Religious and military Order of the Knights of St-Catherine of Sinai
A brief history of the Order
Catherine of Alexandria was a virgin of great beauty and great intelligence, daughter of Constus, Governor of Alexandria in Egypt during the reign of Roman Emperor Maximin Daia (305-314). The Emperor had her tortured to make her deny her errors against the Christianity. She was beheaded at the age of 18 for these errors she refused to admit. See section on our patron saint for more details.
Many years later, the monks found her body, intact, at the top of this mountain, called since Mount St. Catherine, and transported to the Monastery. Today, some parts of it are kept in the Orthodox Monastery of Mount Sinai.
Remember that it was in 737 (before the Crusades) that the Order was founded, at the monastery, on the mountain where Moses received the Tables of the Law.
A few years later the monastery was rebuilt by Emperor Justinian in honour of St. Catherine of Alexandria. The Emperor granted to the Abbots right to ennoble the pilgrims.
To counter the desert bandits who robbed and attacked pilgrims in Sinai, knights crusaders from Jerusalem reformed the order in 1063.
It's current statutes are modeled on those of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, religious and military order. Each year, thousands of pilgrims flock to the monastery to venerate the relics of St. Catherine.
The Order received the favours of kings, princes, and in turn of the Sovereign Pontiffs, including Pope Honorius 111 and John XX11, whom granted many rights and privileges to Knights of the Sinai.
The Order today
After His Excellency Dr. Gerard Shanks, third Vicar Grand Master of the Order, passed away on November 2000, there was no activities in Quebec for almost 2 years. Dr. André St-Jean took the interim, in Quebec until the foundation of a group, by Major Jacques Labrecque after his nomination as Prior, on March 17, 2002, called the Priory of Quebec. Major Labrecque was installed in his function by Archbishop Herma Mikhail, 4th Vicar Grand Master of the Order in the US, freshly installed Grand Master after the death of Mr. Shanks).
Since 2003, the Priory expended by the adhesion, of many civilians and militaries personalities whom gave a new boost to the Order in Canada. In 2006, Major Labrecque was nominated Grand Prior of the Grand Priory of Canada by Archbishop Mikhail.
His Eminence the Most Reverend Mikhail is an Archbishop of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (Sobornopravna) in the United States and directed the Order from November 2000 until February 21, 2009. He named Dr. Brett Gordon as 5th Vicar Grand Master, (after he was forced to resign because of his health) and Mr. Gordon stayed in place until January 30, 2011. Dr. Gordon then resigned for personal reasons. Arcbishop Mikhail took the interim and on June 7, 2011 designated Major Jacques Labrecque, Duke of Blandford as 6th Vicar Grand Master of the Order. Major Labrecque then holds a plurality of offices: Vicar Grand Master of the Order at the international level, Grand Prior of Canada and Prior of Quebec
