Grand Commander’s Message
April 2012
Sir Knight John K. March
Right Eminent Grand Commander
Templar Year 2011-2012
Greetings and Salutations to all Sir Knights Wherever Dispersed:
This is the month that has a special day for those who do not believe in God and who are, therefore, doomed to live in darkness their entire lives. What is that special day you ask? Well, I’ll tell you, it is the 1st day of April, commonly known as April Fool’s Day.
It also contains, at least this year, the most celebrated feast of the Christian calendar, for without the defining miracle of the Resurrection there would be no Christianity and thus no Easter.
Have you ever wondered why Easter can be any Sunday from March 22nd to April 25th? Believe me, it can be confusing! Because the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus occurred during the Passover, religious leaders wanted to maintain that connection. Since the early days of church history, determining the precise date of Easter has been a matter for debate. Why? The simple answer is because the early Christians neglected to record the exact date of Jesus’ resurrection. From then on the matter grew more and more complex.
In Western Christianity Easter is always the Sunday that follows the Paschal Full Moon. Some say, Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday immediately following the first full moon following the vernal equinox. This last statement was true before 325 A.D. It changed in that year with the Council of Nicaea. By 1583 A.D. Ecclesiastical Full Moon dates were established and have been used since to determine the date on which Easter will fall. There is actually an eighty-four (84) year cycle in theWesternChurch, as compared with a nineteen (19) year cycle in the Orthodox Church.
With all of this knowledge, and the help of a 2012 calendar you will know that Easter falls on the second Sunday of this month, which is the 8th,The Grand Commandery of Pennsylvania will once attend the Easter Sunrise Celebration inAlexandria,Virginia. Please join us to celebrate this, the holiest of Holy Days.
On another subject, the “feed the hungry, clothe the naked, bind up the wounds of the afflicted” campaign has been a rousing success. Although not all Commanderies participated, the individual Knights Templar of Pennsylvania and their Commanderies should be proud of their efforts. They have assisted local organizations across the Commonwealth with the donation of tons of clothing, non-perishable foodstuffs and money. My chapeau is off to those who participated in this Christian endeavor. You have done your Grand Commandery proud and you have helped countless thousands of those less fortunate than ourselves.
Lastly, information on the 159 Annual Conclave of the Grand Commandery of Pennsylvania is available on our website http://pagrandcommandery.org/
Courteously,
John K. March, GC
And now, Father, I pray that you would bless us and keep us; make your face to shine upon us; be gracious unto us and give us Your peace. Let us recognize Your perfect will, as selfish as this may seem, for our Grand Commandery and let us walk according to Your divine plan; bless us with understanding, let us walk in wisdom and knowledge, knowing, heavenly Father, that You have made a way where there seems to be no way. Let every victory we accomplish be nothing more than a trophy for Your glory, that we may honor and magnify You, the Giver of life and every good and perfect thing. In Your name we pray and ask and receive this blessing.