as many social settings as is possible.

And, although the original Templars were Catholic with their organization and their activities being sanctioned by the Pope, most modern day Orders comprise of Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox. Keenly aware that there are doctrinal differences between the three, we set those aside for the betterment of the faith and are united in our common belief in God and His Son, Our Savior Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Most Orders are family-friendly, welcoming women and children. Children of members may begin their membership by becoming either a Page or Squire, depending upon their age, and then at age 18 may begin their adult membership.

The Order to which I belong is non-Masonic and we have no political affiliation. That's not to say that members don't have a political persuasion, it just means we don't talk about politics within our Order circles and channels of communication. Our topics of discussion center around our faith, Bible scriptures, Templar history and honoring the Templar spirit.

If what I've talked about above resonates with you and you have an interest in becoming a member, I'd love to chat with you about joining. Our members enjoy fellowship with one another in a variety of ways. We have our own social media platform which means we cannot be marginalized, censored or have restrictions on our views. The platform operates much like Facebook wherein members make posts with a variety of content that centers around our mission and beliefs.

The Order uses the Zoom app to hold twice-monthly Round Tables and Bible Studies. These are wonderful ways for us to bridge the gap of miles that separates us. The Round Tables consist of an Order member who will speak for about twenty minutes and after that the meeting is opened up for discussion. The Bible studies are led by our Grand Chaplain and are a wonderful way to enrich your knowledge of the Bible. Due to my location in Idaho, I belong to the Priory of King David and serve as the Priory leader. The Priory encompasses the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. To learn more, I invite you to visit King David Priory's website here.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my Templar journey. I hope you found it interesting, even if it may be something that's not for you. But, if it may be . . . let's talk. I'd love to add more women to the ranks of the Knights Templar to defend the faith in the Templar spirit!

God bless,

Reneé