International Order of Saint Stanislaus

The Order of Saint Stanislaus (Polish: Order św. Stanisława, Russian: Орденъ Св. Станислава) was an Order in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.[1] The Order of Saint Stanislaus originally existed between 1765 and 1917. In 1979, a Polish exile group claiming to be the legitimate government tried to revive the order resulting in several claimed successor movements.[2]

History

Certificate of International Order of Saint Stanislas

Stanisław August Poniatowski, King of Poland, established the Order of the Knights of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr on May 8, 1765[3] to honor the service to the King.[4] Initially, the order was limited to 100 members who were required to prove four generations of nobility.[5]

After the partition of Poland it was recognized in the Grand Duchy of Warsaw in 1807. Since 1815 in the Polish (Congress) Kingdom, the Order, originally in a single class, was retained and divided into four classes. On 25 January 1831, the Polish Parliament deposed tsar Nicholas I of Russia (also grand master of this Polish order) from the throne of Poland. After the downfall of the November Uprising the Imperial House of Romanov created the Royal and Imperial Order of Saint Stanislaus and added it to the awards system of the Russian Empire in 1832, where it remained until 1917. The order was abolished with the fall of the Romanovs in 1917 but, unlike other Polish orders awarded by the Tsars, the Order of Saint Stanislaus was not revived by the newly independent Second Polish Republic (possibly because in its Russian form it was often awarded by the imperial government to those Poles who co-operated with Russia rule making the Order a symbol of subservience to an occupying power).[5] The newly created Order of Polonia Restituta was created as a successor order.[1]

Attempted revival

There are several organizations which claim to be the heirs of the Orders of Saint Stanislaus today. The most prominent of these was the Order of Saint Stanislas founded (or revived) by Juliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki who claimed to be the president of the Polish government-in-exile from 1972 until the restoration of Polish democracy in 1990.[6] In his capacity as president, he claimed to restore the Order of Saint Stanislaus on June 9, 1979.[6] Sokolnicki's claim to the Polish presidency was widely rejected[7][8][9] and he is not recognized by the current government of Poland (in 1990, Lech Wałęsa accepted symbols of the pre-War presidency from Ryszard Kaczorowski).[10] Sokolnicki's status was enhanced by the fact that he was an associate of August Zaleski, generally recognized as the head of the Polish government-in-exile from 1947 to 1972.[11] That connection gave Sokolnicki's order a veneer of legitimacy that other such endeavors lacked.

After Lech Wałęsa became President of Poland with universal recognition on December 22, 1990, the rationale for the governments in exile ended. Sokolnicki followed the path of his rival, Ryszard Kaczorowski, in formally recognizing Wałęsa as his successor.[12] Nevertheless, Sokolnicki claimed to retain the office of Grand Master in his Order of Saint Stanislaus.[13] He based his continued control of the order partially on his status as an independent bishop after his ordination in 1983.[14] Ultimately, Sokolnicki claimed that the grand mastership was an hereditary office for his family.[15] The result was the division of the order into several competing groups, none of which recognize the claims of the others.[16][17] On January 27, 1997, disgruntled members of the Order deposed Sokolnicki and replaced him with Zbigniew Kazimierz.[18] The Polish government does not accept any of these groups as legitimate.[19]

Today, there are at least four competing claims to the represent the Order of Saint Stanislaus. Of these three, the Order of Polonia Restituta is a governmental order of merit awarded by the President of Poland, while the Ordo Sancti Stanislai[20] and the International Order of Saint Stanislaus describe themselves as private charitable organizations. Only the International Order of Saint Stanislaus pretends to have a chivalric character. The orders are listed based on the date they claim to be founded (without giving any particular credence to the validity of that claim).

