The episcopal arms of Prince-Abbot Joseph III (Mgr. Joseph-René Vilatte, 1854-1929) are displayed below in a modern digital realization prepared for the Abbey-Principality by Mgr. Willy Fiorucci, OA. These are the arms conceded to Mgr. Vilatte at the time of his episcopal consecration by the Western Rite jurisdiction of the Syrian Orthodox Church in 1892. He had received the Grand Mastership of the Order of the Crown of Thorns of the 1891 foundation and the decoration of the Order is shown pendant from the shield in the arms.

The Prince-Abbot has been honoured with the Grosses Verdienstkreuz in Silber from the Freundeskreis Hoch- und Deutschmeister, Mannheim/Baden, Germany. The Freundeskreis Hoch- und Deutschmeister commemorates the military tradition of the Deutschmeistern, who were established as a regiment by treaty of the Emperor Leopold I and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order in 1696. Thereafter the military tradition of the Hoch- und Deutschmeistern is distinguished by numerous battle honours.

From the end of the nineteenth-century, former members of the regiment and related organizations formed a German confederation of associations under the protection of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order. From 1986, this umbrella organization has been headquartered in Vienna. It includes German members, belonging to the federal government, who meet on St George’s Day each year at Bad Mergentheim. Since 1993, the Freundeskreis Hoch- und Deutschmeister Mannheim/Baden has been among their number, becoming a member of the central Vienna organization from 2010 onwards.

The Abbey-Principality of San Luigi has become aware of the dissemination of material via the website Wikipedia that is inaccurate and defamatory to the Abbey-Principality. The Abbey-Principality has submitted an official complaint to the Wikimedia Foundation and has published a full response at this link:

Response to material placed on Wikipedia by Robert Kobylinski and others

This statement should suffice to make it clear that the Abbey-Principality contests in the strongest terms the false statements that others have sought to present, and that it intends to respond fully to these attacks. We note also that a friend of the Abbey-Principality has published his own personal response to the matter which may be read (in French) here, and which expresses a trenchancy that is well in keeping with the spirit of the “valiant knight”.

The Grand Collar of the Abbey-Principality of San Luigi is worn by the Prince-Abbot on ceremonial occasions. The collar was hand-crafted and enamelled by Admiral Carl Lemke, KCCT, KCLBC, who holds the Warrant of the Abbey-Principality for the making of insignia.

The Abbey-Principality has granted a Charter and Apostolic Mandate to the Union Apostolique Gallicane under the Most Revd. Raphaël-Magnoald Steck, OA, KOCT as Bishop Moderator. The Union is an umbrella body that seeks to bring together those who continue the ministry of the Eglise Gallicane as that was expressed under the primacy of the Abbé Julio, formerly Prelat-Commandeur of the Order of the Crown of Thorns and previously of Prince-Abbot Joseph III of San Luigi.

The Union endorses the Duval Faith and Order Declaration of Prince-Abbot Joseph III agreed at Wisconsin on 16 December 1889 and published in 1890. As well as church missions, it includes in its membership several religious orders.

A website for the Union can be found at http://union-gallicane.org

The Abbey-Principality has granted a Charter and Apostolic Mandate to the new Mission Gallicane Saint Julio in Belgium under the Most Revd. Willy Fiorucci OA, KOCT (Mgr. Vilhelmus). The Mission is a canonical continuation of the ministry of the Eglise Gallicane as that was expressed under the primacy of the Abbé Julio, formerly Prelat-Commandeur of the Order of the Crown of Thorns and previously of Prince-Abbot Joseph III of San Luigi.

The Mission endorses the Duval Faith and Order Declaration of Prince-Abbot Joseph III agreed at Wisconsin on 16 December 1889 and published in 1890. It is a member communion of the Union Apostolique Gallicane together with the Mission Gallicane d’Alsace under the Most Revd. Raphaël-Magnoald Steck OA, KOCT, which has also received a Charter from the Abbey-Principality.

A website for the new Mission can be found at http://mgsj.be.