User:MArchelaeus/draft of SSM

The Sodality of Saint Michael is a traditional fraternity geared toward the promotion of traditionalist masculine behavior and ideals in the present and the future.

History
The Sodality had its beginnings in a meeting of friends dating back to September, 2005 at Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, North Carolina. Two friends - Gregory Travis Clark and Michael Phillip Norrington Matthews - were united by their love for fresh brewed, exotic tea, luxury tobacco products (smoking pipes, pipe tobacco, and cigars), a zeal for enlightened, intellectual discourse, and, above all, the quest to attain a life defined by the ideals of noble manliness.

Matthews and Clark met daily outside of the University Cafeteria after dinner, and they would host many different types of people and their opinions. People would often catch the scent of black cavendish pipe tobacco from across campus and come to sit and talk at length about politics, religion, theology, philology, philosophy, history, and current events, among other things. This became a tradition, and the informal gatherings became known as "The Pfeiffer University Tea and Tob Club," which made reference to Matthews' and Clark's penchant for tea and tobacco with their discourse.

In the fall of 2006, Matthews founded the Pfeiffer University History Club. One of the attendants of the first meeting, Matthew Aaron Maitland Acie, met Matthews in front of the Jane Freeman Building to further inquire about the activities of the History Club at Pfeiffer. Recollecting later, Matthews said that he "didn't want to be bothered" with Acie, and he thought he was "weird, eccentric, and too afrocentric. Each time he would see me, he would hound me about the History Club. I brushed him off every time."

Acie and Matthews continued to run into each other on the campus of Pfeiffer University until one chance meeting caused the two to have a serious conversation. During that conversation, Matthews realized that Acie was interested in many of the things that he was interested in, and from that conversation a friendship grew.

Acie began to join Clark and Matthews at their daily meetings of the Tea and Tob Club. With the addition of Acie, many discussions became very heated. Acie brought a youthful, impetuous zeal that had been lacking in the discourses of the gatherings. Up until Acie's addition to the Club, Clark and Matthews generally agreed upon most subjects of discussion. Matthews was a political moderate, slightly right-of-center, espousing most socially conservative views in line with Clark's hardline, sometimes far-right conservative guiding ideology. Acie, however, was a flaming liberal, supporting almost all liberal and Democratic causes sometimes to the chagrin of Clark and Matthews. However, the group explored new intellectual territory for all three members, and they three continued to meet and debate each other in their ad hoc public forum.

There were always ideas bandied about concerning making their group more formal. Matthews suggested that all members be given a smoking jacket with "The Pfeiffer University Tea and Tob Club" emblazoned on the back. Clark was against the idea, claiming that the smoking jackets would be too gaudy and that he would rather wear his normal black pea coat and gloves. The idea was quickly abandoned.

In 2007, the three graduated from the university. Matthews went on to work menial jobs as a barrista at a Starbucks Retail location, among other positions. Acie landed a job in nearby Charlotte, NC with Wachovia Bank, and Clark stayed behind at Pfeiffer as a student liaison for a large non-profit organization.

Over the years, Clark, Matthews, and Acie communicated sporadically. Matthews moved frequently from points in and around Charlotte to his boyhood home in Lillington, NC. Clark became a police officer and was married to a woman he met at Pfeiffer. Acie held a steady job at Wachovia Bank. In 2010, after Matthews and Acie had been in more frequent contact, Matthews had the idea of creating an organization based on the nature of their contact at Pfeiffer. The Sodality of St. Michael was born.

St. Michael was chosen as the patron because he is known to devout Christians as "the guardian of men's souls." Matthews believed that he, along with Acie, and by extension Clark, had been called to create an organization that is dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the traditional values of manliness and masculinity.

Motto
Motto: “Virtus, Viris, et Veritas.” “Manliness, Strength, and Truth.”

The motto for the Sodality of St. Michael is “Virtus, Viris, et Veritas.” This Latin phrase encompassess three of the most important aims of the members of the Sodality. Virtus, meaning manliness; viris, meaning "strength"; and veritas meaning "truth". These three ideals are essential to the aim and essence of the Sodality, and they are used as a call to action for all those involved. Therefore, men of the Sodality can be said to be known by their pursuit of "Manliness, strength, and truth."

Slogan
The slogan for the Sodality is "Men for all time." This slogan reflects the common Sodalitarian's desire to be acceptable as a man across all eras and historical periods. Sodalitarians strive to incorporate timeless masculine ideals into their daily lives; therefore, if one can imagine a man being teleported back in time or forward through the future, his understanding of what it means to be a man will still be acceptable and admired. Sodalitarians believe they would be as much at home in a 17th century street as they would be in a 21st century home.

Mission Statement
The Sodalitarians of St. Michael are committed to preserving manliness in its most noble manifestations. We are committed to the observance of noble masculinity in all aspects of our lives. We are committed to the edification of community through the propagation of our manly values of service, charity, and mutual betterment. We reject the attempts of contemporary society to nullify manliness as a vestige of a bygone era. We reject the attempts of contemporary society to vilify manliness as an aberration of unprincipled chauvinism. We endeavor to establish the cultivation of noble masculinity and gentlemanliness as noble pursuits. We endeavor to work within society to make manliness and masculinity more acceptable and accessible.