Imperial and Royal Order of Saint Stanislaus

(founded 1765)[21]

One of the competing claimants to the headship of the House of Romanov, Maria Vladimirovna has been awarding membership in her Imperial and Royal Order of Saint Stanislaus since 2003.[22] Her father and predecessor, Vladimir Kirillovich awarded the order independently at least once (in 1973),[22] but both Grand Duke Vladimir and his predecessor, Grand Duke Kirill awarded the Order of St. Andrew, which automatically awards the recipient membership first class in the Orders of St. Vladimir, St. ANna, and St. Stanislaus. As a result, the Order of St. Stanislas has been awarded continually by the legitimist pretender to the Russian throne since 1917. Maria Vladimirovna maintains that her order is the Russian Imperial continuation of the order founded by King Stanisław August Poniatowski in 1765.,[21] and this order, the Russian Imperial Order of St. Stanislas which she awards is the only one recognized by most legitimate chivalric organizations, including The Augustan Society,[23] The International Commission on Orders of Chivalry,[24] and Burke's Peerage.[25] As with everything regarding the Romanov succession, Maria Vladimirovna's claims regarding the Order of Saint Stanislaus are disputed by her cousin, Nicholas Romanovich, the Romanov Family Association, and those who maintain that the Romanov monarchy was legally abolished in 1917. Interestingly, at least one of the competing Saint Stanislaus orders, the British Association of Chevalier's of Saint Stanislas which is part of the umbrella International Order of Saint Stanislaus, is open to the claims of Maria Vladimirovna, noting "the view that with the abolition of communism the Order reverts back to the dynastic line of the house of Romanov, and on the 23rd December, 2003, on the occasion of her jubilee the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova invested several persons as chevaliers of the Orders of St Anna and St Stanislas."[26] In fact, the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislas has been continuously awarded by the legitimist-monarchist pretender to the throne of Russia since 1923. Grand Dukes Kirill and Vladimir both awarded St. Stanislas, both individually and as part of the award of the Order of St. Andrew,[27] and Maria Vladimirovna has awarded the order regularly.

The Order of Polonia Restituta

(official foundation February 4, 1921)[28]

Founded by the Polish Republic on February 4, 1921[29] as a secondary award to the Order of the White Eagle, the Order of Polonia Restituta or the Order of the Restored Poland, was intended as a successor to the Order of Saint Stanislaus.[2] The new Polonia Restituta order used the same ribbon as the old Saint Stanislaus order and their decorations are very similar.[30] The goal was the preserve the tradition of the Order of Saint Stanislaus and its association with Polish history while changing the name which had become associated with Poland's oppression under the Russian Tsars.[31]

Ordo Sancti Stanislai

(claimed recreation June 9, 1979)[32]

The Ordo Sancti Stanislai claims to be the order revived in 1979 by Juliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki in his capacity as president of the Polish Government in Exile.[32] Their version of the order's history has Sokolnicki transforming the Order of Saint Stanislaus into a private charitable institution on September 15, 1990 before transferring his authority to the new Polish government of Lech Wałęsa in December of the same year.[32][33] Prior to his death on August 17, 2009, Sokolnicki appointed Polish businessman Jan Zbigniew Potocki as his successor.[19] Potocki was fired by the Ordo Sancti Stanislai in February 2010 "after he violated the Constitution of the Order repeatedly."[16] On February 16, 2011, Waldemar Wilk was named as the new Grand Master.[34] Perhaps not surprisingly, in an recreation of the circumstances that brought Juliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki to his disputed office as president, Waldemar Wilk claims that he was the legitimately designated successor to Sokolnicki but that Jan Zbigniew Potocki somehow managed to obtain the position ahead of him.[35] The Ordo Sancti Stanislai says of itself: "The Order of Saint Stanislas is a hierarchically organized body of men and women, many with a Polish Connection, who support and assist in charitable works of various kinds to help the poor and disadvantaged in Poland and in other countries throughout the world. Originally a dynastic chivalric order from Poland, it is now an international charitable non-profit association in the form of a private chivalric order."[20]

International Order of Saint Stanislaus

(claimed foundation date May 16, 2004)[17]

