Priory of the Holy Grail

The Priory of the Holy Grail, located in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, is one of 31 Priories, 17 Commandries, and 2 Preceptories that make up The Autonomous Grand Priory of the United States of America, Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (SMOTJ). SMOTJ seeks to emulate the chivalric and charitable traditions of the original Templar Knights.

Our group is comprised of men and women from a variety of backgrounds, including active and retired military service members, diplomats, and clergy. The unique talents priory members bring to our organization has allowed us to diversify the types of charities we support and expanded our priory social events.

For a list of the charities we support, visit the Charities page. To learn what our group does when we gather, visit the Activities page.

We are a modern Christian Order of Knighthood dedicated to:

1. Seeking God in our lives and promoting love and respect for our community.
2. Increasing understanding between religions, helping pilgrims visit holy places, and maintaining a Christian presence in the Holy Land.
3. Supporting the poor, sick, and unjustly accused; standing against oppression, and protecting freedom of speech.
4. Encouraging the noble ideas of Chivalry; maintaining the monuments, archives, and history of the Knights Templar.
5. Our guiding lights are the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, through which members aspire to serve faithfully as Knights of God's Temple.

The motto of the Order, "Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini Tuo da gloriam" is the Latin version of Psalm 115, verse 1. "Not unto us, Oh Lord, not unto us, but to Thy Name be given glory."

Our Governing Principles:

1. To become a Knight Templar, one must be a Christian by faith.
2. The Order is ecumenical; it does not restrict membership to a single Christian Church.
3. The Order recognizes the Constitution and statutes of the United States of America, and of its fifty States as sovereign and temporally supreme public law.
4. The Order does not allow its members to act contrary to their obligations to their country.
5. The Order is not a political organization and does not engage in politics.
6. The Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem, Inc. (also referred to as SMOTJ) is not associated in any way with Freemasonry.

 The Order has both a Chaplain's Corps for ordained ministers and a Chirurgeon's Corps for medical professionals. If you are interested in contributing to, or participating in our modern order please visit our Membership page.

Visit the SMOTJ YouTube Channel for more information on the Grand Priory of the United States and its charitable works.