The EuropeanSovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller Issue No. 11

December 2013

The Working Group was established in 2001 withrepresentation from each of the five Orders of St.John that were signers of the Charter ofAlliance in2000 and was originally chaired byYves de Villepinas Grand Master of The Reguleur French Order.The purpose of the WG was, and remains, tofurther develop the cooperation and relationsbetween the various elements of the Orderassociated with the Constitution of King Peter II tofurther the aims of the Order of St. John in meetingtheir common Mission. The meetings have beenheld in Europe as most of its Members residedthere, at somewhat random intervals. In 2006, thefour Orders that were European based did effect aReunification between themselves while SOSJ waspre-occupied with issues relating to other mattersin the Priory of the Eastern U.S. The efforts toachieve Reunification resumed in earnest in 2007Due to heath issues, GM de Villepin stood aside as

Chairman in 2008, and Grand Commander Brown waselected Chairman in the work-up to full Reunificationbetween OSJ and SOSJ that occurred in Budapest in 2010.The meetings of the WG have basically been held annuallysince 2008 in order to reconcile the differences that existedaround linguistic, cultural, and administrative matters.The 2013 meeting of the Working Group was held 18-20

August in Munich before the Investiture in Scotland 22-24August. In attendance were Chairman Brown (U.S.),Heiner Kleeberg (Germany), Dag Von Chance (Norway),Patrice de Gail (France), René Tonna-Barthet (England),Remy Leprette (France), and Glenn Wales (Scotland, newmember). The meeting began with a discussion of the statusof each Grand Priory in Europe along with prospects forgrowth as a backdrop to more meaningful discussions thatneeded resolution for growth throughout Europe. While theUK, Brittany, Germany, and Finland, in particular, haveshown progress, that success has not been universal.

WORKING GROUP MEETING 2013After lengthy discussions several key decisions were

reached to achieve consistent and efficient operation of allelements of the SOSJ within Europe. While the GrandPriory structures in Europe reflect the historical structure ofLangues to deal with language and cultural matters, it wasconcluded that a single leader is needed to coordinate all ofEurope and, ensure consistency of operation, and developbetter communication between the Units. While the formaljob description and title were not finalised, it is anticipatedthat a proposal will be ready for approval by the SCM inMalta, September 2014. In the meantime, a budget proposalwill be prepared by The Regency that will be included inthe submission to the SCM.Several specifics of Communication were discussed and

decisions taken around letters to all members from theGrand Master, two per year, to include some commentsfrom the Ecclesiastical Council, with an additional one fromthe Grand Commander annually. Further, a proposal for

distribution of The European throughout all Grand Priorieswill be prepared and submitted and proposed to theRegency, by Grand Prior Wales so that the cost ofpreparation and production is shared. The European wasconsidered by all to be a very valuable tool both forrecruiting and information sharing among current Members.The project to consolidate The Rules from SOSJ with the

Laws from OSJ was discussed and a decision was taken tofocus the energy of the Committee on finalising a set ofprocesses under which ALL Units would operate as asupplement to the Constitution. These will be available forapproval at the 2014 SCM as additions to the reformat ofThe Rules prepared by Bailiff Stein to incorporate itemsnecessary in Europe to accomodate cultural differences andpractices.The Working Group will continue its efforts to optimise

the benefits of Reunification in fulfilling our Mission withour current Elements and be attractive to other elements ofthe King Peter Orders of St. John to be included in a strongand well-managed organisation.

Respectfully submitted, Owen Brown,Grand Commander, SOSJ

Grand Priory of the U.K. & Ireland Publication

Golfers and Non Golfers areinvited to a special SOSJ eventin the dream like seaside city ofSantander on the Cantabriancoast of northern Spain.Scheduled to take place onSaturday, 24th May 2014 theevent is organised by theinitiative of Chevalier ProfessorDaniel Casanova KGSJ and hiswife Dame Professor MariviSanjuan Casanova DSJ of theLondon Commandery.Participants to the event will enjoy

a unique opportunity to visit one ofthe finest top flight golf courses inEurope: Real Golf de Pedrena , lifelong club of Golf’s starlegend Severiano (‘Seve’) Ballesteros.The SOSJ charity event has been specially organised as an

enjoyable and relaxing weekend that accommodate theinterests of both Golfers and Non Golfers. The event’spreliminary schedule includes:

Friday, 23rd May 2014Arrival at Santander (Ryanair runs direct flights toSantander from London’s Stanstead airport - flight time:1h. 45min / early afternoon arrival at around 5pm). Dinnerat a local Restaurant in Santander.

Saturday, 24th May 2014City tour & Sightseeing in the morning /Golf tournament totake place in the fields of Real Club de Pedrena (from 15.00hours to 19.00 hours).At 20.00 hours pm Cocktails /Golf Awards Ceremony

followed by Charity Dinner at the Club. Please note that agroup of about 40 friends of SOSJ from Santander areplanning to attend the Charity Dinner at the Club with 20 ofthem taking part in the Golf tournament.

Sunday, 25th May 2014Free time in Santander & fly back to London in theafternoon.

