ORDER OF ST. JOHN

Chronicle (Levin), 10 April 1947, Page 7

ORDER OF ST. JOHN

ELEVATION TO A PRIORY AUCKLAND, April S. The elevation of New Zealand from a conimandery to a priory of the establislimcnt of the Venerable Order of the ITospital of St. -John of Jerusalem was I'onuallv marked by an impressive ceiemoav in Bt. Mary's Cathedral toniglit, when the Governor-Geiieral, Sir Beriard Frevberg, V.C., was installed as Ihe lirst prior by Lord Bledisloe, as envov for the Grand Prior, the Duke of Gloucester. A large gathering, including uniformed oflicers of the Order and its divisions, witnessed the cereniony. From the scroll Lord Bledisloe rcad a mcssage of greeting from the Grand Prior on behalt' of the Iving, as sovercign head of tlie Order. The messagc uoted the. extension and excellence of the Order 's work in New Zealand, and stated that in accordance with highly favourable reports received, and with the advice and consent of the members of the Chapter General, the status of the establishment in New Zealand was raised to that of a priory in the name of the King . Lord Bledisloe then inducted Sir Bernard Freybcrg as prior. The oceasion was described as a landmark in the history of the- Venerable Order in New Zealand by Archbisliop West-Watson, chaplain of the new priory, in an address at the conclusion of the eeremony. His Grace said it was a tragie paradox tli'at ."just when care for the sick had been so laid on the hearts of men and brought to sueh perfection, mankind had also brought the technique of destruction and brutalitv to such a hideous refinement. "We have grown aecustoned to look upon the age of ehivalry as a pageant of the past with its exaggerated. courtesies and strange rituals," he added. f'How we would welcome some of the old knightly spirit back again. It seems as if, in stark opposition, two different powers are contending for the body of mankind." One power was mthless and brutal. aiming at pitiless, srrong supermen and heartless mass-produced men,' man-made in the image of a machine. The other was fho spirit nf inorc.y nnd pity and

concern for weak and suffering, the spirit of true ehivalry and the spirit of Christ. "It is a battle that cannot be won by the sword for it is a spiritual conflict, " his Grace added. "Our Order stands committed to the championship of the weak against the strong. The weapons of our warfare are the spiritual weapons of love and mercy, of service and sacrifice. "