Identity and Commitment

In the conduct of its affairs, the Order unites the spiritual life, chivalric tradition, active charity, and personal commitment. Its members bring their personal engagement to bear upon ecclesiastical, social, and cultural initiatives, devoting themselves in particular to the service of those in need. In so doing, the Order joins this local commitment to the support of wider humanitarian relief endeavours.

The spiritual life of the Order is shaped in its essence by the spirituality of the Church. Prayer, the liturgy, and participation in the Sacraments form the foundation of the common life of the Order and unite the Knights and Ladies in the tradition of Christian chivalry. Within this spiritual context, the liturgical dimension of the life of the Order is of particular significance; for the participation of the Knights and Ladies in divine worship – and above all in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass – constitutes a central element of the life and mission of the Order.

The members of the Order take an active part in the religious expressions of ecclesiastical and public life. These include in particular the processions of Holy Week and of the Feast of Corpus Christi, as well as the liturgical celebrations of the respective dioceses and local communities. Of especial significance amongst these are the solemnities held in honour of Saint George, the Patron of the Order.

The canonical magistral seat of the Order is located in the Chapel of Saint George in the Roman Basilica of Santa Croce al Flaminio, which was constructed between 1912 and 1918 with the support of the Constantinian Order. It is here that the Order annually celebrates its two most important high feasts: the Feast of Saint George und the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The national Commissions and regional Delegations likewise possess their own chapels in cathedrals, basilicas, or churches, which serve as spiritual centres for their respective jurisdictions – among them the Chapel of the Visitation and the Chapel of Saint George in the Military Church of Barcelona, both of which serve as seats of the Delegation of the Order in Catalonia.

The liturgical celebrations of the Order are moreover regularly observed at other distinguished ecclesiastical sites, among them the Military Cathedral of Madrid, the Cathedral of Nola in the Province of Naples, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Luxembourg, the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata in Florence, the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua, and the Basilica of Nossa Senhora dos Mártires in Lisbon, to whose adjoining hospice the Portuguese Commission of the Order has contributed. Further sites include the Church of the Ascension in Chiaia near Naples and the Church of the Most Holy Trinity with its adjoining monastery of the Augustinian Hermits in Viterbo.

Die beiden zentralen Hochfeste des Ordens sind the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross am 14. September und the Feast of Saint George am 23. April. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is accounted the most solemn feast of the Order; its origin lies in the annual octave celebrated at the dedication of the church complex in Jerusalem erected at the behest of the Emperor Constantine – the so-called Church of the Holy Sepulchre –, which is venerated as the site of the Crucifixion and Burial of Christ. This solemn liturgy became associated from early times with the commemoration of the miraculous finding of the True Cross of Christ, which tradition attributes to the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine; the True Cross was elevated on high each year on the fourteenth of September before the assembled faithful, who venerated it with acclamations. Saint George, as chief Patron of the Order, is venerated in a particular manner on the twenty-third of April, and the investiture of new members is frequently conferred in the course of these celebrations.

Beyond the principal feasts, further spiritual traditions shape the life of the Order. On the eighth of December, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary is venerated as Patroness of the Order. The Order moreover organises regular pilgrimages, as for example to the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, and the solemn reception of new members takes place frequently within the context of the aforementioned feasts and liturgical celebrations.

The Order is likewise engaged in the fields of culture, education, and the promotion of history and the arts. The national Commissions organise regular days of formation, combining lectures on historical, artistic, or spiritual subjects with visits to distinguished sites of cultural heritage.

Art exhibitions and charity concerts are among the frequent initiatives of the Order’s commissions and delegations. In addition, the Order awards study and training scholarships to pupils and students with limited financial means.

In the spirit of its Patron, Saint George, the Constantinian Order unites the cultivation of Christian tradition with practical assistance for those in need, and with service to culture, education, and the common good. Thus are united in the life of the Order the spiritual life, charitable commitment, and service to the Church and to society.

The chivalric or military dimension, which is historically associated with the Order and has been adapted to the realities of our own time, is directed principally towards an engagement of solidarity in immediate proximity. The members of the Order take an active part, under the impetus of the Grand Magistry and under the direction of the national Royal Commissions and regional Delegations, in the diocesan and parochial missions within their respective jurisdictions.

Our social commitment finds expression in the annual Christmas food collection, in services of assistance to homeless persons, and in the raising of funds for the benefit of hospitals, orphanages, and homes for the elderly. The principle which governs this local engagement is not merely to provide financial resources, but to render personal assistance – both to those directly affected and to the institutions which care for them – listening attentively to accounts of the most pressing needs and responding accordingly.

In the humanitarian sphere, the principal activities have been directed above all towards specific measures undertaken in response to concrete events, in accordance with the capacity for action of the Order.

Since the Order does not possess sufficient capacity to develop independent operational structures on the ground, its method of working in such cases has consisted in the collection of funds and their transmission to internationally active institutions such as the Red Cross, Caritas, or the Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need. The raising of funds was accomplished, beyond the personal donations of the Knights or the Delegations, principally through the organisation of benefit events such as concerts, exhibitions, or lectures. In the latter case, particular care was taken to provide a forum for specialists acquainted with such crises, enabling them to communicate their experience and to raise awareness among a wider public. In accordance with the principle of giving precedence to local engagement, the Order has directed its efforts in particular towards crises in geographical regions in which it is present.

Confronted with human suffering and grave social and societal crises and upheavals, the Order placed itself resolutely at the service of those in need. During the two greatest refugee crises in Europe since the Second World War – those arising from the Yugoslav Wars from 1992 onwards, and from the crisis in the Near East continuing since 2011 – the members rendered concrete and substantial assistance, accompanying many persons upon their path towards safety and hope. Natural disasters have likewise become a central field of charitable activity. In times of grave trial, the Constantinian Order stood beside those affected with active solidarity and Christian charity – at the earthquakes of Assisi (1997), L’Aquila (2009), and Amatrice (2016), as well as in the face of the continuing affliction in Ukraine.

The Order also extends its commitment to the fields of culture, education, and the promotion of history and art. The national Commissions organise annual open training days, at which lectures on historical, artistic, or spiritual themes are combined with visits to significant monuments and cultural sites. Art exhibitions and benefit concerts number amongst the frequent initiatives promoted and sustained by the Commissions and Delegations of the Order. The Order moreover awards study and training scholarships to pupils and students of limited financial means.