Prior Vassilios Papalois KJSJ

PRIORY OF ENGLAND

Recommended Hotels:Hotel Chiqui ***Tel. +34 -942 282 700www.hotelchiqui.comPrices from EUR 65.97

Hotel Santemar****Tel. +34 -942 272 900www.hotelsantemar.comPrices from EUR 65.97

Hotel Silken Rio**** (Rhin)Tel. +34 -942 274 300www.hoteles-silken.comPrices from EUR 62.00

To express your interest and support the eventand further information, please contact directlyDaniel (danielcasanova@telefonica.net) orMarivi (marivisanjuan@telefonica.net)

Commandery of London – Charity EventA WEEKEND AND CHARITY GOLF EVENT AT SANTANDER

COMMANDERY OF LONDON

Present for the Oath of Office from left to right:Deputy Commander Stephen Lodge KCJSJ; H.E

Conventual Bailiff Rene Tonna-Barthet GCSJ, CMSJ &Bar, MMSJ; Chev The Rev Father John Wiley KJSJ;

Commander Neville Ransley KGSJ;Prior Vassilios Papalois KJSJ; Squire Timos Papalois;

Dame Vana Papalois DGSJ.

New Commander of London

This is also however a pleasant task ahead of us all as wetry to consolidate this Commandery with the enthusiasm ofthe many new members we have acquired over the last fiveyears. I am thankful to my predecessor that the vision of theCommandery has been so well established and it will be mytask to continue to build on this solid foundation.I hope that at the investiture planned for November 2014

we will have a number of new members who will helpstrengthen and progress the Commandery and its charitableactivities.

Commander Neville Ransley KGSJ

I took my oath of office as Commander of theCommandery of London, on 13 October 2013 at theHoly Family Church, EastActon. Chevalier FatherJohnWiley KJSJ officiated. It is a great honour tofollow in the footsteps of Prior Vassilios PapaloisKJSJ who has done so much to develop thisCommandery which we hope will be the first ofmany in the newly created Priory of England.As Commander, I will be responsible for the smooth

running and well-being of the Commandery and itscharitable efforts. I shall support and encourage ourmembers to help and comfort those in need, to uphold theprestige of the Sovereign Order and to create a spirit ofco-operation within the Commandery.This is a tall order which I can accomplish only with the

help and guidance of the Prior and those in ourCommandery with years of experience and good standing.

The Commandery ofScotland (now renamed asthe Commandery ofGlasgow following theformation of the Priory ofScotland) held a verysuccessful Investitureduring the weekend 22nd to25thAugust 2013. The eventwas well attended with 108Members and their guestsfrom Canada, Finland,Germany, Denmark, USA,England and Scotlandmeeting up in Glasgow andhaving a great time.The weekend began with a

Welcome to the Out of Townersand Meet the Aspirants Reception at the Holiday InnTheatreland, Glasgow. It was a time to meet up with oldfriends and meet new ones. Pianist John Balding playedduring the drinks reception and dinner and later we wereentertained to some excellent jazz music played by the brasssection of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.The Annual General Meeting of the Grand Priory of the

United Kingdom and Ireland was held on the morning ofFriday 23rdAugust and was well attended by Grand PrioryMembers and a few senior Members of the SovereignOrder.On Friday evening 88 of us travelled by coach to

Edinburgh to attend a performance of the Royal EdinburghMilitary Tattoo. Before each person boarded their bus DameMay Storrie and her band of helpers handed them a “goodiebag”, for the homeward journey, of sandwiches, crisps(chips), a soft drink and a Tunnocks Caramel Wafer – thelatter being a caramel wafer biscuit of world renown (wellat least of Scottish renown!). For once the Scottish weatherwas good to us and added to the enjoyment of the evening.In addition to the Massed Pipes and Drums and a great andhighly colourful show put on by the Tattoo Organisers wealso had the performance commence with an RAF fly passand conclude with an exciting fireworks display. On thereturn journey to Glasgow the intrepid travellers may haveenjoyed their sandwiches and crisps but I suspect theyenjoyed the copious drams of single malt whisky which

were lavishly dispensed byGrand Prior Glenn Wales oncoach 1 and his enthusiastichelper Chevalier Ronnie Smithon coach 2. And so it was that atired but merry (very merry!)band arrived back at the hotel inGlasgow in the early hours ofSaturday.After rehearsals in the morning

the Ceremony of Investiture washeld at our home church,Orchardhill Parish Church,Giffnock on Saturday afternoonwith Conventual Bailiff, GrandCommander, Owen Brown,acting as presiding officer due toGrand Master, Bailiff David

Rolfe being unwell. Our Prelate the Reverend David Milland Chaplain the Reverend Chris Vermeulen officiated atthe service during which eleven new Members wereinvested in to the Sovereign Order. Six Aspirants becameMembers of the Commandery of Glasgow, two becameMembers of the Commandery of Helsinki in Finland, twojoined the German Association and one became a Memberof the Commandery of St Joseph in the USA.During the Service Commanders JimWylie and Vassilios

Papalois took the Oaths of Office as Priors of Scotland andEngland respectively and Chevalier Alan McCulloch tookthe Oath of Office as Commander of the Commandery ofGlasgow. There were also 5 promotions within theCommanderies of Glasgow and London. In addition wewitnessed Martin Marschner von Helmreich taking the Oathof Office as Grand Prior of Germany.The world famous Glasgow Phoenix Choir provided the

wonderful choral music during a very moving and enjoyableChurch Service.A champagne reception and Gala Dinner was held in the

magnificent Trades Hall of the Trades House of Glasgowon the Saturday evening with entertainment provided by theCaledonian Fiddle Orchestra and the RSNO Jazz Trio.

Prior J GWylie KJSJPrior of Scotland

PRIORY OF SCOTLAND

The Commandery of Scotland Investiture August 2013.

