BIDDEFORD — Three members of Good Shepherd Parish have been invested into the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem by Sean Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston.

According to Good Shepherd Parish Monsignor René Mathieu, Deacon Kevin Jacques with his wife Aline, and Deborah Hollis were honored in November at a Mass celebrated in St. Mary Church, Bristol, Rhode Island.

Mathieu and Diocese of Portland Bishop Robert P. Deeley were among the concelebrating bishops and priests at the Mass. 

Mathieu says that during the past year, nearly 60 Catholic lay and clergy members from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island were received into the order.

The aims of the order are to strengthen in its members the practice of Christian life, in absolute fidelity to the pope and according to the teachings of the Church, observing as its foundation the principles of charity which make the order a fundamental means of assistance to the Holy Land.

It also strives to sustain and aid the charitable, cultural and social works and institutions of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, particularly those of and in Jerusalem and to support the preservation and propagation of the Catholic faith in those lands while upholding the rights of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

In 1932, Pope Pius XI approved the new church constitution which permitted those being invested into the order to be able to do so near their homes and not only in Jerusalem. In 1977, Pope John Paul II made the order a legal canonical and public personality, overseen by the Vatican. 

Deacon Jacques coordinates the Good Shepherd Marriage Preparation Program along with his wife, Aline, and the Homebound Visitation Program. Hollis facilitates numerous spiritual programs for Good Shepherd Parish. 

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com.