The Knight Crusaders of the Cross is a “chair degree” conferred upon present or past Eminent Commanders of a Commandery. It is not used everywhere, but is gaining in popularity across the country. The degree originated in Florida in 1969 and spread North. Typically it is conferred at the same time as the state Grand Commandery meeting. The body is styled an Asylum, and has eight officers, the highest being the Knight Crusader of the East. The Induction Ceremony opens with three brief lectures on Masonic Templary and the duties of a Commander, followed by the arrangement of the candidates in a cross formation in the center of the Asylum, where they receive refreshment and are dubbed Knight Crusaders of the Cross. It concludes with a brief lecture on the ancient Knight Templars and an explanation of the Jerusalem Cross,as well as the modes of recognition among Knight Crusaders.