The Hospitaller 2014

issue 2014-1 17/06/2014 12:11 Page 1
The Hospitaller
The journal of the British Association of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta
In this issue:
The Lourdes effect
Syria action
Arming a Knight
www.orderofmalta.org.uk
Spring 2014
issue 2014-1 17/06/2014 12:11 Page 2
Hospitaller Spring 2014
* Please note change of date
JULY
8*
2630
OSJCT: Ethics for Care Homes Conference, Oxford
OMV: Lourdes Pilgrimage (to 1 Aug)
GPE: Conventual Mass, St James’s, Spanish Place
AUGUST
29
30
GPE: Decollation of St John Baptist, Farnborough
GPE: Day of Recollection, Farnborough Abbey
SEPTEMBER
8
12-14
24
27
GPE: Victoria Mass, St James’s Spanish Place
BASMOM/GPE/OMV: Walsingham Pilgrimage
GPE: Conventual Mass, St James’s, Spanish Place
GPE: Day of Recollection, Wardour
OCTOBER
11
13
25
29
31*
GPE: Rosary Crusade of Reparation
GPE: Blessed Gerard Mass, Little Oratory, London
GPE: Day of Recollection, Mortlake
GPE: Conventual Mass, St James’s, Spanish Place
Holywell Pilgrimage (to 2 Nov)
NOVEMBER
6
TBA
TBA
26
BASMOM: Scottish Annual Requiem, Edinburgh
GPE: Annual Chaplains’ Meeting
BASMOM: Foreign Aid Service Annual Dinner
GPE: Annual Requiem, St James’s, Spanish Place
A helping hand:
Our London soup kitchens now feed over 1300 every month
‘Every Monday evening we (our
Order of Malta and Companions of
Malta volunteers) offer sandwiches,
drinks and fruit to our homeless
guests in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. We
estimate that’s about 1000 meals a
month. We organise van hire,
insurance, the food and fruit and
rely on donations to cover the £450
outlay per month. It could not
happen without the contributions
our supporters make,’ says key
project organiser Patrick Knollys.
In addition, on Thursdays, over 300
homeless folk are welcomed to the
warmth of St. James’s church hall in
the early evening at our Café, a
project costing about £400 a month
to provide hot soup and coffee as well
as snacks, sandwiches and cakes.
DECEMBER
3
10
GPE: Advent Evening of Recollection, St James’s SP
BASMOM/GPE/COM/OMV: Carol Service,
St James’s SP
Solemn profession of The Grand Prior of England
COUNCIL, CANDIDATES, FINANCE, RISK AND
TRUSTEE MEETINGS
Thursdays: 23 January; 24 April; 25 September
Caroline de la Force
FOR MORE INFORMATION...
When there is a crisis, or a kind word needed, or a helping
hand, or an administrative task that needs quick and wise
turnaround: it's Caroline. Thank you from your grateful
Order members, volunteers and friends!
Editor Philippa Leslie
© BASMOM 2014
58 Grove End Road, St. John’s
Wood, LONDON NW8 9NH
Tel: 020 7286 1414;
Fax: 020 7286 3243
e: basmom@btconnect.com
w: www.orderofmalta.org.uk
2
The basis of the Order of Malta is
the existence of Professed Brethren
and this has been so since 1080. It
is this that differentiates the Order
from other charitable organisations.
Fra’ Ian Scott of Ardross Creagan,
who succeeded the last Grand Prior in
2010, is only the second Scotsman to
hold this position since the Grand
Priory – the second most ancient
Grand Priory in the world – was
established in the eleventh century.
His Solemn Profession took place in
Rome on Saturday, 7th December
2013, in the Chapel of the Magistral
Palace in the presence of the Grand
Master, members of the Sovereign Council and relations and friends.
