Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem

rdf:langString Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem

rdf:langString International Commission on Orders of Chivalry

rdf:langString MISSION of the Order, Province of the United States, Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem

rdf:langString Ribbon bar of the order

rdf:langString Cross of the order

rdf:langString Patriarch Youssef Absi

rdf:langString – "Light and life"

rdf:langString [...] [T]o bring in the greatest measure possible, brotherly help to peoples living in The Holy Land and to the entire Christian East.

rdf:langString It is to be clearly understood that the decorations listed below are not considered by the Commission to be Chivalric in nature even though several may use the term “Order” in their styles and imitate Chivalric titles. We invite these Authorities to use more proper terms for any future creations of awards. Nevertheless, the Commission accepts that these Ecclesiastical Decorations possess full validity as awards of merit or honours within the respective Churches which have instituted them.

rdf:langString Holy Cross of Jerusalem

rdf:langString Patriarchal Order of the

rdf:langString The Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem is a Catholic honorific lay order and ecclesiastical decoration established in 1979 by Patriarch Maximos V Hakim of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, with its seat in the Old City of Jerusalem. It aims to promote Catholic faith and to support religious, cultural and social works of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in the Holy Land, as well as to promote its Byzantine liturgy. Its current Grand Master is Patriarch Youssef Absi, and its Grand Prior is the Vicar Apostolic of Jerusalem. The symbol of the order is a gold-edged cross with a red or blue interior. Its vertical inscription is ΦΩC ("light"), and its horizontal inscription is ΖΩΗ ("life"), together forming the order's motto in Greek: Φως και Ζωη (Fos kai Zoe), meaning "Light and life". Prominent feast days include Saint George's Day and the Feast of the Cross. The Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, while completely independent of the Holy See, is under "ecclesiastical patronage" sui iuris by the Melkite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East in accordance with the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. As such, it is recognised as a legitimate ecclesiastical decoration by the International Commission on Orders of Chivalry. In addition, it is a registered charity in multiple countries.