Knight in Obedience

The Knights and Dames in Obedience form the second of the three classes of the Sovereign Military Order of 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.

The Knights in Obedience wear a red-bordered black scapular 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: Conventual Chaplains Knights and Dames of Grace and Devotion in Obedience Second Category: Conventual Chaplains ad honorem Third Category: Knights and Dames of Grace and Devotion (nobility proof required) Fourth Category: Magistral Chaplains Fifth Category: Knights and Dames of Magistral Grace