COMMANDERY OF GLASGOWINVESTITURE WEEKEND AUGUST 2013

COMMANDERY OF GLASGOW -

INVESTITURE WEEKEND AUGUST 2013

It was with no small measureof trepidation that I assumedoffice on Saturday 24thAugust 2013 as Commanderof the newly re-namedCommandery of Glasgow.The Commandery ofGlasgow replaces the formerCommandery of Scotland inline with the re-organisationwhich saw the formation ofthe Priories of Scotland andEngland. In due course thisre-organisation will permitthe formation of newCommanderies within bothScotland and England,thereby assisting inspreading the work of theOrder throughout bothcountries.The last year of the Commandery of Scotland, under the

leadership of then Commander (now Prior) James G.Wylie,saw the Commandery go from strength to strength. Severalhighly successful events were held, such as the BurnsSupper, hosted by Dame May Storrie at her home, theannual Noel Lunch in the Crutherland House Hotel in aid ofSt. Andrew’s Hospice and the Gourmet Dinner and Wineevening organised by Grand Prior Glenn Wales andChevalier Maurice Taylor. These events raised substantialfunds for our charitable work and provided much fun andentertainment for all of those who supported them. Thisyear the Commandery will distribute £40,000 to severalworthy charities recommended by the members whichincludes a donation of £10,000 to St Andrew’s Hospice.In July 2013 Dame May Storrie, my wife Dame Lynda

and I set off for Vancouver to attend the Investiture of theVancouver Commandery and to visit the new St JohnHospice which the Vancouver Commandery raised themoney to construct and equip at a cost of approximately $5Million Canadian. A full report can be found within thisedition.The members of the Vancouver Commandery raised the

$4.4 Million construction and fit out costs from Membersand their friends, including a substantial donation from theStorrie Family and the Priory of Scotland in memory ofBailiff Grand Prior of Europe, Donald Storrie, and the Priorof The Western United States of America. In addition, theGovernment of The Province of British Columbia gave $1million. This facility is an outstanding example of the workof the Order in Vancouver in putting into practice theancient principals on which the Order is based.We also had the pleasure of attending a reception for

aspirants and out of towners at the home of Dame Wendy

King DGSJ and Dr CaseyManarey followed next day bythe Vancouver Commandery’sInvestiture held in themagnificent surroundings ofChrist Church Cathedral wherethe ceremony was brought to arousing close by the pipes anddrums of the SeaforthHighlanders playing HighlandCathedral. This was followed bya splendid Gala Dinner in theTerminal Club includingentertainment from an AbbaTribute band which had mostmembers on their feet.My first meeting as

Commander of the newlyre-named Commandery ofGlasgow was held on Saturday19th October 2013. I was

delighted that a high percentage of members were able toattend the meeting and I would thank everyone for theirattendance and support which is much appreciated. I wouldencourage anyone who could not make the October meetingto come to the next meeting if at all possible.I am delighted to confirm that Dame May Storrie has

kindly agreed to act as my Depute, Chevalier Fergus Couttshas agreed to continue to act as Marshal and Chevalier JohnThomson has consented to continue in office as Hospitaller.Prior James GWylie has also agreed to continue to providehis invaluable advice and services as Treasurer. I wouldthank them all for their much valued support in the past andI look forward to working with them in the future.I had the greatest pleasure in welcoming 6 new members

to the Commandery of Glasgow, all of whom were investedat our Investiture in August last, Chevalier William P JDunn, Chevalier W.Barrie Fleming, Dame Janice Fleming,Dame Ruth Chappell Fleming, Dame Rose Mary Harleyand Chevalier Grahame Storrie. I am sure all of them willmake valuable contributions to the work of theCommandery in the future and would wish them everysuccess.I am delighted to confirm that the Glasgow Commandery

still has a sum of £23,000 available for distribution to localcharities and I have issued an invitation to members tonominate charities for consideration by the Board ofTrustees.I am pleased to confirm that some 15 members and their

guests have now indicated that they will be attending theSovereign Council Meeting in Malta next September andsome of those will be participating in the post meeting tourof Sicily and Southern Italy.

COMMANDERY OF GLASGOW

Visit to Vancouver

Dame May Storrie and Chevalier Dann Konkin

left to right: Dame Margaret Rolfe, Kay Dustan wife of Bailiff Grand Prior JohnDustan, Bailiff Christine Dryvynsyde, Dame May Storrie, Commander RichardEarthy, Anne Earthy, Dame Lynda McCulloch, Commander Alan McCulloch,Bailiff Grand Prior John Dustan

left to right: Sally Petitpierre, Bailiff David Petitpierre,Dame Lynda McCulloch

At this, the start of my period in office, I am very conscious of the success of my predecessor, Prior James GWylie, overhis period of office, in increasing the number of our Commandery members and the sums raised for charitable works. It ismy intention, with the support of the members of the Commandery of Glasgow, to carry those twin aims forward. With thelatter of those aims in mind, I would remind members that the Burns Supper is due to be held at Dame May Storrie’s houseon 25th January next and the Gourmet Dinner andWine Evening is due to take place at the Holiday Inn Theatreland, Glasgowon 5th April 2014. I would ask all of our members to give these events their wholehearted support and to put the dates intoyour diaries now. Likewise the annual Lanarkshire Noel Lunch, which many members support every year, is due to take placeon 13th December 2013 and I would again commend this to members.I look forward to being of service to the members of the Commandery and to taking the work of the Commandery of

