Three senior international office bearers of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem were in Cape Town this past weekend to reaffirm ties with and support for the South African Grand Bailiwick and its future growth and humanitarian work.
To mark the occasion, Grand Chancellor Chevalier Edward White, Grand Marshall Chevalier CW Gilluly, and Vice Grand Chancellor Dame Marny Gilluly led a simple ceremony donating and dedicating a public bench in The Company’s Garden in the Cape Town Central City, wearing their distinctive church mantles bearing the iconic eight pointed green cross of St Lazarus.
The Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem is an ancient worldwide Christian organisation, active since 1098, welcoming people regardless of race, gender, education, profession, or trade, who practice the Christian faith and work voluntarily together to provide charitable, humanitarian relief for those in need. The Order was established in South Africa in 1963. It has grown from a handful of members into a Grand Bailiwick.
Grand Bailiff of the Order in South Africa and CCID board member Tamra Capstick-Dale said that the dedication of this bench was symbolic of the values of the Order – to provide relief and a place of rest and repose for those in need. The St Lazarus Chaplain and former Anglican Dean of Cape Town, the Very Revd Rowan Smith, led the commemoration.
During their stay, the international delegation visited the Christine Revell Children’s Home and the Sisters of Mercy, two projects supported by the Order in South Africa.