Core Values
The Sodalitarians of St. Michael are dedicated to encouraging men to be manlier. We believe that the endeavor to be manlier is one of the highest pursuits of the male soul. We believe that there are essential core values that are, in essence, the foundation of manliness; therefore, Sodalitarians are engaged in the propagation of these principles:

Honesty • Honor • Integrity • Fairness • Commitment • Family • Discipline • Creativity • Loyalty • Charity • Excellence • Self-Improvement • Respect • Eclecticism • Love • Reliability • Tolerance • Strength • Service • Self-Reliance

With the acquisition of personal proficiency in these values, we will exemplify the true spirit of manliness and masculinity.

Structure and Ranks
The structure of the Sodalitarians of St. Michael is a highly hierarchical structure. The names of the ranks and positions of the Sodality are based on ancient Roman titles. A brief overview of the ranks and structure of the organization follows:

Origos: Pre-applicants. An origo is a man who is interested in becoming a member of the Sodality. All origos will have a sponsor (who himself is an associate or above) who will vouch for his character and his fitness for the life of a Sodalitarian.

Socii: An associate is a rank-and-file member and a member of the socii. An associate is charged to support the activities of the aedis and perform duties as requested by any member of higher rank. Associates have access to all aedes without restriction.

Decurions: Decurions are members of an aedis who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the aedis. They handle finances, marketing, recruiting, aedis security, hospitality, programming, and other important functions.

Concilium Ora: This is the aedis council. The aedis council is responsible for the general governance of each local aedis and the regional organization. The aedis council will originate rules and regulations governing the region, maintain aedis discipline, make recommendations for admission of origos to the centurions, and make disciplinary recommendations and hold disciplinary hearings in the aedis. The Concilium Ora is amenable to the judgment of the centurion.

Centurion: The centurion is the director of the aedis and the regional organization. He is the public face of the aedis and he represents the sodality in his geographical region (unless he deputizes another member of the Sodality). He approves and signs all rules and regulations approved by the Concilium Ora; he also signs off on the admission of all new associates and any disciplinary actions recommended by the Concilium Ora.

Precinct: The precinct is the basic geographical division of the sodality. Each precinct can be as large as a state, but there may be multiple precincts in a single state. A precinct is centered on an aedis. The precinct community is served by members of its aedis, although members from different aedes can collaborate on projects with the approval of their respective Concilium Ora and centurions.

Aedis: Aedis (plural aedes) refers to both the local membership of the Sodality as well as the physical headquarters of the local organization. All aedes will service as lounges for members, dining rooms free of charge, and sleeping quarters. They will contain well stocked libraries and pantries and have a menu of meals available each day. Each aedis will be staffed with wait staff and a cook during the evening hours.

Concilium Superior: The Concilium Superior is the supreme governing body of the Sodality. It handles the admission of new aedes to the Sodality, the formulation of a national agenda for the Sodality, and the recommendations for centurions that are referred to the dux ducis for approval and appointment. The Concilium Superior is responsible for enforcing the laws and rules of conduct of the Sodality.

Dux Ducis: The supreme leader of the Sodality. The national representative of the Sodality. The supreme leader has broad powers to promote, expel, decree, and set standards. The supreme leader must approve all actions taken by the Concilium Superior. His office is located in an aedis of his choice. He nominates members of the Concilium Superior as needed and his nominations must be approved by a bicameral congress of centurions in the upper house and Concilium Ora members in the lower house.

Each higher rank is acheived by selection from superiors. In order to ascend through the ranks, one must take certain relevant oaths to swear his service to his new office. There are also rites of passage associated with advancement in the Sodality.

The Oath of St. Michael
All members are required to take The Oath of St. Michael to become a part of the organization.


 * I, _____________________________________, do hereby swear to uphold the values of manliness, so long as I live. I will work to ensure that manliness does not succumb to the whim of society.


 * I swear to live by the motto “Virtus, Viris, et Veritas.” “Manliness, strength and truth.”  With these words, I lift my head proudly.


 * I swear allegiance to St. Michael, the guardian of men’s souls. I will fight in his army to protect and uplift the souls of true men.


 * I swear to be governed by the Book of Discipline of the Sodality of Saint Michael.


 * I swear allegiance to the Dux Ducis, the supreme leader of the Sodality. I acknowledge his authority over the matters of the Sodality. I will endeavor to perform my duty to execute his vision for the Sodality.


 * I swear allegiance to the Concilium Superior. I will accept their judgment as my own.


 * I swear allegiance to the Centurion, the leader of this aedis. I will follow his instructions with alacrity and precision.


 * I swear allegiance to the Concilium Ora. I acknowledge their authority over matters of this aedis.


 * I swear my allegiance to the Sodality, the brotherhood of men who have banded together to effect a positive change in society.


 * I swear allegiance to the aedis, for this is the place from whence my activities will originate. I will be bound by its laws, fastidious in my duties, and respectful of my superiors.  I will never betray its location.  I will never betray its information.  I will never betray my brothers.  I will be a respectful representative.


 * I swear allegiance to my family. I will endeavor to be the man that is ready and willing to bear the responsibility of leading a family.


 * I swear allegiance to my God. I will endeavor to be an example of his wisdom in creation.


 * I swear allegiance to my church. I will be the leader that will help guide God’s people through the trying days to come.


 * With God as my witness, with this oath, I set myself apart. I distinguish myself as a man who appreciates manhood, one who is strong enough to bear the weight of its true meaning.  With this oath, I become a Sodalitarian of St. Michael.

The clauses in the oath that refer to religion or religious institutions may be omitted for inclusivity.