Glasgow forward during my period in office.CommanderAlan McCulloch KGSJ

St. John Teaching Hospice Opens in Vancouver

On 6th September, 2013 a contemporary Hospicewas opened on the campus of the University ofBritish Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. TheVancouver Commandery celebrated the successfulconclusion of its 7-year project fully 900 years afterthe SOSJ established a hospital in Jerusalem to carefor the sick and poor during the Crusades.Twenty years ago, the Commandery established annual

supportive donations to the British Columbia HospicePalliative Care Association to be used for regional palliativeprograms serving 5 million people.The Commandery sought an organisation, hoping to

operate a Hospice, with the concept of raising most of themoney in return for naming it “ST. JOHN HOSPICE”.In 2007, Prior Emeritus Poul Hansen, KCJSJ, MMSJ,

then Commander of Vancouver, called a Special GeneralMeeting of the Vancouver Commandery. The assembledKnights and Dames unanimously agreed to set on a courseto raise $3 million to fund a hospice on the west side ofVancouver as the Commandery’s new charitable objective.Knights and Dames of the Commandery started an

intensive program of educational visitations to hospicesboth in Vancouver, and in Scotland following the SovereignCouncil meeting at Dunblane in late 2007. Some Knightsjoined the board of a community-based hospice to gainfirsthand operational knowledge. The Commandery and itscharitable foundation, The Order of St. John Palliative CareFoundation, realised that with the combined andwidely-based professional and managerial talents of its 150Knights and Dames, the Order didn’t need to supportanother organization. It would build its own!To raise the money to buy about 1 acre (almost half a

hectare) of fee-simple land would have cost about $15million. Including about $5 million to pay for theconstruction of the Hospice, and its landscaping, furnitureand equipment, the Commandery needed to raise over $20million and so the Commandery sought donor land andinterfaced with the University of British Columbia’sFaculty of Medicine to develop an idea that if a Hospice

were built on University land, the Faculty could be allocateddedicated space within for both researchers investigatingthe best practices for end-of-life care, and the training ofhealth professionals.Such a partnership would benefit the University, and the

regional population and when best practices for end-of-lifecare were published, the whole world would gain anadvantage. Integrating the research and training componentswould make the new hospice rather unique.The then Chairman of the Commandery’s Order of St.

John Palliative Care Foundation, Chev. Kenneth W.Mahon, KCJSJ, MMSJ, with support from that Board,assembled a team to raise over $5 million. Other workingcommittees began to consider design and constructionplanning, and relationships with partnering organizations.The completed Hospice provides 14 bedroom suites with

furniture and attractive landscaping in keeping with thehome-like, residential objective. The Hospice also has akitchen, dining room, living room, specialized assisted-bathroom and service rooms, a quiet room, a family room wherevisiting children can play, various offices, and the Faculty ofMedicine’s aforementioned facilities.

In just over a year,about $4.4 millionwas raised fromMembers and theirfriends, includingwelcomed donationsfrom the SOSJ Prioryof Scotland and theStorrie Family inmemory of BailiffGrand Prior DonaldStorrie, and also fromthe Prior of TheWestern UnitedStates of America.The Government ofThe Province ofBritish Columbia alsodonated $1 million.Committees of

Knights and Damess p e c i f i e d

state-of-the-art beds, cleanable furniture, and an efficienton-site laundry. Over $100,000 of fine art works, mainlydonated by Members, were chosen for an “art-cart” that canbe wheeled from room to room for patients to choose a nicelandscape or a floral design to hang on their own wall. Aswell, a patient may wish to bring a favourite painting fromhome.The Mission Statement of SOSJ calls on all Knights and

Dames to deliver benefits for the Lord’s sick and poor,consequently, the Vancouver Commandery feels verycomfortable in directing its charitable efforts to thepalliative care field which includes Hospices.

Chevalier Peter H. Hebb KJSJ

Commander Richard D. Earthy, KJSJ, Chevalier John Norton,KCJSJ ,MMSJ and Chevalier Kenneth Mahon, KCJSJ, MMSJ (farright) join medical and health officials at the official ribbon cuttingceremony

Commander Alan McCulloch andDames May Storrie and LyndaMcCulloch pictured with members ofthe Vancouvery Commandery duringtheir visit to Vancouver in June

Dame Barbara Hislop better known as BarbieHislop was invested to the Sovereign Order of St.John of Jerusalem to the Vancouver Commanderyon June 14th, 2008. During her four and a halfyears as a member of the Vancouver Chapter shewas enthusiastic about the much needed newhospice that was a vision and then became a reality- officially opened last September. It was this verymuch needed facility that convinced Barbie to jointhe Order.While in Vancouver she was on the committee that

recommended what grants to be distributed and she partookwith her fellow investees of 2008 in social and givingactivities. As she was the Executive Director at Variety theChildren’s Charity of British Columbia (BC) she waslimited to taking a very active role in fundraising.Barbie, In December 2012, after 6 years as the Executive

Director of Variety the Children’s Charity of BC, retired andwith her husband John moved to the United Kingdom (UK).They live in The New Forest near the village of Burley. Asa result of this move Barbie has transferred to theCommandery of London in 2013. She recently attended theInvestiture in Glasgow and was honoured to carry theEnglish flag during the ceremonyBarbie and John have four grown children ranging from

ages 25 to 29. They are very active and are all worldchampion Ultimate Disc (Frisbee) players several timesover. The three older ones are CharteredAccountants whilethe youngest just wrote his exam to also become a charteredaccountant and is just awaiting the results.

