Pro Fide Pro Utilitate Hominium
May the motto of the Order, Pro Fide Pro Utilitate Hominum, For Faith For Service to Humanity, guide us on our journey.
The Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller, is an ecumenical Christian Order with a focus on charity. We are dedicated to preserving the Christian faith and for service to humanity. Established in 1048AD by the Blessed Brother Gerard at the time of the Crusades, the Order began as a hospice for pilgrims and the local population and served people of all faiths.
The best intelligence places the original hospital near the present-day Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The OSJ remains among the oldest chivalric and religious organizations in the world. The Order’s motto: Pro Fide, Pro Utilitate Hominum (For Faith, For Service to Humanity) serves as a member’s moral compass and is upheld by all OSJ members while they strive to serve the sick, poor, and the needy worldwide to the best of their ability.
Vision
- To be known in our local society and church community as The Humanitarian Organisation, having the ability, competence and commitment to work for people in need.
- To be known as a Christian Ecumenical Order with deep roots in the history of knighthood, which have given us the inspiration to work as a modern Order adjusted to the society of today.
- To unify under the Constitution of King Peter II of Yugoslavia all Units which because of historic events have been separated.
- To create common frames, which make the Order recognizable all over the world.
- To ensure fundamental values, such as a Christian lifestyle, loyalty to the Order, compassion and charity.
Mission
- To work dedicated and to ensure a high quality of the projects in which we participate.
- To make the white Maltese Cross known as the symbol for our Christian roots and history.
- To continue the work for unifying separate orders under the Constitution of King Peter II.
- To work for homogeneity in mantle, insignia and ceremonies, respecting cultural diversity.
- To encourage a humble attitude to the work for the Order and its motto and not for fulfilling personal ambitions.
Codex of Knighthood
- To know the history and traditions of the Order.
- To work dedicated to Christian, ecumenical matters.
- To be aware of, and responsive to, the needs of fellow human beings.
- To be kind, open minded and obliging.
- To personally concentrate on ethical and moral standards and demands to improve our own attitudes and actions.
- To be responsible and respectful to other people.
- To help, comfort and provide relief for people in need.
- To volunteer to perform charitable and administrative duties for the Order.
- To be loyal and respectful to the Order.
- To maintain a Christian lifestyle and to feel honored to wear the white Maltese Cross.
Caravaggio’s The Beheading of St John the Baptist
- The patron of the order
- Displayed at St John’s Co-Cathedral, Malta
- The famous painter was for a time a member of the order
Blessed Brother Gerard
- Founded the Order of St John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller in 1099 to tend to sick and wounded prisoners in the Holy Land.
- The Knights of the Order later took up arms to defend pilgrims as well.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
- Jerusalem, the city where the Knights established a hospital.
- According to tradition, the church is on the sites of the crucifixion and burial of christ
Krak des Chevaliers
- The great fortress of the Order
- Built by the Knights in about 1142-1170 in Syria.
- It was captured by the Mamluks in 1271.
Palace of the Grand Master, Rhodes
- Home to the Knights for two centuries from 1311.
- The Knights withstood two invasions by Egypt and Turkey in the 15th Century, finally succumbing in 1523.
Fort St Angelo, Malta
- The Knights were given a home in Malta in 1530.
- In 1565 they survived and triumphed over a prolonged siege by the Ottoman Empire
- In 1798 Napoleon conquered the island and the Knights were dispersed.
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