During the 1990s, disputes with Sokolnicki caused several national sub-groups of this organization (called priories) to break away.[15] In 2004, several of these national priories joined together to create the International Order of Saint Stanislaus.[17] The International Order functions as an alliance of national groups.[36] Although the International Order "follows the code of chivalry"[37] it acknowledges that it is a recently founded private organization and does not claim to have a fount of honour or to be a legitimate order of chivalry.[15] In so doing, they frankly acknowledge the problems with Sokolnicki and the events between 1979 and 2009. As such, it is generally regarded as a fraternal organization and is frequently compared to the masonic movement.[38][39]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Duckers, Peter (2008). European orders and decorations to 1945. Botley, Oxford, UK: Shire Publications. pp. 67–79. ISBN 9780747806707.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Duren, Peter Bander van (1995). Orders of knighthood and of merit: the pontifical, religious and secularised Catholic-founded Orders and their relationship to the Apostolic See. Gerrards Cross: Smythe. pp. 380–86, 682–90. ISBN 9780861403714.
  3. ↑ Tagore, Sourindro Mohun (1884). The orders of knighthood, British and foreign: with a brief review of the titles of rank and merit in ancient Hindusthan. Calcutta, India: Catholic Orphan Press. p. 89. Retrieved 30 December 2011. THE ORDER OE ST STANISLAUS. The Order was fouuded on the 7th May 1765 by Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowsky to procure friends and adherents to his throne. He placed it under the patronage of St Stanislaus, the Patron Saint of his country, as also of his own name. The number of Knights was fixed at one hundred exclusive of foreigners. The entrance fee is 90, 30, or 15 roubles according to the respective classes. Thirty Members of the first class, sixty of the second, and ninety of the third class receive respectively annual pensions of 142, 114, and 85 roubles. Those who advance to a higher class lose their previous pensions and must wait until their turn comes in the new class. Members who turn monks lose their pensions. Widows receive the full pensions of their husbands during the first year of their widowhood. In case of death the Insignia must be returned or the value paid in money. The annual festival of the Order is held on the 23rd April (7th May)
  4. ↑ Stanisław Łoza, "Kawalerowie Orderu Świętego Stanisława 1765–1813" (Warszawa 1925)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Deck-Partyka, Alicja (2006). Poland : a unique country & its people (1. publ. ed.). Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse. pp. 142–43. ISBN 978-1-4259-1838-5.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Sokolnicki Juliusz". Juliusz Nowina Sokolnicki, Biblioteka Uniwersytecka UMK w Toruniu, Archiwum Emigracji, “Dokumenty Urzędu Prezydenta RP” (in Polish). Retrieved 12 December 2012. 1967-70 Minister Informacji i Dokumentacji, 1970 minister spraw wewnętrznych i minister spraw krajowych, 1971 wyznaczony na następcę prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej, 1972-90 prezydent Rzeczypospolitej.
  7. ↑ http://www.president.pl/x.node?id=436
  8. ↑ http://www.senat.gov.pl/k6/dok/sten/oswiad/arciszew/2301.htm
  9. ↑ Juliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki (1920-2009), Autor: Norbert Wójtowicz (pl)
  10. ↑ "Ryszard Kaczorowski". The Official Website of the President of the Republic of Poland. BBN Biuro Bezpieczeństwa Narodowego. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Ryszard Kaczorowski...handed over the insignia of the presidential power of the 2nd Republic to President Lech Walesa
  11. ↑ "August Zaleski". The Official Website of the President of Poland. Warsaw: Biuro Bezpieczeństwa Narodowego. Retrieved 12 December 2012. Having assumed the office of the President in exile (April 1947), he appointed General Tadeusz Bor-Komorowski Prime Minister. Having completed a 7 years term of office, he extended the term indefinitely. One of his adherents was Cat-Mackiewicz who replaced him at the post of Prime Minister, where as General Anders refused to obey him. Before his death in April 1972 he designated Stanislaw Ostrowski as his successor.
  12. ↑ Ferfecki, Wiktor (8 August 2009). "Zmarł samozwańczy prezydent Polski". TVP.info (in Polish). Retrieved 14 December 2012. Działał równolegle z rzeczywistymi prezydentami na uchodźstwie aż do 1990 r., gdy oficjalnie przekazał insygnia władzy prezydenckiej Lechowi Wałęsie