Dame Barbara Hislop DSJ

Barbie’s career prior to Variety included 4 years asPresident and CEO of an applied software company, 29years at Canfor Corporation in various roles including 14years as a member of the senior executive team. Barbie is agraduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors GovernanceProgram in Canada and has sat on several boards

including Bank of Canada, Hudson’s Bay Company andCanfor Corporation.Currently Barbie is volunteering her time on the Sauder

Business School of the University of BC Faculty AdvisoryBoard and on the Variety International –the Children’sCharity Board as a Vice President. Locally Barbie isinvolved with the Wessex Branch of Variety in the UK andshe is also a co-chair for her high school’s alumnae in theUK.In fact, Barbie is well known for her extensive

volunteering and was earlier this year awarded the QueenElizabeth II Jubilee Medal for outstanding communityservices by the Premier of BC. Barbie has also won theprestigious YWCA Women of Distinction Award forBusiness and Professionals, and her School’s SpecialAchiever for outstanding alumnae in community andprofessional work among other awards.We welcome Barbie to the Commandery of London and

look forward to her active involvement and great energy incontinuing to help the Sovereign Order of St. John ofJerusalem.

Pictured top left: Dame Barbara Hislop carrying the St George’sCross at the Commandery of Glasgow Investiture in August 2013

and top right: pictured with her husband John in OrchardhillParish Church where the Ceremony of Investiture was held

PRIORY OF BRITTANY

From Friday evening 25th of October to Sunday27th afternoon, Knights and Dames of the Priory ofBrittany met at the Abbey of Campénéac inBrittany.For us it was an opportunity to share experiences, listen to

conferences and pray together.Saturday we had the board of directors of our

HumanitarianAssociation and listened to a very interestingconference about ethics in the management of ourAssociation, employees and people we welcome and takecare. On Sunday, we took the General Chapter of the prioryand attended mass. Our Prior gave a diploma of honor toKnight José Dayot who is our Marshal and a diploma ofKnight of Justice to Knights Eric Le Bihan and RémyLeprette. At the end, Chevalier Eric le Bihan was promotedLt Prior of the Priory of Brittany, replacing DameMarie-Annick Durand-Perdriel DJSJ. During the mass weprayed for four Knights who died this year: Knight YvesMarcel, Father Henri le Minor, Father Yvon Mortreff,Knight Yves Mesnard.The weekend ended with a meal together at the abbey.

Chevalier Rémy Leprette, KJSJ

2013 General Chapter Meeting of the Priory of Brittany, France

Fra José Dayot,Fra Eric le Bihan,

Prior Bernard Lévêque

Dames and Knights after the Mass

Cistercian abbey“La Joie Notre Dame”

On Saturday, June 22nd 2013, we received in theSovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem,Knights Hospitaller, Dame Adriana Le Guillou, inthe presence of many Knights and Dames of thePriory of Brittany, in the church of Mesquer inBrittany, not far from Nantes.We attended Mass concelebrated by Monsignor

Lequimener, Chaplain of the Priory of Brittany, FatherFoucher Chaplain of the Commandery Nantes Pays de Retzand Father Barraud parish priest of Mesquer. On thisoccasion, we prayed for the Blessed Gerard, founder of theOrder 900 years ago.

Priory of Brittany

The reception ceremony of DameAdriana was chaired byBailiff Patrice de Gail. Bernard Leveque, Prior of Brittany,welcomed the new DameAdriana in the presence of GrandMaster Emeritus Yves de Villepin and Commander YvesBeaune de Paysat.Monsignor Lequimener recalled the history of the Order

since its inception and read the Papal Bull of 1113 addressedto the Blessed Gerard.The church of Mesquer is dear to the Knights and Dames

of Brittany. From the thirteenth century Templars settled inMesquer. After the dissolution of the Templar Order byPope Clement V in 1312, the property of the Templars ofMesquer were seized and allocated to the Hospitallers ofthe Order of St. John of Jerusalem. The OSJ created in this

place a hospital which welcomed the poor and the sick. Itwas the first hospital in Mesquer. The magnificent Monastichospital was built not only with the income of the monksbut also with the donations of the villagers. It is said thatpeople came to draw water from the fountain in SaintGobien, Mesquer which had healing properties!The Hospitallers of St. John left this hospital during the

sixteenth century.There are several buildings that have had other uses over

the centuries, including the house where the monks gatheredwhen they returned from the fields, after inspection of themills and after they had provided care to the sick they werelooking after.The Order of St. John has been for centuries the heart of

social life of Mesquer.

Dame May Storrie with theCommander of the GlasgowCommandery Alan McCulloch andPrior of Scotland, Jim Wylie,presenting a cheque for £10.000 toKatie Mulgrew of St. Andrew’sHospice. The money was raised fromthe annual Noel Lunch and the BurnsSupper. The Noel Lunch is held eachyear to support the much needed workof the Hospice in the local community.St Andrew’s Hospice provides specialist

palliative care services for the total care ofpatients who require complex symptommanagement and or end-of-life care and isopen to all, without distinction of race,gender, or creed. It is Lanarkshire’s onlySpecia l i s t Hospice and providesmultidisciplinary support for patients, theirfamilies, and carers.

