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The Priory of Philadelphia History

The Priory of Philadelphia was formally installed on June 20, 1970 at the home of COL Brooke M. Lessing in Schwencksville, Pennsylvania. Chev. William B. Gold, Jr. was installed as the first Prior.

At the second Annual Convent, 15 Ladies were invested as Dames of the Order. At this Convent, COL Lessing was installed as Prior for 1971-72. For the 1973 term, Alexander P. Hartnett was invested Prior and in 1974 Graham T. Smallwood, Jr. succeeded him. The Knight to follow as Prior, from 1975 through 1980, was Charles Edgar Hires. He would host a Grand Convent in Philadelphia in 1979 and go on to be the Grand Prior in 1980.

The Annual Convent in 1980 elected Dominic J. Pontarelli, MD as Prior. A Grand Convent was again held in Philadelphia in 1982 at the Union League. Prior Pontarelli passed the leadership of the Priory to Arthur Judson in 1986, and Prior Judson served thereafter for a number of years.

During the years from 1970 to 1987, many of the Convents were held at Philadelphia’s social landmarks including the Cricket Club, Country Clubs, the Union League, and the Yacht Club. Many of the Officers received Grand Priory Appointments and numerous charitable contributions were made. There is also a notation of a parade of colors by the Color Guard.

The written records from 1987 to 2007 are somewhere yet to be located. During these years, activity continued and the Hon. Herbert K. Zearfoss was elected Prior, to be followed circa 1999 by Matthew D. Dupee, Esq.

By the year 2006, the Priory’s status had become that of a Preceptory, due to attrition of membership, and it was placed under the auspices of the Priory of the Delaware. In June 2007, the Priory of the Delaware encouraged the Preceptory to reestablish the Priory of Philadelphia.

On December 8, 2007, at a Convent & Investiture of the Delaware Priory, eleven (11) Postulants were invested by then Grand Prior GEN Robert Disney and the Preceptory was elevated to Commandery status, with Charles S. Canning as Commander.

Grand Prior Disney challenged the Commandery of Philadelphia to become eligible for Priory status within a year and the challenge was accepted. The Commandery met that challenge and was elevated to Priory status on November 22, 2008 with Charles S. Canning, KCTJ, as Prior. On the eve of Palm Sunday 2009, the Priory conducted its first Convent & Investiture as the resurrected Priory of Philadelphia. Thomas R. Johnson was elected Prior and successfully served from 2011 through 2012. On November 18, 2012 Lt. Col. William H. Haynes was elected Prior to serve from 2013 through 2014. On June 8th 2013, The Priory of Philadelphia, along with the help of the Priory of Delaware, hosted the 51st Grand Convent & Investiture of the United States of America in Philadelphia.

Past Priors The Priory of Philadelphia

Prior I Chev. William B. Gold, Jr. 1970
Prior II COL Lessing 1971-72
Prior III Alexander P. Hartnett 1973
Prior IV Graham T. Smallwood, Jr. 1974
Prior V Charles Edgar Hires 1975-1980
Prior VI Dominic J. Pontarelli, MD 1980-1986
Prior VII Arthur Judson 1986-?
Prior VIII Hon. Herbert K. Zearfoss ?
Prior IX Matthew D. Dupee, Esq. 1999-2007
Prior X Charles S. Canning 2008-2011
Prior XI Thomas R. Johnson 2011-2012
Prior XII Col. William H. Haynes 2013-2014
Prior XIII Chev. Joseph A. Auteri, GOTJ 2015-2016
Prior XIV Chevse. Marianne S. Canning 2016-2017
Prior XV Chev. Andrew J. Scutti 2018-2021
Prior XVI George B. Hixon 2022-2023
Prior XVII Mark D. Gall 2024-current

Current Officers of The Priory of Philadelphia

Prior: Mark Gall, GOTJ
Chancellor: Amy L. Scutti, GOTJ
Inspector: Dante DiStefano, KCTJ
Treasurer: Susan H. Baxter, DCTJ
Secretary: Andrew Scutti, GCTJ
Chief of Protocol: George B. Hixon, GOTJ
Aumonier: Amy L. Scutti, GOTJ
Registrar: Bill Haynes, GOTJ
Armorer: Dante DiStefano, KCTJ
Knight Protector: Andrew Scutti, GCTJ
Sword Bearers: Ray Sosa, KCTJ, Salvatore Scutti, KTJ
Standard Bearers: Spencer S. Butterwick, KCTJ & Winton E. Hewitt, KCTJ
Chaplain: Rev. William D. Hartman, GOTJ
Chaplain: Darryl S. Jeffries, KCTJ
Marshall: Frank E. Baxter, KCTJ
Master of Postulants: Amy L. Scutti, GOTJ
Avocat: Andrew Scutti, GCTJ
Chirgeon: Carol Edelman, DTJ

Knights Templar History

We are the Modern Knights Templar, an Ecumenical Christian and Chivalric charitable Order. Though we do not claim a direct lineage to the original Knights of the Temple, we seek to emulate their positive attributes in our daily lives. We have adopted two of the original Templar missions of protecting Christians at risk–particularly in the Holy Land and the Middle East, and keeping the road to Jerusalem open to all people as our own.

The order called Knights of the Temple, Knights Templar, or Poor Knights of Christ of the Temple of Solomon, later to be known as Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem, traces its tradition and history to the year 1118. Founded by Hugues de Payens, Geoffroy de Saint-Omer, André de Montbard, Gondemare, Godefroy, Roral, Geoffroy de Bissol, Payen de Montdidier and Archambaud de Saint-Agnan, all of whom were Chevaliers of France serving under Godefroy de Bouillon, the Order was created in the early days of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, when crusaders controlled only a few strongholds. Pilgrims depended upon the Knights to provide a means for their safe passage through the Holy Land. The Knights consecrated themselves to the protection of Christian pilgrims and the defense of the Holy Land against barbarian aggressors, accepting monastic vows under the Patriarch Garimond of France.

For almost two centuries, the good deeds done by these Knights and their successors in protecting the Holy sites in Jerusalem, the Holy Land itself, and the routes to the Holy Land became legendary. The Order grew in strength and prospered greatly during the crusades, until those jealous of its financial power violently overthrew it and confiscated its properties, ultimately executing its Grand Master Jacques de Molay and many other leaders in 1314.

The original Order of the Temple ended with the death of its leaders, but the Templar spirit survived in a misty and elaborate world of legend and myth. The sacrifices of the original Knights in the name of Christianity; their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience; and their legendary fighting prowess offered a vision of purity, honor, and bravery that many individuals and organizations have sought over the seven centuries since then to ally themselves with that image.

Templar Timeline

The Crusades – (1095—1291 A.D. were initiated by Pope Urban II. He gathered Christians from all over the world to battle Muslims for the purpose of recovering Jerusalem. During this period, The Knights Templar was formed in 1118 A.D. by Hugues de Payens with a primary goal of protecting the many pilgrims who made the journey to Jerusalem.

Growth and Power – The Knights became a formidable force throughout the Holy Land and Europe and were feared by all who challenged them. They amassed great wealth by virtue of noble grants and gifts received from nobility throughout the land. To manage these gifts and great wealth, the Knights were credited for the creation of what we now refer to as our modern banking system.

In 1128 A.D., the Knights were sanctioned by the Catholic Church. Pope Honorius II granted a papal sanction to them by declaring them to be an Army of God. Later, In 1139 A.D., Pope Innocent II granted the power of exemption to the Templars. They continued to fight through the remaining crusades throughout the Holy Land and were considered exempt from all local laws. Their only required obedience was to the Pope.

False Accusations & Downfall – An unscrupulous King Philip IV of France owed a great financial debt to the Knights and in order to avoid repaying this debt, he falsely accused them of heresy and blasphemy and unduly influenced Pope Clement V to dissolve the Templars in 1311 A.D.

On Friday, October 13, 1307, the Templars came under siege. They were ordered arrested. Accusations from King Philip IV were responsible for the deaths of many Templars by torture and burning at the stake. It was this day that many hold as the origin of Friday the 13th as an unlucky day.

Many Templars confessed to the heresy in order to avoid death while others escaped to distant lands. Notable among those tortured was Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay. In 1314, de Molay denied his former confession of heresy and blasphemy due to torture. He stated that they were false and was immediately burned at the stake. This was the final event causing the Templars to go underground for nearly 500 years.

An Underground Society – The Templars escaped to such lands as Scotland and Portugal and from there, some are believed to have sailed to America and Nova Scotia. Thus the Templars survived as an underground order after 1314, both on the continent of Europe and in Scotland.