  13. ↑ Anna, ed. by Luigi G. De (2003). Milites pacis : Military and peace services in the history of Chivalric orders : proceedings of the Conference: The Monks of War - the Monks of Peace, Military and Peace Services in the History of Chivalric Orders, Turku 15. - 26. 5- 2001. Turku: University of Turku Press. p. 88. ISBN 9789512924257.
  14. ↑ Ward, Gary L., Bertil Persson, & Alan Bain, eds (1990). Independent bishops : an international directory. Detroit, Mich.: Apogee Books. p. 380. ISBN 9781558883079.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "About the Order of Saint Stanislas". British Association of Chevalier's of Saint Stanislas, The International Order of Saint Stanislas. London: British Association of Chevalier's of Saint Stanislas. Retrieved 12 December 2012. The 1st elected President of the democratic Poland, Lech Walesa, was presented with the Presidential insignia and seals of the Grand Master of the Orders of the White Eagle and Polonia Restituta 0n the 22nd December, 1990, by Ryszard Kaczorowski and not Nowina-Sokolnicki. There were further problems in the Order when Nowina-Sokolnicki declared the Grand Mastership of the Order to be the hereditary prerogative of his family, and on the 1st January, 1997, the National Chapter announce the dismissal of Nowina-Sokolnicki and the election of Count Kazimierz Dworak-Biziel-Dworakowski, a resident of the USA, as the 8th Grand Master. At the same time the Catholic Church of Poland recognised Marek Kwiatkowski as Grand Master of the Order and he headed an alternative Chapter...On the 16th May, 2004, a number of Grand Priors from various Countries met in Kiev, Ukraine, and decided to split from Nowina-Sokolnicki’s Order and form the International Order of St Stanislas. We do not claim to be the authenticate original Order, only that we follow their basic principles and precepts. We recognise that there are several Orders of St. Stanislas and are happy to welcome members of any of them to our functions and acknowledge that each in their own way do good works
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Graff, Alexander. "Jan Zbigniew Potocki". Ordo Sancti Stanislai. Vienna: Sankt Stanislaus Orden Österreich - Karitativer Ritterorden. Retrieved 12 December 2012. Jan Zbigniew Potocki followed Juliusz Nowina Sokolnicki as IXth Grand Master of the Order in August 2009. He was dismissed from his position as Grand Master in February 2010, after he violated the Constitution of the Order repeatedly...The Order was then governed by the Regency Council internationally. The Confederacy of Priories and Commandories governed the Order in Poland
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Kurek, Eaglan (2010). "History". West European Grand Priory, International Order of Saint Stanislas. Retrieved 12 December 2012. On the 16th May, 2004, a number of Grand Priors from various Countries met in Kiev, Ukraine, and decided to split from Nowina-Sokolnicki’s Order and form the International Order of St Stanislas. We do not claim to be the authenticate original Order, only that we follow their basic principles and precepts. We recognise that there are several Orders of St. Stanislas and are happy to welcome members of any of them to our functions and acknowledge that each in their own way do good works. Although originally a Christian Order membership is now open to any male or female over the age of 21, (18 by agreement of the Grand Prior), who profess a belief in a Supreme Being and is a believer in the fundamental principles of chivalry.
  18. ↑ "Fałszywy blask fałszywych orderów fałszywego "prezydenta" RP Nowiny-Sokolnickiego". Nowy Ekran (in Polish). 11 August 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2012. Sąd Wojewódzki w Warszawie 27 stycznia 1997 zarejestrował Stowarzyszenie Kawalerów Orderu św. Stanisława z siedzibą w Łazienkach Królewskich, konkurencyjne wobec poczynań Sokolnickiego. Na "nowego” Wielkiego Mistrza tej kapituły OSS został wybrany książę Zbigniew Kazimierz. Objęcie funkcji miało bardzo ceremonialny charakter i odbyło w miejscu śmierci świętego Stanisława BM w Krakowie na Skałce. Wielki Mistrz złożył przysięgę na relikwie świętego, Wielki Kanclerz Kapituły OSS otrzymał przy okazji Wielki Łańcuch Suwerennego, Rycerskiego i Religijnego Orderu Korony Cierniowej, a potem dokonano inwestytury nowych kawalerów i dam. Oprócz rodzonego brata Wielkiego Mistrza znalazło się tam kilka naprawdę znanych osób, w tym m. in. dyrektorzy Łazienek czy Muzeum Wojska Polskiego w Warszawie. Potem odbył się bankiet na Wawelu, książę Zbigniew Kazimierz udzielił wywiadów dla Źródła i Gościa Niedzielnego , którym w swym angielskojęzycznym biuletynie (OSS Newsletter nr 1/1997) przypisał, bagatela, po milionie egzemplarzy nakładu tygodniowo.