Welcome to the Templar Fellowship of America, where a new breed of 21st Century Templar is being born. A new approach to Templarism is emerging that is inclusive, non-militaristic, and nonsectarian.

This new approach originated on the European Continent in Austria. The Templar Fellowship of America is the Grand Priory of Austria’s first extension.  Our American connection began four years ago when an American woman was initiated into the Austrian Templar Order and then felt the need to establish something similar in her home state of Texas.

So, the story goes ….In the beginning a Templar Knight of the Austrian Order and a US Knight Templar began to converse and found that they had more in common than they had differences.  Being Knights at heart they began to work together with the dream of beginning a new “FELLOWSHIP” of Templars.

These knights began to work together in partnership to develop a new organization based upon “Kindred FELLOWSHIP”—focusing on our similarities with other Templar Orders rather than upon differences or upon “Militaristic Uniformity”.

These knights drafted a plan for “Templar Fellowships” and devised proposed details for every level of a local, state, national and international organization of Fellowships. Choosing to work closely with the Austrian Order of Templars these knights sought, through their fellowships with the Austrian Order, to have these two bodies be in Fellowship with each other.

The Austrians have just recently gone so far as to recognize the Templar Knighthood of one of our US Templars and invite him into membership in their order.  Thus was the ground work for the Templar Fellowship of America created.

So, what is the TFA? And what do the Templars have to do with search for knowledge or spirituality? Didn’t they just protect the pilgrim ways to Jerusalem? And weren’t they just Christian soldiers who took vows of chastity and poverty? What does that have to do with learning to live in today’s complex world?

Until now, a Knight Templar profile’s here in the USA looks like a Christian Male who is a Freemason.   While Non-Masonic Templar Orders tend to be exclusively Christian. The Austrian model however is inclusive of all genders, cultures, races and faiths. So what makes us different is that we are inclusive, tolerant and non-sectarian.

The TFA is a dynamic fellowship of like minded friends who want to study, explore, and share ideas concerning Life’s mysteries. We are based on the chivalric principles of the historic Knight Templars. What are those principles? truth, compassion, tolerance, purpose, respect, responsibility, honesty, integrity, and good reputation. These principles serve as tools in building the Temple of the Body and Soul. The TFA is designed to enhance personal development through study, creative investigation and service. Creative investigation then opens doorways to new horizons.

 

The Templar way can lead down a number pf paths… such as historical, religious, spiritual, scholastic, creative, mystic, scientific, civic, or even financial paths. It can take us down many unexpected roads of discovery. Through knowledge, understanding and wisdom, the Templar hopes to travel the road they are called to.