STATEMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM GRAND PRIORY OF THE ORDER OF ST GEORGE15-Dec-2009 We have conducted a referendum amongst the membership, as a result of which over 75% of those polled resolved not to recognise the purported suspension of the United Kingdom Grand Priory management team by Chevalier Kaczor, for which not a shred of justification has been offered.
Accordingly, the United Kingdom Grand Priory has resolved to continue as a sovereign confraternity of Christian Knights and Dames which alone has the authority of the widow of our late Grand Master, General Janos Karaszy-Kulin, to carry on his work and which alone bears the canon and ethos of the Order that was re-established with the advent of freedom in his native Hungary.
Dame Iris has very kindly agreed to be our Patron, and our important works of charity and Christian fellowship will continue under her oversight.
Although the legal title of our Order in the United Kingdom will remain as “The International Knightly Order Valiant of St George”, we will follow the precedent of the Order of Malta and use a shorter working title, which will, be, simply, “The Order of St. George”, and the Grand Priory will be known, for daily operational purposes, as “The United Kingdom Grand Priory of the Order of St. George”.
There are two kinds of Chivalric orders, those which are emanations of the State or regal dynasties (i.e fons honorum) and those which are, in essence, charitable or commemorative confraternities organised according to a knightly-monastic Rule.
The UK Grand Priory was not, is not and never will be just another dining club for gong-collectors or the vainglorious.
If we are to hold our heads high and to retain the enthusiasm of those who rally to the Banner of St George, we must prove the sincerity of our intentions and our ability, as Christian Knights and Dames, to make a difference in the world. When anyone asks our members about the regalia they wear and what our Order does, let us point with pride to our charitable commitment and let us talk of the projects which we are supporting.
Within the next 12 months, we hope to have a fully equipped Ambulance in service with the Mongolian Red Cross and bearing the insignia of our Grand Priory.
Our work with Fairbridge, the youth charity, which Dame Muriel Taylor has done so much to develop, and the armed forces will be a continuing focus. There are other projects-such as supporting St George’s Church, Baghdad, and the work of its vicar, the admirable Canon Andrew White-that I sincerely hope you will be able to join with us in supporting.
Although we are now a sovereign organisation, we welcome alliances with other Orders which revere our Patron, George, Saint and Martyr and which share our commitment to charity and the virtues of true Chivalry.
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