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Zmarł samozwańczy prezydent Polski". Newsweek (Poland) (in Polish). 26 August 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2012. W 1990 roku ogłosił się Wielkim Mistrzem Orderu Świętego Stanisława (orderu rycerskiego istniejącego w XVIII i XIX wieku) i zajął się nadawaniem go w Polsce i zagranicą. W związku z tym w 2006 roku senator PiS Dorota Arciszewska-Mielewczyk powiadomiła prokuraturę o możliwości popełnienia przestępstwa podszywania się pod funkcjonariusza publicznego. Śledztwo jednak umorzono....Przed śmiercią Nowina-Sokolnicki wskazał na swojego następcę Jana Zbigniewa Potockiego, polskiego biznesmena zamieszkałego w Niemczech. Potocki zdążył już się ogłosić nowym prezydentem wolnej Polski na wychodźstwie.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Who Are We?". Order of Saint Stanislas. Sankt Stanislaus Orden Österreich - Karitativer Ritterorden. Retrieved 14 December 2012. The Order of Saint Stanislas is a hierarchically organized body of men and women, many with a Polish Connection, who support and assist in charitable works of various kinds to help the poor and disadvantaged in Poland and in other countries throughout the world. Originally a dynastic chivalric order from Poland, it is now an international charitable non-profit association in the form of a private chivalric order. As an international non-profit association, we transcend discrimination by race, religion, sex, and other prejudicial ideas. Our aims during the Cold War were focused on helping the people of Poland and it's diaspora with money from the Free World to make life more tolerable. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, our charitable works have expanded to helping the poor in all parts of the globe. We uphold the traditions of chivalry, with each member working at themselves to be an honest and charitable person. We do not fight with the sword for all that is good or right; our weapons are our words and deeds - the examples of our actions! We espouse the idea of a worldwide brotherhood of all people on this earth, with no discrimination based on skin color, religious beliefs, political or social orientation. We strive to help others, whether it be with labor or money, wherever the need is. Anyone who feels motivated by the principles of the Order is welcomed to contact us to apply for admission
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Императорский и Царский Орден Святого Станислава (Imperial and Royal Order of Saint Stanislaus". На официальном сайте Российского Императорского Дома (The Official Website of the Russian Imperial House (in Russian). Madrid: Office of Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia. 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2012. Учрежден 7 мая 1765 г. Королем Польши Станиславом Августом Понятовским
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "List recipients of Imperial and Royal Order of Saint Stanislaus". Order of Saint Stanislaus. Knights of the Imperial Order of Saint Anna. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  23. ↑ "Non-Ruling Dynastic Orders of Merit". The Augustan Society. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  24. ↑ "Dynastic Orders". ICOC Register. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  25. ↑ Sainty, Guy Stair (2006). World Orders of Knighthood and Meric. London: Burke's Peerage. ISBN 978-0971196674.
  26. ↑ "About the Order of Saint Stanislas". Home Page of the Order of Saint Stanislaus. British Association of Chevalier's of Saint Stanislas. Retrieved 14 December 2012. The issue is further complicated by the view that with the abolition of communism the Order reverts back to the dynastic line of the house of Romanov, and on the 23rd December, 2003, on the occasion of her jubilee the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova invested several persons as chevaliers of the Orders of St Anna and St Stanislas.
  27. ↑ Nicholson, Nicholas. "The Imperial And Royal Order of St. Stanislas". Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  28. ↑ Dz. U. z 1921 r. Nr 24, poz. 137 Ustawa z dnia 4 lutego 1921 r. o ustanowieniu orderu "Odrodzenia Polski"
