The International College of Arms of the Noblesse has entered into a reciprocal Treaty of Full Partnership, Recognition, Accreditation and Collaboration with the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Lutheran Institute. The Institute originated with The Biblical College of Religious Teaching of St Peter and St Paul, which initially derived from the internal resolution of the Statutes of the St Paul Committee, legally registered and published in the Journal Officiel de la Republique Française (July 1996), while the University and College of the church, Art.4 of the Statutes, concerning Higher Education, was registered in January 2000, in the city of Marseille, in accordance with the legal capacity to grant degrees and give credit transfer/equivalence (Art.L731b of the “Code de l’Education”, 09/22/2002, L.335.

A new photographic portrait of the Prince-Abbot has been released. The portrait was taken in the Vilatte Chapel and shows the Prince-Abbot with the Crown of Royal Belarus.

The Annual Dinner of the Institute of Arts and Letters, London, took place on Friday 11 November at the National Liberal Club. Fellows and their partners enjoyed a wine reception followed by a three-course dinner.

After dinner, we were treated to a presentation from Dr Mike Kearsley of the Flag Institute, who spoke on the design of flags with particular reference to the recent referendum on the national flag of New Zealand and the designs that had been put forward as possible replacements.

Fellows and their guests at dinner

Dr Mike Kearsley gives his presentation

H.S.H. the President of the Institute

The original registration of the arms of San Luigi took place with the Polish Heraldic College and the American College of Heraldry during the 1930s under Prince-Abbot Edmond I. Now, these arms have also been registered by the Collegium Heraldicum Concordiae in Poland, which is under the direction of our Fizzan King of Arms in the International College of Arms of the Noblesse, Dr Norbert Wójtowicz.

The Head of the Royal House of Maharaja Adinda Aranan, H.R.H. Datu Muhammidul’ Ali Al-Mahmun Arunan, PBMM etc. has bestowed the title of Datu Paduka in the Grand Order of Sultan Bantilan Muizuddin upon the Prince-Abbot. The Royal House is descended from Sultan Bantilan Muizuddin, who ruled as Sultan of Sulu between 1748 and 1763. The Sultanate of Sulu includes parts of the present-day Philippines and Brunei, and reigned between 1405 and 1915.

The Prince-Abbot has received the decoration of the Związku Polskich Spadochroniarzy w Warszawie – the Polish Union of Parachutists, Warsaw branch. The Union was established in 1989 by a group of former paratroopers. It brings together military veterans, current military paratroopers and reservists, as well as some civilians involved in parachuting professionally or for recreation. It is officially registered as a public benefit association in law and is a member of the European Federation of Paratroopers and the Federation of Associations of Reservists and Veterans of the Polish Armed Forces. The Warsaw branch is one of forty branches in Poland and Germany.

The Vilatte Chapel welcomed Archbishop William Myers of the Old Roman Catholic Church of America and Bishop Howard Weston-Smart of the Old Roman Catholic Church of Great Britain together with guests for an ecumenical Mass according to the Tridentine Rite. Archbishop William is a Knight of the Order of the Crown of Thorns while Bishop Howard, who holds the title of Duke of Gatrun in the Abbey-Principality of San Luigi, is one of the senior members of the Order. The service was followed by a dinner hosted by H.S.H. the Prince-Abbot at a local restaurant.

During the service, Archbishop William wore vestments from the San Luigi Archive that had originally belonged to Archbishop Joanny Bricaud (1881-1934), the faithful friend of Archbishop Vilatte in his last years and an important member of the Order of the Crown of Thorns. The Prince-Abbot wore a pectoral cross of Archbishop Joseph-René Vilatte (1854-1929), who as Joseph III was the fifth Prince-Abbot of San Luigi.

Archbishop William additionally admitted the Prince-Abbot to membership in the Confraternity of the Holy Apostles, the ecumenical society of the Old Roman Catholic Church in America.

The day provided an opportunity to view some of the archival materials in our collection and discuss matters concerning the preservation of the history of our movement.