St Andrews Hospice

St Andrew's Hospicecurrently provides:• 30 specialist palliative care beds• A 2 bed respite care service for older adults living

in the community and young chronic sick• A Day Hospice offering care for up to 60 patients

every week• Support for people in their own homes in the

Clydesdale area as part of a joint SouthLanarkshire project funding by "Reshaping CareFor Older People"

• A specialist range of support services• A consultant led domiciliary and outpatient service• A 24 hour telephone palliative care advice line• An education service to support the

understanding of palliative care in Lanarkshire andthe involvement of Hospice medical staff inpalliative care provision in the three DistrictGeneral Hospitals and clinics across the County

• Medical support to the Community Macmillan team

The International SociologicalAssociation, Sociology of LeisureResearch Committee, The Institute ofApplied Health Sciences and HealthPromotion at the University of Szegedand other international Associationsheld a conference in Szeged, Hungary inSeptember where Member of theCommandery of Hungary DameProfessor Zsuzsanna Benko DSJpresented a lecture on the activities ofthe Commandery in Hungary since itsformation.The conference had seventy five presenters

from fifteen countries and three hundredparticipants. Dame Zsuzanna was Head of theScientific Board of the Conference.Earlier in the year we held a memorial

service at the chapel where the daughter ofTsar Paul I is buried, during the serviceChevalier Istvan Molner placed a wreath ontop of the ornate crypt.After the memorial service a reception was

held in the home of Dame Eva Pandur DSJwith many of the Members of theCommandery of Hungary in attendance.We are currently planning a range of

activities for 2014.Chevalier Jozsef Doktor KCSJ

Commandery of Hungary

In the last issue, I describedhow the Knights of theOrder of St. John, after avery cruel siege, wereforced out of the Island ofRhodes which had beentheir home since the 24thGrand Master, Foulques deVillaret, had captured itafter a violent but verysuccessful attack in 1309.I also described how Grand

Master Philippe Villiers de l’IsleAdam, who was the 43rd GrandMaster, became the last GrandMaster in Rhodes (24thDecember 1522) and the firstone in Malta in 1530.However, after their arrival onthe Island, dissensions broke outamongst the Knights themselvesand there soon was a situationthat today can only be termed a Civil War. The GrandMaster, who could find no way to settle these differences,mainly between the Spanish and French Knights, anddepressed by the poverty of his new abode, it is said, diedof a broken heart at the Palace of Notabile on 31st August1534. One other factor that led directly to his depressionand death was also the dire situation in Europe followingthe Protestant Reformation especially in England, Germany,Sweden and Denmark. This Grand Master had showngreat leadership and courage which started to be apparent onhis way to Rhodes to be the new Grand Master as his ship,when near Nice in France, caught fire and his sailors wereready to throw themselves into the sea but he, with greatcalmness and leadership, led the sailors to extinguish thefires and indeed be able to carry on his journey. Furtherdemonstrations of his great prowess and courage were themany battles that he was involved in during the Siege ofRhodes itself.After De l’IsleAdam there came five more GrandMasters

before the fateful year of 1565. There was Perin du Pont1534-1535, Didier de Saint Jaille 1535-1536, Juand’Homedes 1536-1553, Claude de La Sengle 1553-1557,and finally, the 48th Grand Master and the 6th in Malta, theGreat and Immortal Jean Parisot de la Valette. Each one ofthese Knights continued building the fortifications on theIsland, in many instances out of their private wealth. Each

of them thought that anotherattack would happen during theirtenure of office. This period wasrelatively quiet and the onlyfights seemed to have taken placeon the high seas of theMediterranean. Indeed, manyhistorians, whose perspectiveseemed to be more in favour ofthe Saracens, implied in theirmany works that the Knightswere indeed nothing more thanpirates attacking the Turkish andArab galleons and taking the vastwealth which was on board beingferried from one EastMediterranean country to theother.

GRAND MASTER JEANPARISOT DE LAVALETTEJean de la Valette showed his

great courage during his life and he advanced in rank quitequickly, rising from Knight of Justice to Bailiff and soonwas appointed Lieutenant Grand Master by Grand Master,Claude de la Sengle, and when the former died, Jean waselected the next Grand Master. It is interesting to note thatone of his first acts was to discipline the German andVenetian Knights who had not paid their tributes for a longtime. His next act was to make plans for the reconqueringof Tripoli in Libya which the Grand Turkish AdmiralDragut, had made the best fortified town on the NorthAfrican Coast. Tripoli had become for the Turks whatMalta had become for the Order. In 1559, four hundredhospitallers and fifteen hundred soldiers of the Order, manyof whom were Maltese soldiers, were despatched toMessina in Sicily from where the whole fleet sailed souththe following February. It is worthwhile mentioning herethat the Viceroy in Sicily had lost a large number of Knightsin his failed venture to capture the Island of Gelva, as wellas to the plague, which ravaged Sicily during that time.What followed here was another sea battle against a hugeTurkish fleet numbering some eighty five vessels, and de laValette himself barely escaped, leaving a large part of hisfleet to fall into the hands of the Turks. Fortunately for laValette and the future of the Order, before this battle hadtaken place, he had ordered all the Knights, scattered inEurope, to assemble in Malta.

The First Siege of Malta 1565 (Part 1)

Following on this Turkish victory, Soliman, tired ofbeing continuously harassed, decided to finish the Orderonce and for all and started building a great fleet withwhich to attack the Island of Malta.On learning of these preparations, the Grand Master

sought, and obtained, a military alliance with the Viceroyof Sicily who started sending corn and military help toMalta. La Valette then rallied all the Knights and in afew weeks the Island was ready for any attack. PopePius IV (1559-1565) and the King of Spain, also sent helpin the way of men and arms. In total there were nowsome eight thousand five hundred soldiers and over sevenhundred Knights scattered in the various forts of St.Angelo, St. Elmo as well as in the City of Notabile andas far as the Castello in the small Island of Gozo (part ofthe Maltese archipelago). The Galleys of the Order wereplaced at the mouths of the major harbours around theIsland.On the 18th May 1565, one hundred and ninety three

Turkish vessels, carrying between them more than eightthousand soldiers and thirty eight thousand men, under the command of Generals Piali and MustaphaPasha, surrounded the Island. The alarm was sounded and immediately the islanders fled to the safetyof the two cities and the many caves around them, after having poisoned all the water wells and runningstreams.During the night, three thousand Turkish soldiers landed at St. Thomas Bay but on hearing that

reinforcements were on the way from Europe, General Mustapha Pasha decided that quick action wasnecessary and he attacked Fort St. Elmo which is at the mouth of the main harbour of the Island. Therewas a long bloody battle but at this stage the Turkish Army did not gain any advantage. Immediatelyafter this battle, Admiral Dragut arrived with another fifteen galleys and over one thousand five hundredmen.

