In December 2018 Grand Chapter announced the creation of a Sub-Commandery to better serve our members in the Nordic countries – Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The Sub-Commandery, which reports to the Austria-Germany Commandery, is named after Queen Margrete I, an influential and unifying force in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Leading the Nordic Sub-Commandery is Chevalier Juhani Hujanen KCJ. Chevalier Hujanen KCJ is very active in the international community. He is a Knight Commander of the Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem and Commander in Chief in Finland of the Lazarus Union. He is the Delegate to Scandinavia and Commander III Class of the Freundeskreis Hoch- und Deutschmeister.
The Order of Saint Joachim has long had a historical connection to Scandinavia. At one point the Order was referred to as “the Swedish Order” because our energetic Vice Chancellor, Sir Levett Hanson GCJ, took up residence there and was a fixture of the Swedish court, conducting the Order’s business from there. Having fled Napoleon’s armies, in 1807 Hanson moved to Stockholm, and finally in 1811 to Copenhagen, where he died in 1814.
The Nordic Sub-Commandery is very active as a group, attending international investitures of the Order and organizing its own local events. It is anticipated that the Nordic Sub-Commandery will evolve into a full-fledged Commandery when its membership has reached sufficient size.
Chevalier Hujanen KCJ can be reached at: toivo.hujanen@gmail.com.