Spiritual Orders and the Order of St. Jude

[Malachi Drake]

Spiritual Orders are the major form of consecrated life within the Church of Soldeus. They are organizations of laity and/or clergy who live a common life following a religious rule under the leadership of a religious superior.

Their intention is to imitate Lucius more closely and in turn purify their Inner Spark and strengthen their connection with Soldeus. This is mainly achieved, but not exclusively, by observing the three Holy Vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. Members of Spiritual Orders bind themselves to this form of living by taking public vows in accordance with the norms of church law. Additionally they profess to obey certain guidelines for living as established in the Rule of their orders.


Spiritual Orders exist to tend to people who have pledged themselves to the Church, but are not priests or their assistants (deacons). The highest ranking person in an order would be an abbot, prior or grandmaster (these positions are all held by priests) and you would not likely find more than two priests in any order.

The following religious orders are currently operating within the Diocese of Wessex.
The Order of St. Jude, a mendicant order.

It is entirely possible for members to create their own spiritual orders and/or saints by following the guidelines here (http://brandoncrane.com/wsx/forum/showpost.php?p=114383&postcount=4) and submitting the proposal to the Bishop of Wessex.

[Malachi Drake]

St. Jude, who was the greatest and oldest friend of our saviour Lucius, was guided in his dreams by the Radiant Lord to establish the Church for the worship of His Glory. He and the disciples of Lucius went to the Kingdom of Hyperion and constructed the first basilica, and consecrated it; thus was the birth of the Church of Soldeus.

The Church was organised to spread the teachings of Soldeus, to teach the knowledge of the Inner Spark and of the struggle between Sin and Virtue; to inculcate in men the importance of prayer and repentance; and to set the salvation of man as its highest duty, for each man is born from the Spark of our Holy and Radiant Lord and the corruption or loss of even one Spark is a grief and an affront to Him.

Upon his death his loyal followers named themselves the Judicans and continued his great work. They lived by a lose set of rules that embodied the virtues of St. Jude and helped them to communally work in harmony for the betterment of the Church of Soldeus. After the first forming of the ecumenical council it was decided that the miracles performed and the divine work of St. Jude were worthy and they named him the first Saint of the Church of Soldeus.

Following this the Judicans became more structured and they created the Rule of St. Jude to govern themselves and they became the first recognised mendicant order and their framework has served as an example for all the spiritual orders that came after.

To this day they continue to serve the Church, in the name of Soldeus and his favoured Saint, Jude, and they uphold the key fundamentals of the Church and protect the faithful children of Soldeus.

The Order of St. Jude is the only order to currently operate within the diocese of Wessex. As such, all members who join the Clergy will by default become a member of this spiritual order.


The Order of St. Jude is governed by the Rule of St. Jude.

Chapter 1 prescribes prompt, ungrudging, and absolute obedience to the religious superior in all things lawful.
Chapter 2 describes that, with approval from the sovereign and the Bishop of the diocese, the Grand Master may create a Chapter House within a shire or a fiefdom. The Grand Master will appoint an abbot to head each Chapter House. An abbot is entirely subject to the Grand Master and may be admonished, deposed, or expelled for misconduct.
Chapter 3 ordains the calling of the brothers to council upon all affairs of importance to the community. An abbot may call forth all members of his Chapter House to council and the Grand Master may call forth all abbots to council.
Chapter 4 forbids the abbot to make distinctions between persons in the Chapter House except for particular merit, and warns him he will be answerable for the salvation of the souls in his care.
Chapter 5 emphasizes the reverence owed to the Radiant and Heavenly Lord, Soldeus.
Chapter 6 directs that prayer be made with heartfelt compunction rather than many words. It should be prolonged only under the inspiration of divine grace, and in community always kept short and terminated at a sign from the superior.
Chapters 7 specifies a graduated scale of punishments for contumacy (http://www.tfd.com/contumacy), disobedience, pride, and other grave faults: first, private admonition; next, public reproof; then separation from the brothers at meals and elsewhere; and finally excommunication (or in the case of those lacking understanding of what this means, corporal punishment instead).
Chapter 8 directs that a wayward brother who has left the Order must be received again, if he promises to make amends; but if he leaves again, and again, after the third time all return is finally barred.
Chapter 9 forbids any member of the order to hold private land.
Chapter 10 provides for each member of the order to keep all the private possessions he needs to carry out his duties and continue his education. Such items include weapons, armour, tools, books and other such implements. The rest he should use to further the communal goals of the order by sharing them with his brothers or in securing donations for the Church.
Chapter 11 demands that whatever a member of the order does, he must do it in the name of Soldeus and not for personal honour or gains.
Chapter 12 emphasizes the importance of daily work, for the betterment of the Order, appropriate to the ability of the member.
Chapter 13 lays down that precedence in the community shall be determined by the date of admission or by appointment of the abbot.
Chapter 14 orders that all cheerfully try to do whatever is commanded, however hard it may seem.
Chapter 15 exhorts the members to zeal and fraternal charity.

Edited by Malachi Drake (http://duchyofwessex.org/forum/posthistory.php?p=120281); 03-14-2010 at 09:03 AM.

[Malachi Drake]

Thread updated.