SMOTJ

Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem 

The Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (Latin: Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani, OSMTH, French: Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem, OSMTJ) are a group of self-styled chivalric orders of common descent. In 2020, OSMTH and SMOTJ were recognized by the Augustan Society as a religious confraternity of knights. OSMTH and OSMTJ are often referred to simply as the Knights Templars. They make a moral and ethical claim to follow in the same spiritual path as the original Order of the Knights Templar. OSMTH and OSMTJ, which are open to Christians of any denomination, operate as a charity and an order of chivalry. 

Wikipedia 

The order exists in each country under different jurisdictions. The United States Grand Priory of the OSMTH is known as the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem, Inc. (SMOTJ) - this being the English rendering of the Latin name.

They should not be confused with a multitude of other self-styled "Knights Templar", or the Masonic Knights Templar.

OSMTH is registered in Geneva, Swiss Reg No: CH-660.1.972777-4, and is in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations has over 5000 active members in Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, England & Wales, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Serbia, Ukraine and in the United States. OSMTH operates in a number of countries providing humanitarian aid, such as the River Jordan Project, which is supported by HM King Abdullah of Jordan.

The ecumenical Christian organization operates as a modern-day network of educated professionals. As of August 2007, the organization had approximately 5,200 members.

Christian men who join the organization are dubbed as "Knights" with the title of Chevalier and females are termed "Dames" with the title of Chevaleresse (or Chevalière). The modern Order claims over 5000 members, including leaders in the military, business, government and ecclesiastical communities.

The Order's Royal Patron, who is also a Chevalière of the Order, is Princess Elisabeth of Isenburg-Büdingen (b. 1945).

The Religious Protector of OSMTH is Patriarch Nourhan Manougian, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem (OSMTJ)

Since its 1932 registration in Brussels, the Order has been known as OSMTJ. In 1970, an election was held in Paris for the office of Grandmaster, and the Regent Fernando de Sousa Fontes refused to obey the laws of succession when General Antoine Zdrojewski was elected. Some of the Grand Priories, including the French, Belgian, Swiss, and Polish, followed the newly elected General Zdrojewski, and some stayed loyal to Fontes. Alfred Zappelli (Grand Prior of Switzerland), General Georges de Bruyn (Grand Prior of Belgium), and Badouraly-Somji Alibay (Commander of the Polish Commandery) were also backers of General Zdrojewski. After the election, de Sousa Fontes changed the official language of his branch to Latin and began using the acronym OSMTH. Zdrojewski and those who followed him retained the traditional usage of OSMTJ. “OSMTJ” is the French acronym for “Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jérusalem.”

In late 1973, Grand Master Zdrojewski carried out a re-organization of the OSMTJ and a reform of the Statutes. He approved the Grand Priories re-asserting the independence of the International Federation of Autonomous Grand Priories of the OSMTJ (Each member Grand Priory was recognized as autonomous). The Swiss Grand Priory accepted these reformed statutes in 1973, while the Belgian Grand Priory and United States Grand Priory accepted them in 1975. Zdrojewski was succeeded by Georges Lamirand as the new head of the OSMTJ until his death in 1994. George Lamirand was succeeded by Dr. Nicolas Haimovici Hastier as Regent. On January 2, 2020, the OSMTJ elected retired Brigadier General Ronald S. Mangum as Grandmaster.

Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (SMOTJ)

The Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (SMOTJ), founded in 1962, is the American autonomous Grand Priory of the Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani (OSMTH). branch of the Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani. The SMOTJ broke with the OSMTH-Regency in 1995 when it refused to recognize the sovereignty of OSMTH-Regency Grand Master Dom Fernando de Sousa Fontes.

This name Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (SMOTJ) has been trademarked and is used exclusively in America by the SMOTJ and thus does not refer to the group of organizations tracing lineage to OSMTH but rather to the current OSMTH only.