Order of Christ Pilgrims

Title page of an Logo KnightsErrantLife romance of 2025

🛡️ Welcome to the Codex of the Order of Christ Pilgrims

The Order of Christ’s Pilgrims

In itinere Deus habitat God dwells on the way

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1. What is the Order of Christ’s Pilgrims?

The Order of Christ’s Pilgrims (Ordo Christianorum Peregrinorum) is an international Catholic lay initiative dedicated to serving people on the move:

migrants, refugees, displaced persons, pilgrims, and all those living “between worlds”.

The Order understands human mobility not as a problem to suppress, but as a spiritual, social, and historical reality that can become a path of grace, dignity, and service when met with faith, justice, and hospitality.

The Order acts:

• in fidelity to the Catholic Church,
• in cooperation with local communities and institutions,
• through concrete works of mercy, education, and social integration.

watch a short presentation

• 
  Download the Charter version 2.0

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2. Spiritual Foundation

2.1 Homo viator — Man on the Way

Christian life is understood as peregrinatio — a pilgrimage toward the Heavenly City

(cf. St Augustine, City of God).

Migration, exile, and mobility are not accidental to Christian history —

they are part of its very grammar.

“The City of God is a pilgrim city, living among the impious.” — Augustine, De Civitate Dei

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2.2 Pilgrimage as a Way of Life

For the Order, pilgrimage means:

• inner conversion,
• openness to the Other,
• willingness to serve,
• acceptance of fragility and uncertainty,
• trust in God who dwells on the way.

Pilgrimage is not tourism.

Migration is not merely tragedy.

Both can become a sacrament of encounter.

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3. Mission and Vocation

Motto

Non imperium, sed ministerium Not power, but service

Core Vocation

The Order exists to be a bridge:

• between migrants and host communities,
• between spiritual life and social responsibility,
• between tradition and contemporary challenges,
• between local initiatives and global coordination.

The Order is not:

• a political party,
• a lobbying structure,
• a closed elite group.

The Order is:

• a form of organized lay apostolate,
• a network of service-oriented communities,
• a laboratory of hospitality, justice, and peace.

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4. The Role of the Laity

Rooted in:

• Lumen Gentium
• Apostolicam Actuositatem

The Order affirms that:

• laypeople are not secondary actors in the Church,
• the world itself is their proper field of mission.

Members remain:

• in their professions,
• in their families,
• in society,

while uniting faith, competence, and service.

Clergy involved in the Order:

• accompany spiritually,
• do not dominate or replace lay responsibility.

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5. Key Fields of Activity

5.1 Hospitality & Migration

• reception and accompaniment of migrants and refugees
• legal, social, spiritual, and psychological support
• integration with host communities

5.2 Social Charity & Economy of Mercy

• ethical entrepreneurship
• cooperative and community-based projects
• dignified employment and training
• fair hospitality and pilgrimage economies

5.3 Education & Formation

• language and vocational training
• leadership and mentoring programs
• youth cadet programs (Programma Cadetorum)

5.4 Peace, Dialogue & Reconciliation

• intercultural and interreligious dialogue
• conflict mitigation
• culture of non-violence and respect

5.5 Care for Creation

• sustainable pilgrimage
• rural and coastal stewardship
• ecological education
• sustainable fisheries and crafts

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6. Domus Peregrinorum — Houses of Light

Domus lucis, domus fraternae spei A House of Light is a house of brotherly hope

A Domus Peregrinorum (Domus Lucis) is the basic concrete form of the Order’s presence.

Each House may function as:

• a place of reception,
• a house of prayer,
• a learning space,
• a work community,
• a dialogue hub.

Houses are:

• locally rooted,
• open to pilgrims, migrants, locals, and volunteers,
• developed in cooperation with Church, NGOs, authorities, and business.

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7. Structure of the Order

Basic Levels

• Magister Ordinis — spiritual guardian of the Charter and the Path
• Magistratus Ordinis — coordination and strategy
• Praefectura Peregrinorum — Houses and programs
• Officia — specialized services (education, economy, legal, communications)
• Communitates Locales — local communities

Forms of Participation

• Fratres et Sorores — full members
• Socii — allies and partners
• Voluntarii — volunteers
• Programma Cadetorum — youth wing

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8. Ethics, Safeguarding & Transparency

Principles

• zero tolerance for abuse
• protection of minors and vulnerable persons
• financial transparency
• accountability and reporting

Office of Light and Justice

Officium Lucis et Iustitiae

• oversight of donations
• public reporting
• social impact evaluation
• prevention of corruption and misuse

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9. Partnerships & Cooperation

The Order seeks cooperation with:

• the Catholic Church (all levels),
• other Christian communities,
• NGOs and foundations,
• universities and research centers,
• ethical businesses,
• local and national authorities.

