Sir Knights,

Thank you for electing me to serve as your Grand Commander for this Templar year. I promise to serve to the best of my ability. It is a great honor to serve you and God and will always be only a phone call away.

The theme for this Templar year is “Spes Mea in Deo Est” or “My Hope Is In God”. As a human race, and as a Knight’s Templar, we must put our faith and hope in God. Without hope and faith in God, all would be lost, there would be no purpose in life, and there would be no belief in a life hereafter in Heaven with God. As in Psalms 39:7, “And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in Thee.” Hope is found in God, not in earthly things.

My designated personal charity is the Knights Templar Eye Foundation (KTEF). The foundation funds research, education and patient care to improve vision, with a focus on preventing and curing blinding diseases in infants and children.

The Knight Templar Holy Land Pilgrimage mission is to send credentialed Christian Ministers on a Biblical study to walk in the footsteps of Jesus in the Holy Land. I ask any Sir Knight, or Commandery, that can afford to send a donation, to please do so, to the Holy Land Pilgrimage Program.

One of my goals during this Templar year will be to put God front and center. Without God, we are doomed to failure. Some more of my goals will be to continue to work on achieving 100% Life Sponsorship in the KTEF and to continue the Division and Section workshops, so, we can improve our sword work and floor tactics and to encourage Commanderies to perform their own Orders. If a Commandery is unable to fill their own cast, consider doing the Short Form and build from there.

Inspections will continue this year. Eminent Commanders will recite from memory, the Fifth Libation or the “Ode to the Skull”.

Every Commandery will perform the Rehearsal of Duties and the Memorial Cross, during at least two conclaves, this Templar year.

The Sword Proficiency bars will continue my year. I have seen firsthand many Sir Knights practice, perform better, and get active off the sidelines, in order to achieve this award.

I will look forward to seeing you throughout the year at the events listed below and others to be scheduled soon.

Courteously,
SK Troy A. Mock, REGC