We, the Templar Knights and Dames of the Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem (OSMTJ), armed with the heredity, traditions, principles and teachings of the Order that flourished in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, have come here intentionally and of our own free will, to profess the Christian faith that has endured through centuries of repressions and martyrdoms.

Acting in accordance with the Commandments of Christ, fully conscious of the Christian heritage handed down to us from a remote past through the sacrifice of many human beings, often rendered obscure by torture, lies and derision and by contemptible silence and betrayal, a heritage that we accept with full understanding of its consequences and the responsibility that it entails, professing our belief in the divinity and Godhead of our Lord Jesus Christ and acknowledging the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;

Believing in the common identity and value of every human being and in their justness and creative powers, their capacity to suffer and repent their failings in their search for good and in the eminent goodness of our being;

Trusting in the eternal striving for perfection and in the ability to force back evil, to be just, sensitive and impartial with the tenacity of a determined mind gauged by an attitude committed to speak out and act with intellectual honesty in a spirit of solidarity and moral Christian discipline, in both our private and public lives;

Being convinced that the act of recognising oneself with the common identity of humans, in the discipline of actual practice and lifestyle, in the ability to practice ecumenism, in solidarity with all other humans irrespective of race, culture, language or social-economic status, which constitutes the foundation of a genuine human society that is both just and well-ordered;

Being certain of our ability to respond to the challenges posed to society in the modern world, through constant battle against repeated barbarisms stemming from the lack of culture, intolerance, racism, hate and arrogance of power and in our ability to fight to improve the spiritual and material life of all persons and especially the weak and suffering;

WE THEREFORE commit ourselves, within the framework of the Christian principles of the Templar moral code laid down by the Rule of St Bernard of Clairvaux and the values that we have won through history, to the construction of a system within which those principles may fully materialise, thus contributing to:

• The creation of a tie forged in solidarity and mutual assistance among humans,
• The training and advancement of humans and their ethical and intellectual gifts,
• The improvement of the Christian spiritual and moral life of the social groups of which we are a part and the institutions that govern them,
• The support of the needy through welfare, charity and humanitarian works,
• The practice of appropriate Christian behaviour, based on the Christian Bible,
• The promotion of ideal universal, material and Christian spiritual values that confer equality to all persons in their duties and rights, beyond the restriction of frontiers, habits, lifestyles and concepts, under all skies in every land.

In consideration of the foregoing, I pledge to uphold the chivalrous traditions and Christian ideals of the Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem and to do my best to provide a voice for the oppressed, strength to the weak and afflicted, and largesse to the poor; I will bear only true witness to my brothers and sisters in Christ and I will serve them and the Order to the best of my ability. So help me God.

[OSMTJ Declaration of Faith, modified 2022.8.26]