Holy See to confer 22 new knights and dames in Taiwan

They will be made members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Vatican City:  A Holy See envoy is going to confer knighthoods and damehoods from the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem to 22 new members from three dioceses in Taiwan.

Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, grand master of the order, will preside over the ceremony at the Holy Family Church in Taipei on Sept. 11.

The new members include nine laywomen, 11 laymen, Bishop Thomas Chung An-zu of Chiayi and Father Bonaventura Lin Szu-chuan of Taipei.

The titles have been given to the 22 Taiwanese Catholics as recognition for their contribution to the church.

Currently, the Taiwan lieutenancy has 50 members joining some 26,000 members around the world. The order holds annual formation meetings and assists with donations that help maintain the Holy Sepulchre in the Holy Land.

Thirteen of these Taiwanese knights and dames are also members of the Order of the Gregory the Great, including Taiwan's vice president Philip Chen Chien-jen, Taiwan supervisory member Chiang Yi-wen, a member of Taiwan's Control Yuan, and Bernard Li, former president of Fu Jen Catholic University.

Source: UCAN