Thank you to everyone who attended last night's Book of Ecclesiastes Bible Study. As I mentioned at the close, this assignment is voluntary. If you choose to participate, please complete the task, then pray and reflect on your answers. The goal is to seek where God has been at work behind the scenes in your life, to notice His fingerprints during times of struggle, and to lean into what He’s doing.
The exercise is below:
Part 1: Under the Sun Inventory
List 3 pursuits, worries, or achievement... moreThank you to everyone who attended last night's Book of Ecclesiastes Bible Study. As I mentioned at the close, this assignment is voluntary. If you choose to participate, please complete the task, then pray and reflect on your answers. The goal is to seek where God has been at work behind the scenes in your life, to notice His fingerprints during times of struggle, and to lean into what He’s doing.
The exercise is below:
Part 1: Under the Sun Inventory
List 3 pursuits, worries, or achievements from the past month that felt
important but now seem fragile or <vapor-like= (Eccl. 1:2; 2:11).
Part 2: Seasons Timeline
Sketch a quick personal timeline of 4–6 <seasons= in your life (joyful,
hard, changing), inspired by Eccl. 3:1–8. Note one lesson from each about
God’s timing.
Part 3: Daily Gift Log
For 7 days, note one simple daily gift each evening (a meal, conversation,
moment of rest) and one sentence on receiving it with gratitude instead
of grasping (Eccl. 2:24–26; 9:7–9).
Bless You,
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
“To holy people the very name of Jesus is a name to feed upon, a name to transport. His name can raise the dead and transfigure and beautify the living.”
-St. John Neumann
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
I want to remind you about our upcoming OMSDT Bible Study session, scheduled for Sunday, January 11, 2026, at 9:00 PM EST.
During this session, we will not discuss the Book of Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes highlights the brevity and mystery of life, the emptiness of life without God, and the call to fear God and keep His commandments as the only solid foundation. It combines deep realism about suffering, injustice, and death with a quiet invitation to receive... moreDear Templar Brothers and Sisters,
I want to remind you about our upcoming OMSDT Bible Study session, scheduled for Sunday, January 11, 2026, at 9:00 PM EST.
During this session, we will not discuss the Book of Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes highlights the brevity and mystery of life, the emptiness of life without God, and the call to fear God and keep His commandments as the only solid foundation. It combines deep realism about suffering, injustice, and death with a quiet invitation to receive everyday joys as gifts from God.
To join the meeting, please use the following Bible Study information:
- Meeting ID: 872 3146 2430
- Passcode: 107447
I warmly invite you to join us for our Bible Studies on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. Let’s come together in faith and fellowship to draw closer to God and to one another through His Word. I truly look forward to sharing this sacred time with you.
“Now may the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).
Blessings,
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
OMSDT
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
Micah 7:18
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
New Year Blessing
May the Lord Jesus Christ, Prince of our salvation and King of Kings, crown this New Year with His goodness over the OMSDT Knights Templars, their families, and all whom they serve. May the Holy Spirit strengthen each Knight and Dame to walk in courage, humility, charity, and honor, so that their lives bear clear witness to the light of Christ in a dark and troubled world.
May the red cross upon your mantles be more than a symbol, becoming a lived readiness to sacrifice, to ... moreNew Year Blessing
May the Lord Jesus Christ, Prince of our salvation and King of Kings, crown this New Year with His goodness over the OMSDT Knights Templars, their families, and all whom they serve. May the Holy Spirit strengthen each Knight and Dame to walk in courage, humility, charity, and honor, so that their lives bear clear witness to the light of Christ in a dark and troubled world.
May the red cross upon your mantles be more than a symbol, becoming a lived readiness to sacrifice, to serve, and to suffer for the sake of the Gospel and the people of God.
New Year Prayer
Eternal Father,
Lord of history and time, as the OMSDT Knights Templars step into this New Year, grant them the grace to live a life of purpose under Your holy will. Teach them to take a stand for what is right in their families, communities, and nations, and to do so with both the boldness of warriors and the tenderness of servants.
