EXARCHATE OF THE USA CURRENT EVENTS AS OF JUNE-JULY 2022:
CARRYING AND PRESENTING YOUR INDIVIDUAL COVID VACCINATION RECORD
This is a general advisory for all Members of the Exarchate of the USA and for the Members of the International Order who may be contemplating travel to the USA to attend the AUGUST 2022 International CONVENTION AND INVESTITURE in Washington, D.C. Currently, the COSMOS Club and many other facilities and activities in the USA, and specifically Washington, D.C., are still requiring one to provide their Individual COVID VACCINATION RECORD for: entrance into various buildings, assignment of hotel/motel rooms, and for entrance to various other facilities. PLEASE BE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR VACCINATION RECORD WITH YOU!
BRING YOUR ACCOUNTS UP-TO-DATE BY PAYING YOUR PAST DUE AND CURRENT OBLATIONS
OVERVIEW: As you all know, this Order exists to provide assistance to the poor and to support the International Order and specifically the Patriarch in his financial assistance to four charitable endeavors in Africa. Further, some of the Bailiwicks of this Exarchate are also assisting various entities with charitable donations to those folks who need financial assistance. We are all duty-bound to keep our Oblations current in order that the International Order and the Exarchate may continue our charitable and chivalric missions.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES: It is the individual Members responsibility to maintain his/her annual Oblations in a timely and recurring manner. A Member may do this most easily by going to this website at OSCMUSA.ORG. When you are online, you then go to the “JOIN US” entry on the dashboard. And then you can enter either the Oblations or Donations section. Just follow the on-line directions and you can make your annual Oblation payment and you may also go to the Donations section and make an additional donation to the Exarchate.
AUGUST 18 -20 UPCOMING FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION AND INVESTITURE
IN THE USA:
OVERVIEW: As we restart our activities in the Exarchate of the USA, I am very pleased to announce that this year’s annual meeting and investiture shall be the very first time that the Exarchate of the USA will host an “International Convention and Investiture in the USA.” This is due to the fact that we will have a large number (5 of the 8 members) of the senior leadership of the International Order present at this event. The Convention and Investiture shall be led by the Master of the Order, H.S.H. Friedrich, Duke and Prince of Beaufort-Spontin, GCCM, ch. Also in attendance shall be the Deputy Master, His Excellency Jurgen Schumacher, GCCM; the Chairman of the Council, His Excellency Rune Ryden, GCCM; the Deputy Chancellor, His Excellency Leif Syrstad, GOCM; and, the Treasurer, Mika Pynnonnen, KCCM. With the presence of these distinguished members of the International Leadership, our Convention and Investiture becomes an International Convention and Investiture. This is the first such International Convention and Investiture in the 69 years of the Order. Please note that all attendees of this International Convention and Investiture shall receive a once-in-a-lifetime commemorative gift of this event.
INVITATIONS AND ATTENDANCE: All members of the Exarchate of the USA are invited to this “first time” international event. Formal invitations were put into the mail on Wednesday, 29 June 2022. These invitations provide all with an introductory overview of the events, the formal invitation, and the cost of the formal dinner with an RSVP card to be returned NLT July 15, 2022. For those Members coming from out of state, you may contact the COSMOS CLUB at the following website: fd@cosmosclub.org.
USA POSTULANTS TO BE INDUCTED IN AUGUST 2022
This year, the Exarchate of the USA have been notified by the International Order that the following US named Postulants have received the formal approval for Investiture into the Order:
Mrs. Sarah (P.J.) M. McMenamin: Mrs. McMenamin originally submitted her Application for Admission to the Order in 2020, but due to the COVID issue, was not processed until this year. P.J. has had a very interesting life indeed. She has served admirably for 13 years in the United States Navy. She then attended college and served as the Office Manager for the preeminent Physiatry (pain management) Practice in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. She then opened and managed “In Sarah’s Care” Pre-School and Day-Care Center in Virginia Beach, VA. She is married to Archbishop Andrew McMenamin and have two grown children and two grandchildren.