H.E. Conventual Bailiff Rene Tonna-BarthetGCSJ, CMSJ & Bar, MMSJ

Part 2 will be published in the next edition of The European.

Friedrich Schiller’s poem “The Fight with the Dragon”, awork translated in English by J.P. Collier*, describes thelegend about a dragon that terrorised and plundered the cityof Rhodes, killing the flocks and whomever dared to fightit. After the failed attempts of several Knights to tame thedragon, the Grand Master had strictly forbidden any futurefight with the dragon. Upon the return to his homelandhowever, a brave young Knight remained determined oneday to face the monster and kept training in secret to fit thepurpose. The day came when he returned to Rhodes andwithout asking for the Grand Master’s permission, foughtthe dragon victoriously. This is a taste of how Schiller’spoem brings to life the image and the spirit of the Knightsin Rhodes:

Where run the people in amaze,In tides that choke the lengthen’d ways?Is Rhodes in flames? Each lesser currentUniting forms a stormy torrent._A warrior mounted on his horseIs borne as by the torrent’s force:Behind him, deed of high adventure!A monster in the tumult’s centre.It seems a Dragon, with the jawsOf crocodile stretch’d wide asunder.All greet the Knight with wild applause,And on the Dragon gaze with wonder.…To him give honours , then, and praises!While thus the crowd upon him gazes,Toward the cloister he went on,And there arriving unexpected.The holy Knights of good St. JohnWith speed in council were collected.…What honours manhood, graces youth?What gave the noblest heroes glory,Whose deeds still live in song and story?What raised to mighty gods, and high,The worthies of blind Pagany?From monsters slain their glory rises-They freed the world in dread emprizes!All undimay’d in fight they stood,Of Minotaurs made vengeful slaughters;Nor shrunk to shed their noblest blood,To save earth’s fairest sons and daughters.And the poem ends:The Master, who had thus subdued him,Recall’d him, as his eye pursued him;And cried:-“Embrace me, worthy son:Thou now hast gain’d a fight more glorious!The Cross by humbleness is won:-“Tis thine, since o’er thyself victorious!”

Rhodes. The Greek island of the Dodecanese(‘dodeca’ in Greek means twelve) complex whoseland has been chosen and equally chanted over theyears by gods and mortals. Distinctive features ofthe island include its beautiful and fertile land.Rhodes is the biggest of the Dodecanese islands inthe eastern Aegean sea, which is situated nearCrete, Cyprus and Turkey. Another captivatingfeature is its weather –for 300 days of the year,Rhodes is bathed by the sunlight.In Greek mythology, Zeus divided the earth and gave a

piece to all gods;All but one though: god Helios (Sun), whowas doing his usual routine of rotating the earth. Eventually,Zeus realised the mistake & restored justice by offeringHelios his own personal gift: a beautiful sun-bathed islandemerging piece by piece out of the blessed waters of theAegean Sea. Happy as can be, Helios wed the NymphRhodes and offered her name to the new island. In the 3rdcentury BC, a colossal bronze statue of god Helios waserected at the entrance of Rhodes’ harbour; the marvellous‘Colossus of Rhodes’ statue. Its construction took abouttwelve years to finish, after which it proudly counted itselfamong the Seven Wonders of the ancient world until it wasdestroyed during an earthquake which had hit the statues atits weakest point: the statue’s knees. A small reminder ofthe story of the ancient Greek ‘Colossus of Rhodes’ is theword ‘colossal’ which people commonly use to describeevents of unusually big magnitude.Commander Vassilios Papalois, Dame Vana Papalois,

Squire Timos Papalois, their family and I visited the islandof Rhodes for a second time last summer. Strolling throughthe medieval city of Rhodes and the Acropolis of Lindos,we followed the steps of the Knights: two places where theKnights of Rhodes had as their base for about two hundredyears. The strategic place of the island makes it easy tounderstand why the Knights chose it for their residence,after Jerusalem and Cyprus. Walking and getting lost in theabout 200 small streets or lanes, often unnamed -yetbursting in life, of the Old Medieval Town’s wall, a culturalsite in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, one gets a uniquefeel of travelling in past times. The seven “tongues’ of theOrder -England, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Provenceand Auvergne- were accommodated in different houses, asone can see even nowadays passing through the “Odos tonIppoton” (Knight’s Street). Practicing their noble aim ofhelping the needy of God, the Knights built a hospital, animpressive building, which nowadays houses theArchaeological Museum of Rhodes.Stories about the Knights’ heroic acts have inspired

