The MSM, while not a papal order, is still true chivalry

As explained by our founder Dom Lafond, by virtue of their dubbing in the Church by a Prelate (Abbot or Bishop) or by the Master of the Order in direct succession, under the Benedictio novi militis ritual found in the various editions of the Pontificale Romanum up until 1962, and maintained in constant and canonically authorized use by the MSM in its Rituel, the Knights our Our Lady are part of “The Order of Chivalry”. "The Order," used in this way, refers to one of the three social orders described by Saints Odo of Cluny and Bernard of Clairvaux, and the one to which all bona fide knights belong, whether they are knights created by a Sovereign, by a Chivalric Order, or by the Benedictio novi militis ritual.

The three traditional, mutually-interdependent orders of the pre-modern period, as defined by Saints Odo and Bernard and the many social commentators who followed them, were: ‘Those who pray’ (Oratores --the Clergy & Religious; those closest to God, who pray for all); ‘Those who lead & fight’ (Bellatores --the Order of Chivalry; which also performs a Divinely ordained function, in providing a peaceful, just and orderly framework for Society to function in, and for which it must be prepared to spill its very blood); and ‘Those who work’ (Laboratores, also known as “the Third Estate” --the vast majority of Society at large; the merchants, artists, farmers and labourers who share the role of providing for the material needs of Society). Entry into the first two Orders has been conditioned by religious rites (ordination, sacramental dubbing…) since the 10^th century. As stated by the Master: “The Order of Chivalry is not a movement but an Order, which is to say that it absorbs the knight in his totality: body, soul, spirit, personal being, and social being. He is a bridge between the spiritual and temporal realms.”

The secular revolutions of the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and finally the two World Wars and the dismantling of the old European social structures in the early 20^th century, effectively brought this social system to an end in “the Temporal City” (Society at large), by breaking down the social barriers of the Third Estate to the Second Estate (roles of leadership, governance…). In the “Eternal City” (the Church) and in Canon Law, however, this system was never fully dismantled. The Pope maintains his Regal prerogatives, the Cardinals are still the Princes of the Church, the Clergy and Religious must still be ordained and fulfil Divinely mandated functions, and the institution of Chivalry and the rites for entry into the Order of Chivalry continue to exist. The Church still very much considers its true knights as auxiliaries to the Church authorities and as a cadre of exemplars who are expected to set a standard of loyalty and devotion to the Church, and of leadership in Social Action in the Temporal City, for the laity at large.

The Church does not dispute that knights besides those in the Pontifical Orders exist, nor that they belong to The Order of Chivalry. Indeed, the Church has canonically approved the MSM’s own Rule and rituals, recognizing us under Church Law as a Confraternity of the Faithful that forms and organizes the collective action of a group of bona fide knights.

Further, it might compellingly be contented that the MSM, a strong proponent of "the Hermeneutic of Continuity" since its foundation, has preserved more traditions of chivalric life than has any other institution, including through: proper training of candidates for knighthood; the respect of the Decalogue of knightly duties (“Code of chivalry”); a Rule of Life; dubbing vigils and sacramental ceremonials using the Benedictio novi militis in the X^th century Carolingian chapel at Chartres; reading of the Liturgy of the Hours; emphasis on care for one’s physical condition; spiritual focal point around our special ceremonial duties at the ancient Cathedral of Chartres and role as honour guard of the Sancta Camisa relic on the Feast of the Assumption; chapter meetings; hierarchical organization and discipline; etc. Our knighthood is both an all-encompassing way of life for us, and a sacramental for ourselves and others.