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THE HISTORY, NATURE AND GOVERNMENT OF THE ORDER The
largest of the Orders of Saint John is the British Most Venerable Order, with
over twenty-five thousand members and as estimated two hundred and fifty
thousand volunteers working in its worldwide ambulance brigade, hospital and
clinics. Its composition parallels other British National Orders of Chivalry
rather than the SMOM and Johanniter Orders, the first three classes (Knight and
Dame Grand Cross, Knight/Dame and Commander) numbering less than four thousand
of the total, of whom less than one thousand five hundred are knights or dames.
Unlike the SMHOM, whose members must be Roman Catholics in good standing, and
the Johanniter Orders, whose members must be Protestant, the Most Venerable
Order is the only one of the Orders of Saint John which does not have a
denominational restriction on
membership; it is open to any suitable candidate professing one of the major
Christian faiths. The charter requires that the Prelate of the Order must be a
Bishop or Archbishop of the Church of England, and the Chaplain of the Priory of
Scotland must be a Minister of the Church of Scotland; otherwise Priests and
Clerics of other Christian denominations may be Sub-Prelates, Chaplains or
Sub-Chaplains. The Order is divided into administrative bodies denominated as Priories, Commanderies and National Councils. Until the reforms of 1999 the Grand Priory in the British Realm took precedence and included England, the Channel Islands and other regions. The new structure, which came into being on October 23rd, 1999 also included the formation of a new Priory of England, which is the equal of the other Priories of Scotland, Wales, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. The Grand Prior is still a member of the Royal Family, presently HRH the Duke of Gloucester, while his representative remains the Lord Prior. In addition there are four other Great Officers - the Prelate, two Deputy Lord Priors and a Sub-Prior, while the Secretary-General remains the Order's Chief Executive Officer. The Hospitaller, no longer a Great Officer, has overall responsibility for the St John Eye Hospital, while the post of Bailiff of Egle has been abolished. The revised Statutes also saw the creation of a new Grand Council of the Order, which meets annually. For further details see the Order's web site at www.orderofstjohn.org Most
members of the uniformed St John Ambulance brigade will never become members of
the Most Venerable Order (although they may be decorated with service
distinctions). One major responsibility of those members of the Order who are
not themselves ambulance volunteers is to raise financial support for the major
hospitaller activities and give leadership by personal example. The Most
Venerable Order is well known in Great Britain, and the presence of the
Ambulance Brigade at major sporting event and other national occasions
frequently places it in the public eye. The Priories of England, Wales,
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa each maintain Ambulance Brigades as well
as supporting the St John Eye Hospital (in Scotland the Order has a special
relationship with St Andrew's Association), while the recently formed Priory in
the United States (from the members of the American Society of the Order),
concentrates on fund-raising and providing equipment and supplies for the St
John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. |
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