The ancient ceremony involves the blessing of the sword, the conferring of
knighthood and the ceremony of clothing. The postulant brandishes the sword
three times in the air as a symbolic threat to the enemies of the Faith. The
newly professed knight promises to dedicate his life to helping the poor and the
sick – an ancient mission in a modern world.
issue 2014-1 17/06/2014 12:11 Page 3
Hospitaller Spring 2014
The Hospitaller
The journal of the British Association of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta
A SPIRITUAL ORDER
r
Lourdes:
56th Internatonal
Pilgrimage
Louise Noble, Celestria
Hales and Eddie Pease
report
r
AN INTERNATIONAL ORDER
u
Dear Members and Friends
Syria
u
Three years on, the Order of
Malta’s relief agency is still
supporting refugees
in Lebanon
A CARING ORDER
i
Voices of freedom
Herbert Coutts explains why
Dial-a-Journey is more than
just a bus service
i
o
Arming a knight
Innovative dementia
Care focus
Apple Trees, a new OSJCT
home opens
AN ANCIENT ORDER
a
Vale
Stop Press
news from around the world
The Hospitaller
The journal of the British Association of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta
In this issue:
Lourdes
Syria action
Arming a Knight
The concept of pilgrimage, of taking a journey to a
hallowed place, of travelling in the hope and
expectation of blessings to come, is a strong
inspiration for us as members of the Order and for
our guests, or malades. We invite them, we care for
them, pray, laugh and sing with them. This year, our
Lourdes pilgrimage was, as our Hospitaller notes in
this publication, oversubscribed. What a sign of belief
in this exercise – which is a wonderful expression of
the Order’s twin missions of tuitio fidei and
obsequium pauperum.
I commend you all for your involvement and I wish to
draw attention, too, to our growing range of works at
home to help those in need. In April we opened a new
residential home in Grantham for old people and this
month we celebrate the first anniversary of our soup
kitchen in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. We now have a second
soup kitchen running in London, as well as similar
projects in Oxford and Glasgow and we continue our
Dial a Journey in mid Scotland.
a
Edward Connolly explains
the process
s
d
From the President
Photographs:
©Julian Andrews, Stephanie Kalber.
Following the May elections in Rome, we send our
best wishes and congratulations to the Order’s newly
elected members of the Sovereign Council and senior
government bodies for their important tasks.
We also congratulate our new Professed Knights in
Solemn Vows: our Grand Prior took his Vows just
before Christmas and John Eidinow made his on
June 16th.
May we all continue to move forward in our good
works in the spirit of our beloved Order.
cover photo: Lourdes candles ©Julian Andrews
www.orderofmalta.org.uk
Spring 2014
Richard Fitzalan Howard
President, British Association
of the Order of Malta
3
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Hospitaller Spring 2014
xxx
Lourdes: 56th O
international
pilgrimage
6,000 ATTENDED the 56th international
Lourdes pilgrimage for the Order of Malta.
The British contingent was strongly supported
by its members and volunteers and especially many
younger ones. Hospitaller Mark Brenninkmeyer noted:
“All turned out in high numbers and were invaluable
with their work with our Acceuil Pilgrims.”
VER
British Association oversubscribed
with members, volunteers, malades
4
A SPIRITUAL ORDER
A highlight, looked forward to every year, was the
torchlight procession, which wove its way slowly
through the gathering darkness, candles bobbing
gently, the castle on the hill suddenly flooded with
light and all – the malades in their voitures, the
helpers, the members, the volunteers – gathering in
front of the Notre Dame du Rosaire de Lourdes
basilica, its façade luminous in the glare of a forest of
spotlights.
issue 2014-1 17/06/2014 12:11 Page 5
Lourdes:
reassuringly
the same
Louise Noble, after a four-year absence
I
FIRST WENT TO LOURDES with the
OMV in 1995. The week was a
blur of new people, new
experiences and new terminology.
What was a voiture? Where was the
underground car park and why were
we going to church in an elephant
house? By the end of that first week
I had made lots of great friends and
became a regular on the July
pilgrimage.
After a four year gap from Lourdes,
I signed up to go with BASMOM this
year and braced myself for a totally
different Lourdes experience. And
yet it really wasn’t.
Lourdes itself has changed
dramatically and invested hugely in
the facilities it provides for our
disabled pilgrims who are cared for in
the Accueil. Long gone are the days of
one female ward and one male ward
(thank goodness) where no one got
any sleep and manoeuvering
wheelchairs in minute gaps took a
skill often beyond a tired 17 year old.
Some things however have stayed
reassuringly the same. Several of the
helpers and Accueil pilgrims are exOMV (Order of Malta Volunteers, the
Order’s young volunteer group), the
services and the structure are very
similar, there is a ‘red book’
(instructions and schedules), the
laughter from our favourite pub, the
Broncs, can still be heard down the
street, and the early mornings are
unfortunately still a challenge.
There are still many things that you
scratch your head over – why such
high curbs when there are so many
wheelchair users about? Is it true that
there is an underground system that
links all the hotel restaurants so that
the left overs go into the next day’s
soup?
The chance to ponder on the
miracle of Lourdes
For me, I really appreciate some of
the more subtle differences. The
BASMOM pilgrimage gives you a
chance to sit and chat with people
from many different walks of life and
is less frenetic, providing more time
for individual reflection and
opportunities to seek out your own
quiet corner of the prairie and take in
your surroundings and ponder on the
miracle of Lourdes.
I love the fact that each time I go I
always experience something
completely new and often
unexpected. From being drafted into
the English speaking choir for the
Torchlight Procession and seeing that
take place from a totally different
perspective, to trying to convince the
Lourdes officials that yes I was in
charge, and yes that is despite me
being a woman, to this year playing
‘guess the animal’ on the petit train
which winds its way up the hill.
The three core elements
The OMV talks about the three core
elements that make
up the Lourdes week
I love the fact that each time
– hard work, fun
I go I always experience
and spirituality.
something completely new
While that is equally
and often unexpected.
true of the
BASMOM pilgrimage, I think as I
have got older and work and life
responsibilities have increased, my
week in Lourdes has become more
important, and while I still work hard
and have lots of fun, the spiritual side
has become more important to me.
I look forward to seeing many of you
in Lourdes in May 2015.
A SPIRITUAL ORDER 5
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Hospitaller Spring 2014
A
TOMLINSON, (pictured with
guide dog Wanda) has just
heard Mass in the Birmingham
Oratory church, accompanied by her
mother, friend Veronique Morris and
her yellow labrador Wanda.
Blind from birth she works as a piano
tuner and lives in Staffordshire, where
she is an active member of her local
community. She is also a staunch
Lourdes regular and in 2014 is
accompanied on pilgrimage by
Veronique, who is originally from
South Africa.
NN
The warm
feeling of
fellowship
Celestria Hales talks with a Lourdes regular
at the Birmingham Lourdes Reunion
Volunteers:
effort, enthusiasm
and drive
Eddie Pease, recently elected to a four-year
term as chairman of the Order of Malta
Volunteers (OMV) for volunteers aged 17 to
30, talks to The Hospitaller
How long have been involved in
the OMV?
Nearly 6 years now! I went to
Lourdes just after leaving school and
have been every year since. More
recently, I have been on some of our
other activities, the Easter Retreat to
Downside and the Easter pilgrimage
to Paris as well as being involved on
the White Knights Ball committee,
fundraising for our projects.
What was it that made you keep
coming back?
For me, there are three reasons. First,
the caring side: I love looking after the
6
A SPIRITUAL ORDER
“I can’t remember just like that how
many times I have been to Lourdes
but more than ten,” she says. As for
the Lourdes Reunion she never
misses it if she can help it. “I come
near enough every year. It is the
chance to meet lots of people I don’t
manage to catch up with otherwise.
It’s the warm feeling of fellowship that
makes it so special.”
What makes Ann’s long-standing
involvement the more surprising is
malades. You get so much out of that,
appreciating what an impact it can
make on their lives. Second, the
spiritual element: it’s nice to have a
chance to reflect, whether at Mass or
Night Prayers, to reflect on life away
from the pressures of an everyday
routine. Third, the social side: I have so
many great friends through the OMV.
All three elements are equally
important as to why I am still involved.
What is your favourite thing
about the OMV?
If I was to say one thing, it would be
the people. A charity like the OMV is
nothing without the people who are
involved in it and run it. We have no
paid staff; everything is run off
volunteer effort, enthusiasm and drive.
