Regional Meetings Expand Please click the link below to obtain agendas and minutes for the regional meetings of the The Order of St John. 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 For documents relating to other previous years, please send a request to [email protected]
Committees Expand Click on the relevant bodies below to be taken to access the agendas and minutes for meetings of the respective bodies of the Order of St John. Grand Council gc2020 mins.pdf Trustees Executive Committee (TEC)Steering CommitteeOrder Honours and Awards Committee
The Order of St John Policy Expand Please see below for guidance on policy. Strategic Plan and ValuesOrder Strategic Plan 2017 Organisation StructureOrganisation Structure and Governance Charters, Statutes and RegulationsOrder of St John Regulations Order of St John Statutes Grand Council Policy Documents Concept of Centres of ExpertiseCompendium of GC Policy 2012Compendium of GC Policy 2011Compendium of GC Policy 2008Compendium of GC Policy 2007 Precedence within the OrderOrder Precedence Table as at 31 Jan 2017 Register of Arms and Authorised EmblemsRegister of Arms and Authorised Emblems Grants of Arms GCI's
Chancery (Honours and Awards) Expand Click on the links below to access relevant background infomation about the honours and awards processes of the Order of St John and the various forms to be used. Membership of the Order 20200206_Regnal_Years_of_HM_Queen_Elizabeth_II.docx 2019 Guidance for Nominators 2020_Declaration_Form.docx 2020_Nomination_Form.docx A11_Certificate_and_Undertaking_2020.docx Service Medal of the Order 2019 International Instruction Changes to the Service Medal of the Order of St John Grand Prior's Award Recognition Grand Priors Award Grand Priors Award Certificate example Sovereign's Award Recognition Sovereigns Award Sovereigns Award Certificate template Order Awards for Bravery Recognition Bravery Awards Life-Saving Medal Certificate template Life-Saving Certificate of Honour template Other Order Awards Recognition Other Order Awards Comments on any of the documents/forms above and suggestions for other topics to be considered for inclusion should be sent via the Chancery focal point in your Priory or your Association Chairman to the Head of Chancery in the International Office. The Statutes, Regulations and Grand Council Instructions may be found by selecting the ‘Governance’ option in the drop-down menu and the clicking on ‘The Order of St John Policy’ heading.
Latest Chancery News Expand LP_Birthday_Greeting_to_Her_Majesty_the_Queen_April_2020.docx 2019 Banner and Flag Handbook Issue 3 (dated Sep19)
Information about St John Expand Improving Health and Wellbeing Around the World Our Work Our History Our Values
Annual Reports Expand Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022.pdf (The link above takes you to download a compressed version of our Annual Report for 2022. If you would prefer to view our Annual Report, please click this link. If you are looking to download the Report to print it off for your records, please email [email protected] and we shall WeTransfer you the full sized document.) Other Annual Reports and Financial Statements Annual Report and Financial Statements 2021.pdf Annual Report and Financial Statements 2020.pdf Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019.pdf Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018.pdf Annual Report and Financial Statements 2017.pdf
Ceremonial and Chancery information Expand The St John (Ceremonial) Regulations The St John (Membership, Honours and Awards) Regulations 2022 Banner and Flag Handbook Regnal years of HM King Charles III You find the Order nomination form and related documents here
Respect Expand Showing respect and loving kindness for all humanity Everyone, no matter their age, gender, race, creed, political affiliation or national identity, or what they may have done, will receive loving kindness from St John without discrimination.
Unselfishness Expand Selflessly helping those in greatest physical, mental and spiritual need without judgment, and building their resilience We will put the needs of others before ourselves, working for stronger communities. Our first four values are based upon our view of human need, in which we promote physical, mental and spiritual health and well-being, guided and inspired by the Christian principles of our founders.
Excellence Expand Delivering modern care to a high standard, with a clear focus on impact and efficiency All those involved in delivery will keep up to date with the latest standards and all our services will be delivered with compassion, to the highest level, ensuring those in most need get the care they require.
Openness and transparency Expand Committing to openness and transparency so that we become a learning organisation We will seek to learn from each other. We will share the things that go well, so they can be used by all. We will also be open and honest about our mistakes, so we can all learn and improve for the future.
Devotion Expand Building a spiritual home for ourselves and future generations, where all can find fulfilment and meaning through a shared devotion to helping others As members of St John we seek to ensure that everyone feels part of one community, devoted to our mission while providing support to each other and to future generations.
Togetherness Expand Working to create a sense of one family of St John by strengthening and bringing together our many locally-led organisations around a common vision and common values Based across the world and mainly in the Commonwealth, we endeavour to help and support the one family of St John.
Diversity and inclusiveness Expand Embracing diversity and inclusiveness to support our common purpose, respecting our differences and accepting those of all faiths and none, whilst confident in our Christian roots and traditions Everyone should feel included in our St John family.
Faithfulness Expand Holding ourselves to the highest standards and looking for the best in others, we are faithful to the vision of our founders Presuming good faith in each other, we hold ourselves and each other to account for high standards of propriety and behaviour, and honour those who do good works.
Origins Expand Jerusalem remains a focal point for different faiths, and it has been a place of pilgrimage for thousands of years. The Order of St John was founded in Jerusalem by monks with a mission to care for sick pilgrims, regardless of faith. By 1080 they had established a hospital, and the men and women who worked there became known as Hospitallers. Soon after, Jerusalem became a focus for conflict. In 1095, the First Crusade was launched to overthrow Muslim rule in the region. In 1099, Jerusalem was captured by Christian knights. The Hospitallers continued to care for the sick, but around 1148, its members adopted a new military role as the Crusader Kingdom became politically unstable. In 1187, Sultan Saladin conquered Jerusalem.