Mrs. Linda Ann Dickey: Mrs. Dickey has over 35-year’s experience in Art, Art Education, Early Childhood and Special Needs Education experience. She is a retired after teaching Art Therapy and Special Needs for Prince William County School System while teaching at Nova Southeastern University. She has teaching experience in Phoenix, Arizona and Green Bay, Wisconsin and the Department of Defense -Germany school systems. She has written Early Childhood curriculum for the State of Florida. She graduated with Honors from Ladycliff/Marymount College in New York. She also has a Masters Catechesis. She has a son and three daughters and 10 grandchildren.
Mr. Dean E. Dickey: Mr. Dickey is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. and received his Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, VA. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. He has served the nation and public for over 47 years and has been responsible for over $2 Billion of design and construction in the U.S. and overseas. Mr. Dickey has extensive senior level executive management experience of utilities, public works, engineering, and construction organizations. He has served in key leadership positions throughout the military and civil organizations in which he was employed.
Inasmuch as this is an International Convention and Investiture, there may be a number of Postulants from the European Exarchates and Independent Bailiwicks to be Invested into the Order; however, as of this writing, we have not received any names.
LOSS OF MEMBERS IN 2020-2022
As most such organizations, we also have lost some valuable members due to their deaths, movement to other locations, and generally members who have reached an age in their lives where they no longer are able to participate in the Order. Those loyal members who we have lost follows:
Andrew Martin JOHNSON: Former Exarch of the USA, Grand Officer Johnson, GOCM, died on May 23, 2022.
Phillip Martin ADAMS: Chevalier Adams, KCM, personally had requested removal and subsequently died of cancer in August 2020
Steward Wood BENTLEY: Chevalier Bently, KCM, died in 2021 and was a loyal and participating member of the Order.
Linda Shearer BURCH: Lady Linda, DCM, lost her husband Chevalier Tom Burch, KCM, a short number of years ago and requested removal in 2021.
There are a number of persons who have been dropped for a number of reasons which no longer permits them to continue their membership in the Order.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ALL MEMBERS ARE HONOR-BOUND TO RETURN THEIR CROSSES OF CONSTANTINE WHEN THEY NO LONGER BELONG TO THE ORDER OR HAVE DIED.
EMERGING FROM THE COVID ERA IN 2022
As we pass through the past two plus years of dealing with the COVID crisis, the leadership of the Exarchate wishes all of you and your extended families continued good health in the coming years. Certainly, we have all been affected by the COVID disease in one way or another. We remain hopeful that all of you and your families have not been tragically affected by this terrible disease.
With regard to the Order and its operations, I believe you all know that we basically did what most organizations did, and that is we just ceased meeting in any manner. The leadership has maintained contact with the International Order as usual and continued to report our membership numbers. During most of 2021, many of the members did pay their annual Oblations. Many of these payments were made through this website which proved to be a very valuable tool. However, most members did not pay their 2022 Oblations which are now being collected by notice from the individual 5 Bailies. As a reminder, if you have not yet made your Oblation payment for 2022, you may do so easily through our website.
CURRENT EVENTS IN 2020:
CHRISTMAS GREETINGS: During these very trying times, the leadership of the Exarchate wishes all of you and your extended families an extra measure of safety, health, comfort, and joy as we all celebrate Christmas. May each of you receive the gift of faith and blessings of hope and peace this Christmas.
ANNUAL 2020 OBLATIONS: Recently the Exarchate of the USA was contacted by the International Order to ensure that we pay our Annual Oblations to the International Order by 31 December 2020. You may do this in the following ways:
—Electronically through this website: Recently the Bailies of the five Bailiwicks of the Exarchate of the USA were contacted with current rosters demonstrating which members of the Order still owe their 2020 Annual Oblations. We have asked the Bailies to contact these members and request that they submit their payments either through this website (see Paying Annual Oblations 2 paragraphs below for the details of how to use the website for this purpose.
—By Mailing a Check: Should you prefer to mail a check, kindly make the check out for $150 to OCM. Should you wish to add a donation, you may just increase your check amount and list in the memo section of the check the amount of donation made. You then may mail your check to Dr. O. Trombetta Jr, 11805 Wolf Run Lane, Clifton, VA 20124. Your check will be deposited as soon as possible and we shall notify you when it was cashed.