What has struck me most since I was
elected is the time that people are
willing to put in to make everything
happen, especially without being
asked. There is so much work that
goes in behind the scenes that I
simply had no idea about before. In
essence that’s why the charity works
and I think that’s its greatest asset.
that she is an Anglican, as is
Veronique. They both sing in the choir
at the Church of St Michael and St
Wulfram in Stone, Staffordshire.
Veronique saw how Ann felt about
Lourdes one day as they were getting
ready in the vestry there, after Ann’s
return from the May pilgrimage, and
decided she wanted to see for herself
what it was like. Hence her presence at
the Birmingham Oratory, where she
could meet some members of the
Order and Companions, so that when
she goes to Lourdes she can recognise
a few faces. In other words the reunion
works as a preview. Another of its
strengths is the presence at Mass and
lunch of some of the Oratory’s own
parishioners, particularly the sick, so
that regulars also meet new people.
Ann is a particularly keen member of
the Companions of the Order of
Malta. “It makes me feel a part of
things,” she says. “ I like to do my
bit.” There is no doubt in the mind of
all of those who know her that she
does her bit and more.
What are your plans for the next
four years?
I want to build on the fantastic work
done by James Grew, the previous
chairman. He did so much to improve
all the activities and I know how
much the charity meant to him. His
energy and enthusiasm for the role
was infectious.
One of the main things I want to do
is raise the profile of some of the
smaller activities. As well as Lourdes,
we run an Easter Pilgrimage, support
for the summer camp in Lebanon, the
International Holiday Camp and the
Christmas Reunion, as well as taking
part in the Easter Retreat at Downside
and the Walsingham pilgrimage. All
of these activities are very different
from Lourdes but equally fun.
And I want to encourage older
members of the OMV to continue
their charitable work with the British
Association of the Order when they no
longer want to go on OMV activities.
And we are hugely looking forward to
getting involved in the organisation for
Walsingham with them.
issue 2014-1 17/06/2014 12:11 Page 7
Hospitaller Spring 2014
Syria
Stepped up support
for refugees inside
Syria and in Lebanon
The Order of Malta’s relief agency
three years on
L
ORDER SUPPORT ACTIONS
for Syrian refugees and
internally displaced persons are
three new mobile health stations near
Aleppo, set up by Malteser
International, the Order’s worldwide
relief agency.
ATEST
50,000 will receive medical care and
relief packages. Working with partner
International Blue Crescent (IBC) and
the German Federal Foreign Office,
another 1,500 displaced families in
Damascus are being fed and cared for.
The refugee camps in Lebanon and
the Order’s clinics in the Bekaa Valley
continue to swell. ‘The humanitarian
needs are immense,’ says Oliver
Hochedez, emergency relief
coordinator at Malteser International.
‘The camp residents are in dire need
of health care.’ Malteser International
has provided emergency relief to
Syrians inside Syria, in Turkey and in
Lebanon since July 2012.
Scottish
fundraiser helps
Syrian refugees
Alice Murphy
The United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR,
May 2014) reports that three years
after the start of civil conflict, around
2.7 million Syrian refugees have fled
to neighbouring countries and North
Africa; 6.5 million are internally
displaced within Syria. 51% of the
Syrian refugee population are under
18 years of age.
Helping the cause
In Britain: the White Knights Ball
held in Edinburgh in March raised
£27,000 for the Order’s work with
Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
In Syria, Turkey and Lebanon in 2013:
• aid for 185,000 hungry, sick,
injured or traumatised Syrian
refugees and internally displaced
persons.
• 15,955 families received
emergency and hygiene kits
• 14,825 families received food
packages
250 GUESTS GATHERED FOR
ORDER OF MALTA
BALL IN EDINBURGH, Scottish
reels, a marvellously loud band – and
the important work of fundraising for
a special cause. Held this year at the
Grand Sheraton Hotel at the end of
March, the very successful event –
over £27,000 raised on the night –
was to support Syrian refugees who
VER
THE ANNUAL
• 20,930 people helped with winter
relief (clothing, blankets, heating
stoves) 6,519 patients received
medical treatment in our field
hospital and in the health centre
of the refugee camp in Kilis,
Turkey
• clothing for 1,650 refugee children
in Lebanon
• 1,650 refugee children in Turkey
received schoolbags, notebooks
and pencils, and were given a
warm school meal every day.