  29. ↑ Hieronymussen, Paul; Crowley], photographed by Aage Strüwing ; [translated into English by Christine (1970). Orders, medals, and decorations of Britain and Europe in colour (2d ed. ed.). London: Blandford Press. pp. 187–88. ISBN 0713704454.
  30. ↑ Shackelford, Michael and Hendrik Meersschaert (1998). "Medals of Poland". The World War I Document Archive. Phoenix, Arizona: The Great War Primary Document Archive. Retrieved 14 December 2012. Order Polonia Restitua. Established on February 4th, 1923. Award for merit and acts of bravery. While technically outside the scope of this project. We include the Polonia Restitua as it was a newly created (1923) order to take the place of, and carry on the role of the Order of St. Stanislas (see above). The Order of St. Stanislas had been a native Polish Order, but had been so thoroughly associated with Russia -- the Russians awarded it generously -- that simply reviving it was unacceptable. Instead, the new Order Polonia Restitua was created, but using the same ribbon as the old St. Stanislas order (red with white side stripes) to carry on the tradition.
  31. ↑ Sabbat, Kazimierz, Mieczyslaw Sas-Skrowroński, Krzysztof Barbarski ; edited by Peter Bander van Duren (1989). Polonia restituta. Gerrouds Cross: Van Duren. pp. 42–47. ISBN 9780905715346.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 "Recreation of the Order". The Order of Saint Stanislas. Sankt Stanislaus Orden Österreich - Karitativer Ritterorden. Retrieved 14 December 2012. In his function as President of the Republik of Poland (in Exile), although not recognised by all Polish emigree groups Juliusz Novina Sokolnicki held the office and supported the Polish opposition against the totalitarian communist regime in Poland and other countries under Soviet influence. On the 9th of June 1979 he recreated the Sovereign Order of Saint Stanislas and declared himselfVIII Grand Master of the Order of St Stanislas The term "sovereign" was dropped later after the separation of the Order from the Polish State.1990 he transferred all rights and duties of the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland in Exile to the now free and sovereign State of Poland and retired from politics. The main field of his activity became the Order of Saint Stanislaus, which he made an autonomous association of charity. The last event in which he participated was on May 9th, 2009 the 131st Investiture of the Order, connected with the event of 30 years of activities of the organization at Jasna Góra in Czestochowa.
  33. ↑ "Constitution". Order of Saint Stainslas. Sankt Stanislaus Orden Österreich - Karitativer Ritterorden. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  34. ↑ "Inauguration of the Xth Grand Master". Order of Saint Stanislas. Sankt Stanislaus Orden Österreich - Karitativer Ritterorden. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  35. ↑ "Standpoint of the Priors and Commanders of the Polish Grand Priory of The Order of Saint Stanislaus BM passed during the VI Conference in Warsaw on the 16th of February 2011". Royal Order of St. Stanislaus BM. Polish Grand Priory of the Order of Saint Stanislas. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  36. ↑ "About Order". International Order of Saint Stanislas. Retrieved 14 December 2012. The International Order of Saint Stanislas is a charitable and guerdon organization, recognized all over the world. It is an alliance of national associations of the Order members.
  37. ↑ "Simonov Inducted into the Order of Saint Stanislas". Hargrave Military Academy-News. Chatham, Virginia: Hargrave Military Academy. 7 July 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2012. The International Order of Saint Stanislas is in its 6th year, and features more than 1500 members in countries around the world. It is founded on the work of Saint Stanislas, a Bishop of Krakow, who assumed the ‘martyr’s wreath’ for defending the people of Krakow against despotism. The Order follows the code of chivalry while remaining in the service of mankind.
  38. ↑ "Chornovil legislation would criminalize Freemasonry". Kiev Post. 24 April 2003. Retrieved 14 December 2012. He identified the Order of St. Stanislas, which counts numerous high-ranking government officials among its members, as a Masonic organization. The order is not affiliated with Freemasonry, though both are non-profit charitable organizations.
  39. ↑ Osta, Peter van. "Fraternal Societies - Sororities". Philosophy. Retrieved 14 December 2012. The Order of Saint Stanislas, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Theta, Rosslyn Templars, Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes