St John is a major international charity which provides first aid, health care and support services in over 40 countries around the world. Together they make up the Order of St John, which is accredited to the United Nations.
The Order’s charitable work is carried out by the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and national St John organisations worldwide – with volunteers and staff of over 400,000.
The Order of St John traces its origins back more than 900 years, to the Knights Hospitallier from whom St John today derives its inspiration and maxims:
Pro Fide Pro Utilitate Hominum,
For the Faith and in the Service of Humanity.
The Order of St John itself is an Order of Chivalry of the British Crown. His Majesty King Charles III, the Sovereign Head of the Order, honours individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the work of St John, by awarding membership, at different grades, in the Order.
The Order is a Christian Order, founded on Christian principles and all we do is inspired by Christian ideals. However, we warmly welcome people of any faith or no faith, who are motivated to share in our mission.
Our Values
Our mission is to promote physical, mental and spiritual health and well-being. That is the vocation we share and we will build an enduring community in which all its members can find purpose and enjoyment.
It is built on our motto Pro Fide Pro Utilitate Hominum and embodies the Christian principles of our founders. Our work is guided by these values:
- Respect – Showing respect and loving kindness for all humanity. Everyone, no matter their age, gender, race, creed, political affiliation or national identity, or what they may have done, will receive loving kindness from St John without discrimination.
- Unselfishness – Selflessly helping those in greatest physical, mental and spiritual need without judgement, and building their resilience. We will put the needs of others before ourselves, working for stronger communities.
- Excellence – Delivering modern care to a high standard, with a clear focus on impact and efficiency. All those involved in delivery will keep up to date with the latest standards and all our services will be delivered with compassion, to the highest level, ensuring those in most need get the care they require.
- Openness and transparency – Committing to openness and transparency so that we become a learning organisation. We will seek to learn from each other. We will share the things that go well, so they can be used by all. We will also be open and honest about our mistakes, so we can all learn and improve for the future.
- Devotion – Building a spiritual home for ourselves and future generations, where all can find fulfilment and meaning through a shared devotion to helping others. As members of St John we seek to ensure that everyone feels part of one community, devoted to our mission while providing support to each other and to future generations.
- Togetherness – Working to create a sense of one family of St John by strengthening and bringing together our many locally-led organisations around a common vision and common values. Based across the world and mainly in the Commonwealth, we endeavour to help and support the one family of St John.
- Diversity and inclusiveness – Embracing diversity and inclusiveness to support our common purpose, respecting our differences and accepting those of all faiths and none, whilst confident in our Christian roots and traditions. Everyone should feel included in our St John family.
- Faithfulness – Holding ourselves to the highest standards and looking for the best in others, we are faithful to the vision of our founders. Presuming good faith in each other, we hold ourselves and each other to account for high standards of propriety and behaviour, and honour those who do good works.