Priory History

The story of the Priory of Our Lady of Sorrows of the West began in March 1984, when John Hallberg Jones and Duane L.C.M. Galles were invested into the Templar Order in Milwaukee. This event included a retreat at the DeKoven Foundation in Racine, which started on a Friday evening and continued through a full day on Saturday. It ended with a grand banquet. It is fair to say that neither Galles nor Jones was really interested in attending the retreat, but were indeed interested in the Order and in becoming members. They were prevailed upon by Thomas Pelham Curtis and the Rev. Charles Lynch to attend the event in its entirety, which they did. 

Chevaliers Jones and Galles agreed that the event was outstanding, which they shared on their return train ride to Minneapolis. They felt that a possibility existed that a unit of the Order could be established in this diverse metropolis. 

An investiture was held in September 1984 in Minneapolis, including a shorter version of the retreat. Four postulants were invested and the Grand Chancellor of the Grand Priory proclaimed the Commandery of the Holy Shroud to be in existence. The required number for a Commandery was five in those days and the group now had six members. Two more postulants were invested in a similar ceremony in September 1985, bringing the total to nine members. Seven postulants were invested in 1986, bringing the total to sixteen members, which at that time was one more than was required to establish a Priory. BG Chev. Robert F. Dyer, GCTJ, GMTJ, Grand Prior VII, officiated at this Convent and Investiture, at which time he elevated the commandery to priory status as the Priory of Our Lady of Sorrows of the West. The new Priory was responsible for everything west of the Mississippi, except for the State of California. That exclusivity did not last long, as another priory was created in Kansas City within a year, effectively removing territorial jurisdiction from priories. 

Chev. Jerry Ray Korstad, GCTJ was one of the strong recruiters of new members over the years. He has been very active in the York Rite Masons at the state and national level. Many of his friends and associates came to Minnesota to participate in the Priory events and eventually became Templar members. His wife Betty was invested in 1991 and has assisted in recruiting the wives of the new members. 

The Priory, which had met for years in the Minneapolis area, moved its base of operations to Rochester in the mid 1990s, where it meets twice annually. The Lenten Convent, although occasionally used for investitures, is primarily used as the planning session for the scheduled annual Convent and Investiture in the fall. The members live mostly around the State of Minnesota, which means that a rather significant drive is involved to get to the events. 

There was a group of Priory members over time that ultimately established a priory in Arizona, which is now the Priory of the Light. A small group of members spun off and created another priory in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. Several other Templar members ultimately affiliated with priories that were more local to them. 

The Priory took on the charity project of support of sacred music from its creation. To that end, they established financial support annually for the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale at the Church of Saint Agnes (Roman Catholic) in Saint Paul and at the Cathedral of Saint Mark in Minneapolis (Episcopal). 

It was determined about the time of the move to Rochester that the support we gave to the two music programs was a minimal amount to those programs, although it was a significant portion of our budget. The Priory established additional support of the Calvary Episcopal Church in Rochester, which had been established as the home base. Also, the Priory supports the Salvation Army in Rochester and has made numerous donations over the years for disaster relief as well as continuing general support. A local food shelf has been the recipient of charitable funds as well. 

It is fair to say that the Priory has had some strong years and years that were not so strong. The Priory is currently in a growth mode, through its active recruiting and investing excellent postulants. Prudent financial management has allowed the Priory to establish a strong financial base, thus allowing for investment in growth. The supporting corps of officers is currently very strong and the Priory looks confidently to the future.

In 2012 we finalized our coat of arms, which we are very proud of.  Our motto "Fiat Pax in Virtue Tua", translated from Latin to English is "Let there be peace in thy strength".

We usually meet at Calvary Episcopal Church or a Hotel in Rochester, MN. and Church/lodge hall in Peoria IL.

Priors of the Priory of Our Lady of Sorrows of the West

 * (Deceased)