October 21, 2025 // Diocese

Equestrian Order Holds Investiture Weekend in Grand Rapids 

Todays Catholic

The North Central Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem held its annual investiture weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from September 12-15, where it invested new members and promoted existing members of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Section.

In a solemn investiture ceremony held on Sunday, September 14, at the historic Basilica of St. Adalbert in Grand Rapids, Sir Charles Wesley Powell, KHS, and Dame Pamela S. Shoda, DHS, were invested into the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre by Archbishop Emeritus Jerome E. Listecki of Milwaukee. A memorial Mass followed the investiture ceremony at which members of the lieutenancy who had passed away during the previous year were remembered. Powell is a parishioner of St. Joseph Parish in South Bend, and Shoda is a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Fort Wayne.  

Ken Snow Photography
New Knight and Dame Commanders of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem pose with Bishop Ronald A. Hicks of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, following a ceremony on Saturday, September 13, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In a separate promotion ceremony held on Saturday, September 13, at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Grand Rapids, Sir John Lionel Becker Jr. and Dame Patricia Anne Kathleen Becker were promoted to the Equestrian rank of Commander with Star by Bishop Ronald A. Hicks of Joliet, Illinois. The Beckers are parishioners at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Fort Wayne.

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a pontifical order of chivalry under the protection of the Holy See with origins that can be traced back to 1099 A.D. and the first crusade. Members make a lifelong commitment to live a life of the order’s spirituality and make a commitment to the order’s mission of service and support for the Christians in the Holy Land.  Today, the order numbers more than 30,000 members worldwide. The North Central Lieutenancy, one of nine lieutenancies in the United States, covers the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.