In Jesus’s name we pray,
Amen
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
I want to remind you about our upcoming OMSDT Bible Study session, scheduled for Sunday, December, 2025, at 9:00 PM EST.
During this session, we will not discuss the Book of Ecclesiastes. We will follow up with the Book of Proverbs Spiritual Challenge which we started on November 9, 2025.
A reflection note for all those who participated:
As we discussed, I’d like to invite everyone to take part in a simple but powerful spiritual challenge this month.
I want to remind you about our upcoming OMSDT Bible Study session, scheduled for Sunday, December, 2025, at 9:00 PM EST.
During this session, we will not discuss the Book of Ecclesiastes. We will follow up with the Book of Proverbs Spiritual Challenge which we started on November 9, 2025.
A reflection note for all those who participated:
As we discussed, I’d like to invite everyone to take part in a simple but powerful spiritual challenge this month.
All you’ll need is a pen or pencil, a notebook, and just 15 minutes a day.
Here’s the challenge:
Each day, read one chapter from the Book of Proverbs that corresponds to the date. For example, on the 10th, read Proverbs Chapter 10. After reading, take a few moments to journal one insight that stood out to you and one way you can apply it in your life that day.
This daily practice is meant to help us build wisdom, reflection, and spiritual awareness into our routines. We can discuss our findings and experiences during our first scheduled Bible Study in December 2025. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts and seeing how this challenge impacts your walk with God.
To join the meeting, please use the following Bible Study information:
- Meeting ID: 872 3146 2430
- Passcode: 107447
I warmly invite you to join us for our Bible Studies on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. Let’s come together in faith and fellowship to draw closer to God and to one another through His Word. I truly look forward to sharing this sacred time with you.
“Now may the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).
Blessings,
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
OMSDT
"The blessing of Christmas doesn’t end on December 25th; it endures in every act of kindness and every moment of gratitude we choose in the days after.”
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
Hebrews 13:5
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
A feast called the Conception of Mary arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh century. It came to the West in the eighth century. In the 11th century it received its present name, the Immaculate Conception. In the 18th century it became a feast of the universal Church. It is now recognized as a solemnity. In 1854, Pius IX solemnly proclaimed: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege... moreDecember 8: The Immaculate Conception of Mary
A feast called the Conception of Mary arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh century. It came to the West in the eighth century. In the 11th century it received its present name, the Immaculate Conception. In the 18th century it became a feast of the universal Church. It is now recognized as a solemnity. In 1854, Pius IX solemnly proclaimed: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.” It took a long time for this doctrine to develop.
While many Fathers and Doctors of the Church considered Mary the greatest and holiest of the saints, they often had difficulty in seeing Mary as sinless—either at her conception or throughout her life. This is one of the Church teachings that arose more from the piety of the faithful than from the insights of brilliant theologians.
Even such champions of Mary as Bernard of Clairvaux and Thomas Aquinas could not see theological justification for this teaching. Two Franciscans, William of Ware and Blessed John Duns Scotus, helped develop the theology. They pointed out that Mary’s Immaculate Conception enhances Jesus’ redemptive work. Other members of the human race are cleansed from original sin after birth. In Mary, Jesus’ work was so powerful as to prevent original sin at the outset. In Luke 1:28 the angel Gabriel, speaking on God’s behalf, addresses Mary as “full of grace” or “highly favored”. In that context, this phrase means that Mary is receiving all the special divine help necessary for the task ahead.
However, the Church grows in understanding with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led the Church, especially non-theologians, to the insight that Mary had to be the most perfect work of God next to the Incarnation. Or rather, Mary’s intimate association with the Incarnation called for the special involvement of God in Mary’s whole life. The logic of piety helped God’s people to believe that Mary was full of grace and free of sin from the first moment of her existence.
Moreover, this great privilege of Mary is the highlight of all that God has done in Jesus. Rightly understood, the incomparable holiness of Mary shows forth the incomparable goodness of God.
GC John Kelmy
KCP, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
KCP Ben Weeks
Priory of Saint Sebastian
Acta Non Verba