Ho Grand Commandery Urges Knights and Ladies to Take Up the Rosary as a "Spiritual Sword" on Feast Day

HO, Volta Region: The Grand President of the Ho Grand Commandery of the Knights of St. John International (KSJI), Brigadier General Stephen Koku Salakpi, has called on all members to pray the Rosary with renewed commitment, describing it as the modern equivalent of the Crusader's sword.

In an exhortation issued on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, to mark the Feast of the Holy Rosary, he addressed all Knights and Ladies of the Commandery. He said the feast is tied to the Order's own heritage.

A feast rooted in Lepanto
Brig. Gen. Salakpi recalled that on October 7, 1571, the Holy League, formed by Pope Pius V, faced the Ottoman fleet at the Battle of Lepanto. According to the statement, the Knights of St. John, then known as the Knights of Malta, were at the forefront of the alliance. Their flagship, the Capitana, held the right flank and suffered heavy casualties.

While the fleet fought at sea, the statement says, Pope Pius V led the faithful in praying the Rosary. After the Christian victory, the Pope established the day as the Feast of Our Lady of Victory, now celebrated as the Feast of the Holy Rosary. "The Rosary was the spiritual engine; the Knights of St. John were the physical shield," the Grand President said.

A spiritual battlefield
The Grand President said the Order's struggle today is spiritual rather than military. He named secularism, moral compromise, economic hardship, and the breakdown of Christian family values as the challenges members face.

"A modern Knight or Lady of St. John must never face the world without the Rosary," he said, adding that it should serve as a defense for members' homes, children, careers, and the Commandery itself.

Charge to members
Brig. Gen. Salakpi urged members not to treat the Rosary as a mere ornament in a car, bag, or drawer. He asked them to pray it with renewed vigour for the growth of the Ho Grand Commandery, the peace of the nation, and the protection of the Church.

The statement ended with the invocations "Our Lady of Victory, Queen of Knights, pray for us" and "St. John the Baptist, our great patron, pray for us."

The KSJI is a Catholic fraternal order of laymen and women whose members wear uniforms and take part in formations at church and community events.