Alliance Orders        The four predominantly Protestant Orders of St. John, The Most Venerable Order of St. John, The Johanniterorden, and the Orders of St. John in Sweden and the Netherlands, which, together with the SMOM, mutually recognize each other as true Orders of St. John and assist each other in their labors. (While the other Alliance Order remain exclusively Protestant, the Most Venerable Order has always included Catholic members and is now open to all who can commit themselves to the goals of a Christian order.)

Arms                           A symbol for a person or institution displayed on a shield or banner and created according to the laws of heraldry. The arms of the Priory in the U.S. are displayed at the top of this page.

Badge                        A symbol for individuals or institutions and especially for objects and persons associated with them, created according to the laws of heraldry. The badge of the Most Venerable Order of St. John appears at the bottom of this page.

Commander             A distinguished position in the Order of St. John, in Grade III.

Commandery           A self-governing part of the order dependent on another priory or directly on the Grand Council. The two commanderies in existence today are the Commandery of Ards, in Northern Ireland, and the Commandery of Western Australia.

Confrère                    Essentially, a brother or sister in a profession or a religious "confraternity." The term was first used for laymen who became members of the military religious orders without taking vows. Members of the Order of St. John refer to each other as Confrères.

Dame                         A woman who has achieved a very high position in the order, either in Grade I as a Dame Grand Cross, or in Grade II as a Dame of Grace or of Justice.

Esquire                      A junior member of the order or of one of the priories.

Grand Council          The body, made up of the order's Great Officers and the Priors of the various priories that governs the order throughout the world.

Grand Prior               The principal leader of the order under the Sovereign Head. The Grand Prior has been a member of the Royal Family since 1888. HRH the Duke of Gloucester, KG, KCVO is the current Grand Prior.

Grand Priory             Formerly, the body that governed the order worldwide and administered the order in England directly.

Great Officers           The major international officers of the Most Venerable Order of St. John, who, together with the Grand Prior and the heads of the seven priories, form the Grand Council. The titles of the Great Officers have varied over the years. They are now Lord Prior, Prelate, Vice Lord Prior, Deputy Lord Prior (Establishments), and Deputy Lord Prior (Finance).

Hospital                     "The Hospital" in St. John terminology can mean several things. First, it may be the original hospice in Jerusalem founded by the Blessed Gerard in 1099. That is the hospital referred to in the names of the Orders of St. John. Second, it may be the modern St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, which the Most Venerable Order supports. Third, it may be the historic Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, which was sometimes called "The Hospital" for short, just as the Order of the Temple of Jerusalem was called "The Temple."

Hospitaller                 In current terminology, the officer of the order responsible for the St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and the officer of each priory who coordinates priory support for the hospital.

Investiture                 A ceremony at which decorations are presented. The Priory in the United States conducts its investitures in the context of a service of rededication in a cathedral or other great church. In England, investitures often take place at St. James's palace or at the order's chapel in Clerkenwell. In Jerusalem they have taken place at St. George's Cathedral or in the courtyard of the hospital, where the music is sometimes provided by The Jerusalem Arab Catholic Boy Scout Bagpipe Band.

Johanniterorden      The Johanniterorden, or simply the Johanniter, is a one of the five mutually recognized orders of St. John. It is headquartered in Germany but has branches in several other countries, including the United States. It is open only to Protestants.

Knight                        A man who has achieved a very high rank in the order, in grade II.

Knight Commander                 Not a grade in the order, as in other British orders of chivalry, but the head of one of the order's two commanderies.

Knights Hospitaller Another name for the Order of St. John, especially during the Middle Ages, when it was, along with the Knights Templar, one of the great international military religious orders.

Lord Prior                   The non-royal head of the order worldwide, currently Professor Anthony Mellows, OBE, TD.

Maltese Cross           The emblem of all the Orders of St. John. It is an eight-pointed cross, which has become more geometrical in form as the centuries have gone by. In the ceremonies of the Most Venerable Order, the Cross is described as "the sign of man’s redemption; its arms symbolize the four cardinal virtues, Prudence, Temperance, Justice and Fortitude; and its points stand for the Eight Beatitudes which spring from the practice of those virtues. Its whiteness reminds us of the purity of life required of those who fight for the defense of the Christian Faith and live for the service of the poor and suffering."

Mantle                        A sleeveless cloak, often with openings for the arms.

Muristan Society      Named for the district of Jerusalem where the original St. John Hospice was located, the Muristan Society is made up of those who have included the priory in their estate planning.

Post-nominal letters                Letters following the name that indicate (among other things) an honor from the Queen. Unlike members of the state orders of chivalry, members of the Order of St. John normally use their post-nominal letters only in the context of the their work with the order.

Oblation                     The annual contribution expected of all members of the priory in the United States, currently a minimum of $1000.

Order of Chivalry      A body devoted to the ideas of chivalry and headed or recognized by a sovereign (or formerly sovereign) power. Many orders of chivalry are honorific. Others, including the Orders of St. John, are "serving orders" whose members are obligated to continuing efforts to fulfill their order's mission.

Order of Malta           The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta is the Roman Catholic inheritor of the Knights Hospitaller. It is a sovereign state in international law and conducts charitable work throughout the world, sometimes in conjunction with The Most Venerable Order and the other Alliance Orders of St. John.

Order of St. John      The short name either for the historic Knights Hospitaller or, more commonly, the Most Venerable Order of St. John.

Orthoptist                   A medical professional trained in the diagnosis and treatment of defective eye coordination, flaws in binocular vision, and amblyopia through non-surgical and non-pharmaceutical methods.

Prior                            The head of one of the seven major constituent parts of the Order of St. John.

Priory                          One of the seven major constituent parts of the Order of St. John. There are Priories in Canada, Australia, Scotland, Wales, South Africa, The United States, and England and the Islands.

St. John's Gate         The international headquarters of the Order of St. John. It includes the gatehouse of the medieval headquarters of the medieval Priory of England, which was sacked during the Peasants Revolts, rebuilt, sold off after the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII, and reacquired by the Most Venerable Order in the Nineteenth Century. It now includes the order’s museum as well as ceremonial rooms, a museum, a library, and, in a modern extension, administrative offices. Many visitors to London, even those unfamiliar with the Orders of St. John, find a visit to St. John’s Gate fascinating. See the museum’s web site [http://www.sja.org.uk/sja/about-us/our-museum/visit-us.aspx].

SMOM                        See Order of Malta.

Supporters                Beasts or human figures that hold the coats of arms of very distinguished people and institutions. The supporters of the British Royal Arms, the Lion of England and the Unicorn of Scotland, form part of the badge of the Most Venerable Order of St. John.

Trachoma                  An infectious eye disease and the leading cause of the world's preventable blindness.