Following Orders

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

don't have to be snotty i get it. 

Sorry, couldn't resist!

We can't help it. Those nose guards push the nose in and gets it all snotty. Also gets in the way of the ale...

Quite true!

I am snotty too   as I have contracted my princesses cold which she received the first week of kindergarten.

I'm feeling ya Brother!

It's a genetic problem. 

I'm sure this is a simple typo, and she meant to say genetic gift....the keys are so close together......

[Sir William Marcus]

[Mikael of Aragon]

All the damsels are in awe of the genetic gifts of the brothers!

(sorry, the meds are talking)

[Lady Christina de Pond]

  ofcourse we are 

[Femme Falchion]

please don't be encouraging Militissa.

I know you have a new crown and all.....

[Poof Bird]

Chevalière Poofie....The new avatar is great. (Sir William is blessed with many talents!)

That's quite an intimidating ornithoid you've got there.  Does she perch on your shoulder as you joust?  

heh, I don't actually have a cockatiel, but my quaker and green cheek love to try to steal all of my chainmaille rings while I'm working 

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

without having a good sense of Brother Gregory's "persona" it's hard to have an opinion about his avatar but I tend to like the one with the cool headgear 

Can you describe your Monk a bit Brother?

Brother Gregory, I believe the focus of this question was to ascertain if you were a member of any of the Military Orders, or just a servant of the church. I may be mistaken though....

[Femme Falchion]

The prayer is addressed to "Holy Mary, mother of God", the "consolation of those who hope", and "humbly implores" her to obtain freedom for the order "through the intercession of the angels, archangels, prophets, evangelists, apostles, martyrs, confessors and virgins". It adds that the Virgin Mary knows that "our enemies" have spread "calumnies and lies" about the order, and pleads with her to make them "return to truth and charity".

If this were to fall into Femme Falchion's lap....

She would find it curious that the falsely accused and wrongly imprisoned Templar Knights composed and sent out their final and most powerful supplication to Holy Mary.  Did they know and honor Mary as a Goddess, the dispenser of mercy, the ever patient mother, and protectress of humanity?




For many European Christians, the blending of their ancient Goddesses with the Blessed Virgin Mary has been a well accepted fact of their faith for centuries, there is no conflict. Obviously, the Knights recognized Mary as divine woman of importance, spirituality and power...for no other could command "the intercession of the angels, archangels, prophets, evangelists, apostles, martyrs, confessors and virgins"

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

Sister Hatchet,

I expected nothing less from your reply!

This devotion to female saints must be set within the context of medieval Catholic spirituality as a whole during the period from 1200-1500, which emphasized female figures and feminine metaphors. In their devotion to female saints, therefore the Military Orders were not exceptional but were following the spiritual trends of the day. In particular, the Teutonic Order, as well as the Templars and Hospitallers of St John, had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Teutonic Order's devotion to Mary has received plenty of attention, the Templars' less so. New recruits to the Templar Order were told that the Order was established in honor of Mary, and vows were made to "God and our Lady St Mary".

However, the Orders would make a distinction between Mary and female saints, and that of the ordinary women. Mary, it was believed, had been born without sin, and female saints were now in heaven, and therefore beyond sin. There fore they could not lead the good Brothers astray, and could aid them on the spiritual path.

One might make the distinction that "good women"  were the faithful wives, sisters, mothers or daughters who encouraged the faith of their husbands, sons, brothers and nephews, and any virtuous women that came forward to give donations to the Order.

"Bad women" were the common women who led men astray, these were the ones that Brothers should avoid. The "bad women" are women like King Arthur's Guinevere, who leads Lancelot astray.

If Brothers must suffer the company and possible temptations, then they should seek out the first and avoid the second.

[Femme Falchion]

Yes, Brother, I think I understand your obsession concern with "bad women"   

but let's turn back to the current events, why did the Templar's beseech Holy Mary during their final days and not "God"?

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

This is a good question.

Maybe they felt that he had looked away from them for failing to hold his Holy Land (the excuse for some as to why they were in the very predicament they were in), and knew full well that she would be the quickest way to his ear.....


something about: when the matriarch is dissatisfied, the whole world shares the feeling.....

[Femme Falchion]

I'm sure the Council will have much to discuss in light of this new information.

It will be interesting to see if other opinions are shared by the Brothers, Sisters and readers of the thread.   

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

Catholics do not in ANY WAY believe that the Virign Mary is equal to God, but she does have the most unique relationhsip with God that ever existed. The Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, the Son in the Trinity. Jesus must pay special attention to His own mother's pleas, as He was the best son ever to live and because honoring one's parents is commanded in the Old Testament. (sounds a bit like painting oneself into a corner)

[Brother Gregory]

I belong to the masonic group of Knights Templar and would love to belong to a service group but for the most part I'm more then likely just a member of the church and service more then anything else. I wasn't sure if that's what she meant.

[Femme Falchion]

I'm sure you are aware that some Catholics celebrate Mary as the divine feminine and the wife of Jesus...his chief Apostle and a Priestess in her own right...

Is not The Church considering elevating the Blessed Virgin Mary to the role of Co-Redeemer?