Pinoy School Administrator Receives Highest Papal Honor

A. Gabriel Esteban, Seton Hall University President, was inducted as knight in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem at an investiture Mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, report said on Monday.

He was inducted together with Father Christopher Ciccarino, S.T.D, associate dean of the university’s Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology.

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the highest papal awards for clergy and laity in the Catholic Church.

This chivalric order dates back to the First Crusade in 1099, and its mission is to support the Christian presence in the Holy Land through fundraising and advocacy.

Pope Francis approved the nominations of President Esteban and Father Ciccarino, which were submitted by the Most Rev. John J. Myers, archbishop of Newark, report said.

Esteban said he is truly humbled to receive the honor and thank His Grace, Archbishop John J. Myers for considering him worthy as a candidate”.

Knights of the Holy Sepulchre are chosen for their deep Christian faith, their involvement in the Church at the parish and diocesan levels, their ecumenical spirit and their interest in the Holy Land.

James Goodness, archdiocese spokesman said that when the bishop makes this recommendation to the Holy Father, he is saying this person is of high moral character.

“It is very easy to see that both Dr. Esteban and Father Ciccarino, as administrators and teachers in a Catholic educational setting, have been very active in promoting the Church and its teachings. Because of that, they have been chosen for this personal and prestigious honor in the Church,” he said.

At the investiture Mass, the new knights received the emblems and insignias of the order, including a white cape bearing the Cross of Jerusalem, a collar cross, and a lapel pin.

Also, they are expected to follow the three virtues of the order – a willingness to subordinate their personal good to the needs of others, support of the poor, and the pursuit of justice and peace for all people.

The order supports the building of schools, shrines and seminaries in the Holy Land as well as projects such as housing, scholarships, business start-up loans, and other types of social work.