• 563 refugees received psychosocial support
• 540 Syrians and Turks
participated in language and
computer courses or were given
counselling at a community centre
we support in Kilis.
around 2.7 million Syrian refugees have fled to
neighbouring countries and North Africa; 6.5
million are internally displaced within Syria…
have fled to Lebanon. They arrive
with nothing, they are frightened and
fearful of the future.
Many hundreds are being cared for
by the Order’s Lebanese Association
in the north of the country and in the
Bekaa Valley. The Order is providing
medical and psycho-social help,
clothing, food, shelter.
AN INTERNATIONAL ORDER 7
issue 2014-1 17/06/2014 12:11 Page 8
Hospitaller Spring 2014
Voices of freedom
Herbert Coutts explains why The Order of Malta
Dial-a-Journey service in Scotland is much more
than a bus company!
T
HESE VOICES, PAST AND PRESENT,
describe the Dial-a-Journey
service set up by the Order in
Central Scotland, with the help of
local authority funding, more than a
quarter of a century ago. Its aim was,
and is, to provide affordable and
accessible door-to-door transport for
people with mobility difficulties who
cannot use conventional public
transport. But it is much more than a
bus company. It offers people who
might otherwise be imprisoned in
their homes a freedom pass to do
what they want when they want.
A major Scottish community
transport charity
The service has grown from a small
organisation with two minibuses, to
one of Scotland’s major community
transport charities, with a fleet of over
thirty vehicles. Through its
Shopmobility scheme, it loans
scooters, powered chairs and manual
wheelchairs, to make getting round
the shops and other locations easier
and stress free. And it organises
school transport for children who
can’t use conventional buses, arranges
subsidised taxi journeys for people
whose mobility difficulties don’t
require the door-to-door service, and
organises programmes of summer and
autumn outings for its service users.
Dial-a-Journey’s specially equipped
Mercedes Benz minibuses generally
have an eight-year lifespan with the
charity. Each vehicle carries an
average of 4,000 passengers a year –
upwards of 32,000 passenger trips.
That’s trips to the shops, doctors,
work, restaurants, cinemas, respite
and evening classes, etc. You name
it – it’s done. Dial-a-Journey has even
put ribbons on minibuses being used
by service users as wedding cars!
Margaret Sinclair: “I go for my lunch to the
Baptist Church every Tuesday and get taken there
and back again. They are always on time and the
drivers are very friendly. I am diabetic and
sometimes use the service for transport to and
from hospital. The buses are very comfortable
and are much better than the ambulance.”
Grace Fry: “The service is very flexible and
we’ve enjoyed the freedom it allows, as you can
decide for yourself where you’d like to go. We
enjoyed our trip to the Falkirk Wheel recently,
and we sometimes get the bus to take us out so
that we can have a bar lunch.”
Ron Skinner: “It’s a fantastic service as, unlike
taxis that will only take you kerb-to-kerb, the
drivers literally take you door-to-door, and
make sure you safely arrive at your destination
or settle back into your own home. I would say
you really feel as safe as houses with the people
at Dial-a-Journey.”
The late Fra’ Fredrik Crichton-Stuart: “Our first
customer was an elderly lady who we took to the
shops in Stirling. When we got her safely back
home, she burst into tears. In response to our
concern, she explained that the shopping trip
was the first time she had been out of her home
in twenty years, and these were tears of delight.”
Margaret Watkin: “I really like the sense of
freedom they give me.”
8
A CARING ORDER
issue 2014-1 17/06/2014 12:11 Page 9
Hospitaller Spring 2014
Innovative
dementia
care focus
Apple Trees: the latest OSJCT home opens
O
30 APRIL, HRH The Duke
of Gloucester, KG, GCVO,
officially opened Apple Trees
Care and Reablement Centre, a new
£6.3m care centre in Grantham, run
by The Orders of St John Care Trust
(OSJCT).