The eastern Mediterranean Expand Driven out, the Hospitallers re-established themselves at Acre, now in northern Israel. In Europe the Hospitallers built up a network of properties and lands, known as Priories and Commanderies, which generated income to finance their care for the sick and their military campaigns. In 1291, Acre was captured by Muslim forces, and the Hospitallers were forced to relocate again. The Hospitallers retreated to Cyprus for 20 years, during which time they took part in the conquest of Rhodes. It was on Rhodes that the Hospitallers then established their main base, remaining for a further two centuries. Rhodes was attacked numerous times, and on 1 January 1523 it fell to the army of Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, and the Hospitallers were permitted, in view of the courage they had shown, to withdraw with colours flying and their honour intact.
Malta Expand In 1530, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V granted the Hospitallers the island of Malta, which became their headquarters. The Great Siege From their new base, the Hospitallers patrolled the Mediterranean, and it was not long before the Ottoman Turks attacked. In May 1565, an invasion force of 25,000 Ottoman Turks invaded the island. The defence of Malta is perhaps the most famous episode in the Hospitallers’ military history. The brutal siege lasted nearly four months, there were heavy losses on both sides, but in September reinforcements arrived and the Ottoman Turks were finally driven off. Malta and Napoleon The Hospitallers thrived on Malta for more than two centuries before a serious new threat arose. Following the French Revolution, General Napoleon Bonaparte captured Malta in 1798 with almost no resistance. Russia and Rome Suddenly bereft of their island home, some of the Hospitallers returned to their own countries, others settled briefly in Russia, with Tsar Paul I as their de facto Grand Master (although he was an orthodox Christian). Following Tsar Paul’s assassination in 1801, the Hospitallers re-established themselves in Rome, where the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta continues today.
Reviving the Order in England Expand As a Catholic order, the Hospitallers in England were dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540. The Order was briefly revived in 1553 by Henry’s Catholic daughter Mary I. Following her death in 1558, England reverted to Protestantism, and the Order’s properties were confiscated. In the late 1820s émigré knights from France joined in a plan to found a non-Catholic branch of the Order in England; this was not recognised in Rome. Nevertheless, it continued to grow propelled by the medieval Hospitallers’ traditional mission to care for the sick and injured. By the 1860s it was well established and had attracted some attention from The Royal Family. Recognising the need for medical assistance for civilian victims of accidents, the St John Ambulance Association was launched by the Order in 1877, organising training and the distribution of first aid kits and stretchers. A decade later, the St John Ambulance Brigade was formed as a uniformed volunteer organisation. Visit St John Ambulance England’s website
A global reach Expand Meanwhile, St John was expanding overseas. By 1891, first aid centres had been established in Australia, India, Gibraltar, Malta, the West Indies, New Zealand and South Africa. Another important development was the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, founded in 1882. This quickly became a vital provider of ophthalmic care to thousands of patients in a region where eye complaints are common. In 1888, Queen Victoria recognised the enormous public value of the new Order and granted it a Royal Charter, as an order of the British Crown. Visit the website of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group
War service Expand The Order took an active role during conflicts, beginning with the Franco-Prussian War and the Turco-Serbian Wars of the 1870s. A conference held by the British government in 1898 led to the formation of the Central British Red Cross Committee, to co-ordinate medical support for the British forces during wartime. In 1899, the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) broke out in South Africa, and St John volunteers provided valuable support to army medical services. By the time the First World War began in 1914, St John and the Red Cross were well prepared, and the Military Home Hospitals Reserve and Royal Naval Auxiliary Sick Berth Reserve were quickly mobilised. In recognition of their courage, the title of the Order was changed to The Most Venerable Order in 1936. During the Second World War of 1939 to 1945 many thousands of St John volunteers worked with the army and navy overseas, and at home. When German bombing raids hit civilian targets in the UK during the Blitz, the Order provided both medical treatment and first aid training. Towards the end of the war, St John volunteers were among the first to provide relief to those imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps.
The Order in modern times Expand The Order of St John is a unique international charity, with its chief headquarters in London. It is managed on the ground by a network of separate Priories and Associations around the world. Today St John is a modern organisation delivering first aid, healthcare and support services around the world. Its programmes are community-based and volunteer led. They provide high impact at low cost. From mobile clinics in Malawi to eye clinics in the Palestinian Territories, ambulance services in Australia and New Zealand, kidney dialysis in Malaysia, hospice care in Antigua and first aid worldwide, St John provides thousands of people with essential medical care every day. At the core are the 200,000 St John volunteers who give their own time and effort to help others. In England and Uganda, in Jamaica and Canada, in South Africa and Wales, and in over 30 more countries, volunteers are wearing the eight-pointed cross on their uniforms, proud to be part of our worldwide charitable movement. Read more about our international programmes
Organ Donor Award Expand The Order of St John Organ Donor Award is not part of St John's Honours and Awards system, but an award that was established in cooperation with NHS Blood and Transplant in the UK. Find out more about the Organ Donor Award here
The Museum of the Order of St John Expand The Museum of the Order of St John tells a unique and fascinating story about the Order of St John — from its origins in eleventh century Jerusalem, through to its role today with St John Ambulance and the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. The Museum occupies two sites in Clerkenwell, London: St John’s Gate, the entrance to the former Priory of the Knights of St John, which dates from 1504; and the Priory Church of St John, Clerkenwell with its surviving twelfth century Crypt. Visit the Museum website to find out more
One St John Historic Journal Expand One St John Historical Journal One St John Journal Vol 8 2022 One St John Journal Vol 7 2021 One St John Journal Vol 6 2020 One St John Journal Vol 5 2019 One St John Journal Vol 4 2018 One St John Journal Vol 3 2017 One St John Journal Vol 2 2016 One St John Journal Vol 1 2015