Ceremony at Swiss Guard Command
April 29, 2008

On April 29, a congenial ceremony was held at the Swiss Guard Headquarters where Architect Enrico Pietro Demajo, representative of the Knights of Columbus Foundation, presented to Commander Theodor Mäder, Pontifical Swiss Guards, flags representing the 26 cantons of Switzerland. The flags had been purchased by the Knights of Columbus for the exhibition, held in their museum in New Haven, commemorating the Fifth Centennial of the foundation of the Corps. During the ceremony, Commander Mäder thanked the Knights of Columbus for hosting such an significant exhibit, subsequent its exposition in the Vatican. The Pontifical Swiss Guard is the oldest army in the world and, every May 6, date of the massacre of 147 Swiss Guards during the Sack of Rome, the new recruits swear their loyalty to the Holy Father.