innumerable poems and novels over the years.Among them,

Following the steps of the KnightsDame Dr. Mara K. Theodossopoulou, DGSJ

Among the several fortifications built by theKnights around the island, stands out the one inLindos, a city around 50 km. south of Rhodestown. Lindos is often synonymous withCleobulus, its notorious tyrant (c.600 BC), whowas one of the Seven Sages (Wise Men) ofGreece and to whom famous sayings areattributed, such as, “Everything in moderationand moderation in everything”, “Be ready forreconciliation after quarrels”, “Learn how tobear bravely changes of fortune.” The acropolisof Lindos was fortified successively by Greeks,Romans, Byzantines, Knights and later theOttomans. One reaches the acropolis of Lindoseither step by step, slowly walking up the steeproad of the hill or by riding the donkeys, which iswhat we did actually and had such a uniqueexperience (not to mention all the memorablelaughs!!).Once the visitor enters the archeological site,

he is welcomed by the prow of a ship carved inthe rock that dates back to the second century BC.A very well preserved stairway leads to theAdministrative Building of the Knights and theruins of St. John’s Greek Orthodox church. Theacropolis is divided into levels and as one walksfurther up, the sights of the Propylaia (gatewayin Greek) and a Doric temple built around 300BC dedicated to goddess Athena emerge. Fromup above, one cannot but admire the naturalbeauty of the deep blue sapphire waters, whichglisten like diamonds in the sunlight. From aheight, the emerald blue bay resembles thecircular shape of a necklace. The fact that it lacksany obvious entrance or exit point makes onewonder how, during the times of the Knights,ships entered and exited the bay. The site bearsthe name of St. Paul, as it was there that theApostle found a shelter from a storm on hisvoyage from Ephesus to Syria.Visiting sites of great historic significance

always bears a factor of personal pleasure and thebeginning for fantasy’s imaginative voyage to thepast and how life felt like back then… In history,similar to the knitting of a brightly colourfultapestry, one era touches upon the threads of theprevious one leaving behind only thosetrademarks…that warm our heart and stimulateour mind to keep weaving, paving the thread ofour present into the future…

*Schiller, F. (1825) The Fight with the Dragon,Transl. by J.P. Collier, Esq. Published bySeptimus Prowett, London

Some years ago, on an occasion when the Priory ofScotland joined my congregation for morning worship, alittle girl in my Sunday School said to me afterwards thatshe liked the “big white star” on the robes of the Knightsand Dames.She was, of course, referring to the Cross of Amalfi. At every

Ceremony of Investiture within the Order, we are reminded of howthe four arms of the cross represent four cardinal virtues, and theeight points represent the eight Beatitudes. But it wasunderstandable that to her innocent young eyes, it looked like a“big white star”.

By the time this issue of The European is published, we shall have entered the season of theChristian Year known as Advent, when we prepare to celebrate the coming of our Lord as ahelpless Babe in Bethlehem, and when we also anticipate his Second Coming in judgement,power and glory.Perhaps that little girl’s mistake is a helpful one. We remember how Christ’s entering our world

was like light shining in darkness – light that the darkness has never been able to overcome. We remember too that the wisemen from the East followed a star that led them to the Christ Child lying, not on silk cushions in a palace, but in a rough-hewnmanger in the stench and filth of a stable. That Child was to grow into the Man who was to show by his death on the crossthe extent of the love that came down at Christmas, and by his resurrection the power of that love.The Christ of the ‘star’ and the ‘cross’ taught his followers so to let their light shine before others that they would see the

good works that that they did and give glory to their Father in heaven.That is our calling within our Order – to take up our cross day by day and to let our good deeds shine out for all the world

to see – not to our glory, but to God’s. The challenging question, quite bluntly, is this: are we as faithful as we should be infulfilling that calling? If we are honest, the answer most of us should give is “No.”We could do more than we do. We could be less concerned about the trappings of the Order and more concerned about its

fundamental aims.In his birth, his life and his death, Christ identified with the poor and the marginalised, bringing healing and wholeness to

the sick in body, mind and spirit. Our commitment as an Order is to care for the Lord’s sick and poor – and to do so in a wayand to an extent that is truly sacrificial.When our Lord does come in final judgement, we are told that he will separate us into two groups. Those who will receive

his approval will be those who humbly helped their brothers and sisters in need; those who will receive his condemnationwill be those who neglected the sick and the poor.Advent is in some ways an ‘uncomfortable’ season, and it’s meant to be. However, if we are sincere about reflecting in the

help we give to others something of the love that became incarnate in our world that first Christmas, then our celebrationswill be truly blessed, our good deeds will shine out like a starburst of light – and we shall indeed live up to the cross that wewear.May God bless you and those whom you love, and especially the Lord’s sick and poor, this Christmastide and always.

Chevalier The Revd David Mill KJSJ

DAMES MAYAND ELAINEWOULD LIKE TO THANKALL OF THOSEWHO HAVE SUBMITTEDARTICLES ANDASSISTEDWITH THE PRODUCTION OF THIS ISSUE OF THE EUROPEAN

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THE EDITORIALTEAMCOMMANDERY OF LONDONSantander WeekendCharity Golf Event23rd - 25th May 2014Investiture21st - 23rd November 2014(venue TBC)Sovereign Council Meeting19-24th September 2014, Malta

COMMANDERY OF GLASGOWNoel Lunch13th December 2013- Crutherland House HotelBurns Supper - 201425th January 2014- Birch House ThorntonhallGourmet Dinner andWine EveningSaturday 5th April 2014

DameElaine Wales DSJelaine@northwoodproperties.co.uk+44 (0)1389 732314

DameMay Storrie DJSJ, MMSJmaystorrie@me.comTel: +44 (0)141 644 3111

Christmas Spiritual Message