Partnerships are based on:

• clarity,
• transparency,
• respect,
• shared responsibility.

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10. Symbols & Identity

Core Motto

In itinere Deus habitat

Additional Mottos

• Non imperium, sed ministerium
• Peregrinus non onus, sed donum

Symbols are:

• signs of service,
• reminders of the path,
• not instruments of power or prestige.

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11. The Charter

📜 Charter of the Order (v2.0)

→ [link to full Charter PDF / flipbook / repository]

The Charter is a living document.

It defines direction, not closure.

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12. External Sources & Foundations

Key Theological Sources

• Augustine, City of God
• Vatican II documents (Lumen Gentium, Apostolicam Actuositatem)
• Laudato si’

Contemporary Research

• Theology of Migration
• Pilgrimage Studies
• Social Economy & CSR
• Migration & Labor Mobility Studies

(Expanded bibliography forthcoming)

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13. How to Participate

You may:

• join a local community,
• support projects,
• volunteer,
• help develop a Domus,
• contribute skills, time, or resources.

Where can your path become a service?

Founder

The Order of Christ’s Pilgrims was initiated by Victor Lee Shah von Sivers.

Victor Lee Shah von Sivers is a Catholic layman, social entrepreneur, and initiator of projects at the intersection of faith, migration, pilgrimage, education, and social responsibility.

The founding vision of the Order emerged from:

• lived experience of migration and exile,
• engagement with displaced communities,
• practical charitable and educational work,
• theological reflection on pilgrimage and hospitality,
• dialogue with clergy, laity, migrants, and local communities.

The founder does not claim personal ownership of the Order. His role is understood as:

• initiator of the founding vision,
• guardian of the Charter during the foundational phase,
• servant of the mission entrusted to the community.

The Order is intended to grow beyond any single person and to remain faithful to the Church, the Gospel, and the dignity of the human person.

Sources and Foundations

The Order of Christ’s Pilgrims is founded upon the spiritual, theological, canonical, and social teaching of the Catholic Church, as well as contemporary research on migration, pilgrimage, and human mobility.

Magisterial Documents of the Catholic Church

• Second Vatican Council
  • Lumen Gentium – Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
  • Apostolicam Actuositatem – Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity

• Social Doctrine of the Church
  • Fratelli Tutti – Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis
  • Laudato si’ – Encyclical on Care for Our Common Home

• Canonical Foundation
  • Codex Iuris Canonici (1983)

Official Vatican sources:

• https://www.vatican.va
• https://www.humandevelopment.va

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Patristic and Theological Sources

• Augustine of Hippo, De Civitate Dei (The City of God)
• Augustine of Hippo, Confessiones

Key concepts:

• Peregrinatio – Christian life as pilgrimage
• Civitas Dei – the pilgrim City of God
• Homo viator – the human being on the way

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Contemporary Theology of Migration & Pilgrimage

• Sean Hannan, The Camp of God: Reimagining Pilgrimage as Migrancy in Augustine’s City of God I
• Daniel G. Groody, Crossing the Divide: Foundations of a Theology of Migration
• Peter C. Phan, Deus Migrator
• Gioacchino Campese, For I Was a Stranger

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Social, Economic & Mobility Research

• World Economic Forum – The Future of Jobs Report
• EY – Mobility Reimagined Survey
• UNHCR – Global Forced Displacement Reports

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Internal Project Library

The Order maintains an internal and public project library, including:

• Charter and Statutes
• Analytical notes and theological briefs
• Educational materials
• Ethical and governance guidelines

Library access:

• https://pilgrim.help
• https://wiki.knightserrant.life

Related Initiatives and External Circle

The Order of Christ’s Pilgrims is distinct from, but connected with, several related initiatives that form its wider cultural and social environment.

These initiatives serve as an external circle for engagement, dialogue, and community-building.

Knights Errant Initiative

The Knights Errant initiative represents a cultural, educational, and social platform oriented toward:

• pilgrimage culture,
• ethical chivalry,
• service and responsibility,
• community storytelling and symbolism.

Website:

• https://knightserrant.life

Participation in these initiatives does not automatically imply membership in the Order.

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Educational and Media Platforms

• https://nunchi.academy – educational programs and courses
• https://pilgrim.help – official project site of the Order
• https://wiki.knightserrant.life – knowledge base and documentation

Status of the Project

The Order of Christ’s Pilgrims is currently in its foundational phase.

Documents published on this wiki represent:

• working materials,
• publicly shared vision documents,
• preparatory texts for ecclesial discernment.

Further canonical structuring and institutional development will proceed in dialogue with Church authorities and advisors.