ROVIGO – Monday 19 December, at the Hotel Regina Margerita, in the Conference Hall for the occasion, elevated to a Convent, the Militia Christi held the closing ceremony of the first phase of the 13th Training Course for Novices, lasted 14 weeks and began last September 17, with the adhesion of 53 aspiring Novices, 2 of which are from Polesine.
The course, totally free, was born from the training project of the Novices of the Priory of the Three Venezies of the Militia Christi established 13 years ago, structured in 14 meetings, reconstructs the origins, the evolution, the end of that religious and chivalric experience Templar who taught the world at the dawn of the first millennium a new way of living and being together.
“But it wasn’t just history,” explains the Prior Raffaele Mautone – there was also and above all talk of principles, values, virtues on which the Order of the Knights Templar stood and still stands. We are convinced that the rediscovery of the principles and values at the basis of that experience can improve the world in which we live. You see we live in a world where everything that was once considered noble, chivalrous, altruistic has become obsolete…values such as honor, loyalty, keeping one’s word, brotherhood, solidarity, obedience, humility etc. have disappeared … even disappeared from the daily lexicon and replaced with new principles children of this society increasingly leaning towards the god of money … such as betrayal, deceit, success at any cost, by any means and above all without scruples … in a society similarly the Templars stand as the last custodians of these ancient virtues. We are convinced that telling who we are, what we do and above all what we believe in and, more generally, the study and dissemination of our reference values can improve not only our Novice, but also and above all the world in which they live. However, attendance and passing the first phase of the course in itself is not sufficient to become a Templar Knight or Dame, but it provides a good cultural baggage and to be admitted to the second phase of the course”.
During the closing ceremony of the course the Prior Raffaele Mautonetogether with the Director of Courses la Dama Ida Maria Stoppa, in the presence of the Knights and Dames of the confraternity gathered in Rovigo for the occasion, greeted and thanked all the registered aspiring Novices, handed over the certificates of participation and to 23 of these, also the Decrees of Appointment as Novice and the simultaneous admission into the Militia Christi with the rank of Novice, with the obligation to attend the Second phase of the 13th Formation Course for Novices, which will begin on January 13th and end on May 27th 2023, with “The night of vigil in arms and of prayer” which precedes the solemn ceremony of Investiture as a Knight or Dame. The program of the second phase of the Novice Formation Course is essentially centered on the spirituality of the Temple. We will study the Holy Scriptures, “Mariology” or that branch of Christian theology that studies Mary and the patron saint of the Temple, Saint Bernard of Chiaravalle, her theology and her works. The study and deepening of the virtues, principles and values of Christian and chivalric ethics will then be resumed.
“Entering the Temple is the highest moment of responsibility for a good Prior. Each Novice represents the Militia Christi. The wrong choice of a Novice produces as a logical consequence an unworthy Knight and the consequent loss of image and credibility of the Militia Christi. Therefore, this choice must be considered. The training course for a Novice lasts nine months, which is a sufficiently long and broad period, during which the Prior not only forms the Novice, puts him to the test, tests his ability to work in a group and in community life, follows his growth, but always seeks continuous confirmation on the moral and spiritual qualities of the Novice, until the night of prayer vigil, which precedes the investiture ceremony. This is the path that an excellent Novice takes to become a good Knight of the Temple.
“With this occasion – concludes Mautone – it is necessary to thank the Management of the Hotel Regina Margherita, in particular Diego Focarini, for his closeness, collaboration and availability towards the Militia Christi during the entire first phase of the Training Course.