“We need to do this soonest as our annual oblations are due to the International Order not later than 31 December 2020. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.“
WEBSITE IS LAUNCHED: On May 5th, 2020, the Exarchate of the USA launched its first website. The Website contains a great deal of information about the Order and the Exarchate of the USA. We have been attempting to develop a website for many years and we are fortunate in being able to do it this year. This is a wonderful new tool for all to be able to access and to which you can direct interested family members, friends, and associates. Through this Website the Exarchate will be able to keep all members and interested persons informed about our great organization, as follows.
—Paying Annual Oblations: This Website allows members to pay their Annual Oblations by going to the “JOIN US” site on the MENU bar and selecting OBLATIONS. Once there, all a member needs to is follow the prompts. When you are finished entering your data, hit the last button on the page and your payment will be deducted automatically and securely from your account. In two days, the payment will be automatically entered in the Exarchate’s bank account. Simultaneously, another email will be generated to the Exarchate’s leadership to announce that you have paid your Annual Oblation. This is a major step forward for the Exarchate in record keeping and will lighten the burden on paying your Annual Oblations.
—Making Donations: Similarly, if a Member of the Exarchate or someone who has just read through our Website and wishes to donate to the Exarchate, all they have to do is go to the “JOIN US” site on the MENU bar and select the DONATIONS site. By filling in the requested information and following the prompts the persons bank will be be debited on the day of the transaction and the funds will be forwarded to the Exarchate’s bank account. And, as with Oblation payments, an email will be generated to the appropriate officials in the Exarchate notifying them of the Donation.
RECENT CHARITABLE ACTIVITY: The Bailie of the Bailiwick of Saint Olympiada, Chevalier Robert Meyers, KCCM, his wife Dame Lori Meyers, DCM and newly invested Knight Chevalier Jeff Carpenter, KCM have recently advised us of their absolutely outstanding and timely humanitarian efforts to collect a pick-up truck full of food and home supplies for a young woman and her 3 children who were in dire need of help during the current Corona Virus issue. This is a fine example of our outstanding Knights and Dames voluntarily helping the needy during these trying times. Our most sincere congratulations to Chevalier Meyers, his wife Dame Lori Meyers, and Chevalier Jeff Carpenter and all of those who made these generous donations. This is a true example of chivalry in modern times!
RESCHEDULE OF 2020 INTERNATIONAL INVESTITURE: Due to the current COVID-19 PANDEMIC, the senior leadership of the International Order, with full concurrence of the Exarchate of the USA, has decided that based on the many uncertainties of this crisis, it will be somewhat impossible to correctly plan for and execute this most important event to take place this year. Accordingly, the International Investiture is currently scheduled to take place in August of 2021.
FUTURE/UPCOMING EVENTS:
2021 INTERNATIONAL INVESTITURE: This International Investiture, which shall be hosted by the Exarchate of the USA, is currently re-scheduled to be held in the United States of America on 20-22 August 2021. This event has already been booked to take place at the prestigious COSMOS Club in Washington, DC. As soon as we begin formalizing our plans for this event, we shall notify all to ensure that you know the exact details of this event. It is already apparent that the senior officials from the International Order intend to attend. This will be the very first time an International Investiture will be held here in the USA. This will be a must attend event!
Note: We have been advised that there may be a limited number of hotel rooms available at the COSMOS Club for those Members who are attending the International Investiture. As soon as we are notified that rooms are available, we shall notify all that these rooms are available on a first come, first serve basis.
PAST EVENTS:
THE 2019 INVESTITURE: The 2019 Investiture and Formal Banquet was held on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at the prestigious Cosmos Club on Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, DC. A formal invitation was sent to all members and selected guests. The Exarchate of the USA was very fortunate in adding four (4) very experienced and outstanding new members to the Order. This was a very well attended event enjoyed by all who attended.
See the photos of this glamorous, black-tie affair below: