Autonomous, Knightly, Noble, and Religious Order of the  Crown of Thorns

Hierarchy and Governance

There are existing today distinguished orders of chivalry from reigning monarchies such as Great Britain’s Order of the Garter, Order of the Bath, Order of the Thistle, the Royal Victorian Order and others. From other European countries such as Denmark, there is the Order of the Elephant; from the Crown of the Netherlands the Order of the Netherlands Lion and the Order of Orange-Nassau.  

Other legitimate orders of chivalry are also conferred today by the dynastic heads of formerly reigning monarchies under the doctrine of jure sanguinis such as the Oder of Annunziata and the Order of  Saints Maurice with Lazarus from the Royal House of Savoy; and the Order of St. Michael of the Wing and Order of the Immaculate Conception Vila Vicosa from the head of the Royal House of Braganza of Portugal. 

There are several ecclesiastical orders emanating from and having their Fons Honorum. from heads of religious patriarchates such as the Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem from the Melkite Patriarch and The Order of St. Andrew the Apostle from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Also, Orders from the Holy See of Rome, including the Order of Pius IX, The Order of St. Gregory the Great, and the Order of St. Sylvester.

Many worthy orders of knighthood have faded into history. Some because the institutions by which they were founded and the purpose for which they were created have ceased to exist.  None has had a more dramatic and legendary demise than the Order of the Poor Soldiers of the Temple of Jerusalem (The Templars).  Most of them were arrested on Friday the 13th of October, in 1307, and subsequently tortured and executed by King Philip IV (le Bel) of France.

The Order of the Crown of Thorns is one of those institutions which ceased upon the demise of the Principality of San Luigi only to be revived by His Beatitude Peter Ignatius III, Patriarch of Antioch.  Today, the Order, which carries forward its name and emulates its purpose, dates to the 1970s when the Rev. Dr. Edwin S. Malone, III. was entrusted with the governance of a group of knights and dames in the Americas which had its roots in the late 19th century.  Under Dr. Malone’s leadership, the Order has achieved status as a nonprofit corporation chartered under the laws of the State of Texas and enjoys the status of a 501(c10) organization under the laws of the United States.  The current organization does not claim any unbroken lineage to the original, only takes its name and seeks to operate in its tradition.

Upon his retirement as Grand Master, Dr. Malone, and the Supreme Council, selected F. Douglas Mitchell of Kingston, Arkansas as the next Grand Master. After Mitchell’s untimely death, the Supreme Council designated Jason McLendon Blair as his successor.  Grand Master Blair who resides in Friendswood, Texas is leading the Order today with great distinction.

Principles

Knighthood has always been a mark of distinction. It flourished during the Middle Ages and the time of the Crusades and today it carries the obligation of service to humanity in the form of charity. Modern day knights and dames who are fortunate enough to be members of an Order such as the Order of the Crown of Thorns pledge themselves to making the world around them a better place in which to live by working in and contributing to worthwhile charitable endeavors. “Let your light so shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven.”