A biography of Prince-Abbot Joseph III by a member of the San Luigi Orders, “Monseigneur Joseph René Vilatte: Une vie en image” by Msgr. Raphaël-Magnoald Steck KOCT, is available to purchase at this link.

This letter of commendation from 1970 was addressed to our Royal Patron, the Most Revd. Prince Kermit William Poling de Gniezno, OA(Comm) by the Ecumenical Patriarch, His All Holiness Athenagoras I (1886-1972).

Handwritten greeting on visiting card of H.B. Nicolaos VI (1915-86), Greek Orthodox Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa 1968-86 (1972).

Christmas greetings of Moran Mor Ignatius Jacob III (1912-80), Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East 1957-80.

Christmas greetings from H.B. Benedictos I (1892-1980), Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem 1957-80.

Christmas greetings from Archbishop Makarios III (1913-77), Primate of Cyprus (1950-77) and President of the Republic of Cyprus (1960-74, 1974-77)

Christmas greetings from Chiang Kai-Shek (1887-1975), President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) (1928-75) and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek (1898-2003) (1973)

H.E. Dr. Norbert Wójtowicz, Grand Prior of Continental Europe for the San Luigi Orders, is to be among the speakers at the forthcoming conference of the “Polskie Stowarzyszenie Badań nad Zachodnim Ezoteryzmem” – the Polish Society for the Study of Western Esotericism – in Kraków on 30-31 May. The aim of the organization is to conduct academic research on Esoteric Traditions and to bring together scholars interested in the field. Dr. Wójtowicz will speak on “William Blake and his mysterious world”.

>>Conference details (in Polish)

On a number of occasions on social media, William Leo Timlin of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, USA, has falsely claimed to be a member of the San Luigi Orders, using images of our insignia taken from this website. Screenshots are provided below.

Timlin is not and has never been a member of the San Luigi Orders, and his claims are a baseless and fraudulent imposture. Timlin has a long history of assuming titles for himself without the slightest legitimate authority. He has previously declared himself to be King of Redonda, a “canonical” and “orthodox” bishop, and indeed Pope Adrian VII and Patriarch of the West. When Timlin was challenged as to his false representations regarding the Order of the Crown of Thorns he responded with a campaign of lies, malice and hatred against us on social media which has revealed his true nature very clearly. We have naturally refrained from responding in kind to his insults.

A police report from the Coon Rapids Police Department in our possession, dated April 2014, records a number of relevant matters. The complainant in the report is recorded as having found after research that Timlin was “not a validly ordained bishop, and Timlin had a history of fraudulent behavior with other bishops, priests, etc. [Reporting party] said he found numerous complaints of similar incidents involving Timlin from other churches in the nation.”

We find the following findings in the police report particularly troubling,

“[The investigating officer] attempted to call Timlin in an attempt to set up an interview. [Officer] spoke with an unidentified male who said Timlin was sleeping, and usually woke up at around 11am…in his taped statement, Timlin was extremely deceptive, and changed his story multiple times…Timlin denied that he was a bishop.”

This conduct is amply sufficient to cause us to warn the faithful against this man and his pretensions. We declare that, after his own exact words, how very truly he is indeed not a bishop, and further that his person should be anathema to all who seek to follow Christ.

The United States of America does not recognize titles of nobility, but that does not mean that it has not developed a system of honours of its own. To receive a titular military commission from those states that maintain such a system is an honour that can be traced back to the antebellum era, when the landed gentry received such awards for financing the militia without being expected to take actual command. In some cases there is a tongue-in-cheek element to the award – Nebraska appoints Admirals of its Great Navy, but the state is landlocked, and the Admiral commission makes reference not only to command over officers and seamen, but also tadpoles and goldfish.

Over the years, the Prince-Abbot has received honours from four State Governors of the United States. He is a Kentucky Colonel (Kentucky’s highest honour), a Nebraska Admiral (Nebraska’s highest honour), a Lieutenant Colonel, Aide de Camp Governor’s Staff by commission of the Governor of Georgia, and an Honorary Texan by commission of Governor Rick Perry. These awards emphasise the warm relationship that exists between the Prince-Abbot and the United States as well as continuing over a century of history of the Abbey-Principality there.

St Louis was born at Poissy, France, on 25 April 1214, some eight hundred years ago. He was the sixth child of King Louis VIII of France and his Queen, Blanche of Castile.

Crowned king of France at the age of twelve in the Cathedral at Rheims, his father having died three weeks previously, his coronation was accompanied by specially-composed music, “Gaude, Felix Francia” – Rejoice, fortunate France! France would indeed come to rejoice under him.

The traditional History of the Order of the Crown of Thorns informs us that this Order was founded by authority of St Louis in 1239. A later French King, Philippe IV le Bel, (who reigned from 1285 to 1314), the grandson of St Louis, laid the first foundations of the Order in direct opposition to the Order of Templars, which he dissolved in 1308, appropriating all its wealth; all the spiritual and chivalric ideology of the Templars survived in the new Order, of which King Philippe IV became the first Grand Master. In the modern era, the Order was re-founded by the first Prince-Abbot of San Luigi in 1883, and independently by the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch in 1891, these two branches being formally united in 1899.

The Abbey-Principality wishes you every blessing this Eastertide.

Jesus saith to her: Mary. She turning, saith to him: Rabboni (which is to say, Master). Jesus saith to her: Do not touch me: for I am not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brethren and say to them: I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God. [John 20:16-17]