N
Apple Trees aims to provide some of
the best care in the UK for people
with dementia. It also has a dedicated
intermediate (short stay) care
household. The centre has 64
bedrooms with 24-hour call systems
and cutting edge technology, to help
promote a safer environment, and is
arranged around cosy and
comfortable home style living areas,
each with a kitchen, lounge and
dining area.
An easy to navigate environment
There’s a shop, tea room and hair
salon and specially designed
landscaped gardens, including a
sensory area featuring raised
planters, vegetable patches and water
features. Residents and staff are also
supported by OSJCT’s own specialist
Dementia UK-trained Admiral Nurse.
Don Wood, OSJCT’s Chairman, said:
“Apple Trees Care and Reablement
Centre is the latest in our programme
of creating care schemes and
facilities designed to meet current
and future requirements for the care
of older people. This is the first of
four specialist dementia care centres
in Lincolnshire. We’re sure Apple
Trees will be a great asset to the
local community.”
What the OSJCT does
The Orders of St John Care Trust
(OSJCT), established in 1991, is a
charitable trust sponsored by the
Sovereign Order of Malta and the
Venerable Order of St John. These
two historic Orders have a long
tradition of offering care and service
and today provide the Trustees for
OSJCT.
OSJCT’s core activity is providing care
for older people of any background,
irrespective of race or religion.
Main photo: Bernard Knipe (pictured centre, sitting with
his wife and HRH The Duke of Gloucester), an
intermediate care client at Apple Trees. Mr Knipe is an
Officer Brother of the Venerable Order of St John. Inset:
Apple Trees, Grantham, recalls that other apple tree from
Grantham: it still grows in the garden of Isaac Newton’s
17th century family home.
Started in Lincolnshire, with 16
former local authority care homes,
the Trust now operates 69 homes in
four counties (15 in Lincolnshire, 19
in Wiltshire, 17 in Oxfordshire and
18 in Gloucestershire) as well as
seven extra care schemes. The Trust
cares for over 3,500 residents and
employs nearly 4,000 staff.
The Trust is dedicated to delivering
the highest quality, person-centred
care. Its broad range of services
includes residential, nursing and
dementia care, and also provides
intermediate, respite and day care.
A CARING ORDER
9
issue 2014-1 17/06/2014 12:11 Page 10
Hospitaller Spring 2014
“E
ARLY HE CALLS FOR HIS ARMS,
and they all were brought.
At first a red carpet was spread on the floor, and there
was much gilded gear that gleamed piled upon it. The
bold man steps on it and takes the steel in hand. He was
arrayed in a doublet of rich fabric of Tarsia, and then a well
made capados, close fitted, that was lined with lightcoloured fur. Then they set the sabatons on the man’s feet.
His legs were enclosed in steel by elegant greaves with
attached poleyns. Brightly polished, they were fastened
around his knees with golden buckles. Then came the
cuisses that snugly enclosed his brawny thighs,
attached by means of straps. And all the fine
equipment that he needed this time with splendid
coat-armour, his golden spurs proudly fastened on, girt
with a trusty sword with a silken belt to his side.”
Knights Hospitaller 1306-1565, David Nicolle, Oxford, Osprey, 2001 (passage from an English
version around 1370, transl. Helmut Nickel)
Arming
a knight
Director of Ceremonies
Edward Connolly explains
the process
T
DIRECTOR OF CEREMONIES
preparing for St John’s day?
Not quite, but an extract from
the story of Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight dating from around 1370 and
although not relating specifically to a
Hospitaller the process of arming a
Knight is still interesting, even
amusing to read.
HE
The word Knight is derived from the
Anglo-Saxon ‘cniht’. The exact
meaning is uncertain – in Saxon times
it seems to have meant ‘boy’ or ‘youth’
and with it an obligation for military
service. It was the fourteenth century
that gave rise to the age of chivalry and
the Knight of romance. The Catholic
Church, seeking to curb the worst
excesses of medieval warfare,
encouraged the adoption of a new code
of manners and chivalric conduct by
these fierce warriors. In England, this
new spirit was epitomised in the young
King Edward III (1327-77) who saw
himself as the crowned, warrior leader
of a brotherhood of Christian knights.
