The Knights and Dames in Obedience form the second of the three classes of the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
. Unlike the members of the first class (the
Knights of Justice) who make vows of
poverty, chastity, and obedience, the members of the second class make a promise of obedience by which they "oblige themselves to strive for the perfection of Christian life in conformity with the obligation of their state, in the spirit of the Order" (''Constitutional Charter'', Article 9, Par. 2).
The class was instituted between the two World Wars in order to strengthen the Order's religious and spiritual character. The Knights in Obedience wear a red-bordered black
scapular
The scapular (from Latin '' scapulae'', "shoulders") is a Western Christian garment suspended from the shoulders. There are two types of scapulars, the monastic and devotional scapular, although both forms may simply be referred to as "scapu ...
over their choir dress.
Since the late 1990s the Promise of Obedience is linked to the pre-existing category of a knight or dame. Hence, there are three categories:
* Knights and Dames of Honour and Devotion in Obedience
* Knights and Dames of Grace and Devotion in Obedience
* Knights and Dames of Magistral Grace in Obedience
Notes
{{Orders, decorations, and medals of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Orders, decorations, and medals of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta