Collar bestowed on Vice Governor Generals and Lieutenant General

During the meeting of European Lieutenants which was held in Rome at the headquarters of the Grand Magisterium of the Order, at the end of June, the two Vice Governor Generals, Patrick Powers for North America and Giorgio Moroni Stampa for Europe, as well as the Lieutenant General Giuseppe della Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, received the Collar of the Order, from the hands of the Grand Master, Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, thus becoming part of the class of the Knights of the Collar, the Order's highest rank. The Collar was bestowed on the evening of June 27 during a convivially shared meal at the end of the day's working session.

The Collar is an honor conferred on the highest authorities, as in the case of the King and Queen of Belgium in 2015, in exceptional cases. For the highest offices within the Order, the Collar is bestowed as a sign of recognition for the work done.

In the Order's history, the first lady to have received the Collar was Elizabeth Verreet who was also the first woman member of the Grand Magisterium.

(August 5, 2016)