10
AN ANCIENT ORDER
This new ideal of chivalry grew up in
Western Europe with an elaborate
system of training, initiation and rules
of conduct, coupled with a widespread
enthusiasm for heraldic pageantry,
costly armour and meticulous regard
for details of ceremony. Ceremonial
occasions, if done well, are enjoyed
by many. To some, their outward
appeal will be largely emotional,
based on the simple delight in
something that is beautiful both in
contrasts of colour and in the
disciplined order of the ritual. Others
will look closer and understand that
there is reason and symbolism in all
that occurs. To give just two examples
of this, below is a brief history of the
habit and tunic worn by members of
the Order.
Carrying the Order’s
history with us: the Habit
(Choir Dress)
The Habit (Choir Dress) of the Order,
dates from 1125 when it was ordained
for use by Blessed Raymond du Puy.
issue 2014-1 17/06/2014 12:11 Page 11
Hospitaller Spring 2014
This long black robe is worn by
knights when they are participating in
the religious life of the Order. The
habit has seen only a few changes
through the centuries. It was originally
of black wool and on the left breast
was sown the eight pointed white
cross, symbolising the eight
Beatitudes, which were to become the
constitution of chivalric life. This cross
became known as the Maltese cross in
honour of the Order. The only change
to the habit was the addition of white
silk cuffs and a cowl, which had
originally been a hood.
The Red Tunic
In 1248 Pope Innocent IV authorised
the military brethren of the Knights
Hospitaller to lay aside the habit and
wear a black surcoat with white cross
which originated from the mantle
cape. It was Pope Alexander IV in
1259 who ordered the colour to be
changed from black to red so as to
reflect that members of the Order
would be called upon to shed blood
in the defence of the Faith.
The surcoat has seen many changes
throughout history and with the
vagaries of fashion developed into the
scarlet tunic which Officers of the
Order and members of the
ceremonial team wear today. The
current tunic is of a design based on
uniforms of the Napoleonic period.
So in wearing the habit or tunic we
carry part of the Order’s history with
us as we perform our duties. This
helps to remind us that there is a long
unbroken link to the Hospitaller
Knights of the past and we should
continue to be inspired by their
example of ‘’Tuitio Fidei et
Obsequium Pauperum.’’
Vale
Prince Rupert zu Loewenstein,
former President, British
Association
Prince Rupert zu Loewenstein, Count
von Loewenstein-Scharffeneck, Bailiff
Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion,
was an internationally celebrated
former banker and financial adviser
and former President of the British
Association of the Order.
In his six distinguished years (20012007) as President, Prince Rupert
brought his special brand of vitality and creativity to the role, and the
Association flourished under his leadership. He organised fundraising events,
encouraged the Order in its work for the Orders of St John Homes Care Trust
and tirelessly promoted and encouraged the many activities in which members
of the Order were involved around the country. His generosity and devotion to
the Order and to the Church were legendary.
Bailiff Peter Drummond-Murray
of Mastrick, former Chancellor,
British Association
Peter Drummond-Murray of Mastrick,
Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and
Devotion in Obedience, was an
illustrious former Chancellor, British
Association of the Order of Malta.
As a highly capable administrator for
the Order’s growing membership and
involvement in charitable activities, he
encouraged the Order ’s involvement
in care homes in Britain – there are now 77 – and established the Scottish
Delegation of the Order, which works to provide a meals on wheels service in
mid Scotland. A genealogist, an expert on Order history and traditions, former
company director and stockbroker, he was deeply committed to the Order.
Shortly before his death, he was decorated as Bailiff Grand Cross, which
recognised a lifetime of devotion and commitment to the Order of Malta.
John de Salis, 9th Count de Salis-Soglio, former
Order Ambassador to Thailand and Cambodia
Tri-lingual, a soldier, a qualified barrister, a banker, an
international humanitarian representative, a countryman
developing his own wines on a family estate in Italy. John
de Salis was an outstanding representative of the Order of
Malta across a range of activities and a member of the
British Association from 1974, remaining so until his death.
De Salis joined the International Red Cross (ICRC) in
1978, seeing missions as Delegate in Rhodesia
(Zimbabwe), Middle East and Africa, Head of Delegation
in Iraq 1980-1981, in Thailand 1981-1984 and Special
Envoy in Lebanon 1982 where he was awarded the Gold
Medal with Swords (Order of Malta, Beirut, 1982).
Appointed Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to
Thailand (1986-1998) and later also to Cambodia (19931998), he served these posts with distinction.
Moving to Switzerland, he was President of the Swiss
Association from 1995-2000, then President of CIOMAL
(Order of Malta’s international leprosy relief organisation)
from 2000-2008, extending CIOMAL’s activities, creating
greater support for the work on the ground, drawing
international attention to the plight of leprosy victims, and
raising the organisation’s profile internationally.
VALE
11
issue 2014-1 17/06/2014 12:11 Page 12
Hospitaller Spring 2014
JUNE 2014
LATEST NEWS FROM AROUND THE ORDER WORLD
TIMOR LESTE
SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION: The Order’s
Embassy, with the Australian Association,
inaugurate an orphanage and a health centre
they have supported in the capital, Dili, and
launch a scholarship programme for
students, to enhance knowledge and skills in
a country with very high poverty rates.
SOVEREIGN ORDER OF MALTA
ITALY
ELECTIONS: Chapter General elects senior
posts for the next five years with sixty-one
representatives of the Order from around the
world, including 28 of the Order’s religious,
members of the executive branch and heads
of the major national bodies. The most senior
roles – Grand Commander: Fra’ Ludwig
Hoffmann von Rumerstein; Grand
Chancellor (Head of the Executive Branch
and Foreign Minister): Albrecht von
Boeselager; Grand Hospitaller, Minister of
Health and of International Cooperation:
Dominique de la Rochefoucauld-Montbel;
Receiver of the Common Treasure (Finance
Minister): Janos von Esterhazy de Galantha.
PRESIDENTIAL VISIT: The President of
the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano,
makes a private visit to the Magistral Villa,
the Order of Malta’s institutional
headquarters and is received by the Grand
Master, Fra’ Matthew Festing.
SERBIA, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
SOVEREIGN ORDER OF MALTA:
New Visitors Centre in the heart of Rome
(corner via Bocca di Leone and via delle
Carrozze). Recently inaugurated by the
Grand Master, Fra’ Matthew Festing, the
Centre offers information on the Order’s past
and present, including its worldwide
humanitarian works. Opening times:
Thursday – Saturday 0930-14.00
HOLY SEE: Secretary of State, Holy See,
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, meets Grand Master,
Fra’ Matthew Festing at the Magistral Palace.
Cardinal Parolin: “In this new spiritual
atmosphere, with the emphasis Pope Francis
places on closeness to the poor and to all
those in difficulty, the Order can carry out a
permanent and contemporary mission in the
Church today”.
UGANDA
REFUGEE SUPPORT: South Sudan refugees
escape the civil crisis; 1.3 million homeless.
Over 300,000 flee to neighbouring countries,
including Uganda. In north Uganda Rhino
refugee camp, Malteser International, the
Order’s international relief agency, intensifies
its support, including requalification of water
piping and wells, distributes 20,000 litres of
drinking water every day in cooperation with
the local population, runs hygiene education
sessions and distributes hygiene kits. In
Mardi, in the southwest, Malteser
International is working to strengthen the
healthcare system and will provide food
packages and household items to 7,500
people, plus seeds and agricultural tools so
they can improve their food supplies.
12
WORLD NEWS
FLOOD RELIEF: Serious floods, days of
torrential rain, rescue and evacuation
operations continue in the Balkans, many
dead or missing, thousands flee their homes.
Malteser International, the Order of Malta’s
worldwide relief agency, is funding emergency
interventions, and the Order’s Hungarian
Association Relief Corps team is coordinating
aid and launches a fundraising campaign for
displaced families. The rescue operations are
coordinated by the Sovereign Order of Malta’s
embassies in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
More global news on the British
Association website
www.orderofmalta.org.uk