St John Relief Services
Overview
St John Relief Services is a voluntary association of Roman Catholics dedicated to the service of God and to the service of their fellow man through works of Christian charity. The Association carries out its charitable works for the sick and the needy without distinction of religion, race, origin or age.
The Association was founded at the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Visitation on the 13th of October 2006, Feast of Blessed Gerard. Blessed Gerard was a monk who founded a hospice in Jerusalem around the end of the 11th century to care for pilgrims and the sick, and this eventually became the Hospitaller Order of St John.
The patron saint of the Association is St John the Baptist. The Feast day of St John is celebrated on the 24th of June. New Members of the Association are admitted during a mass celebrated on this date.
The Chaplain of the Association is Fr Andrew.
The Patron of the Association is the Most Reverend Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Cape Town.
Aims
The Association exists for the following purposes:
- To promote the spiritual and physical welfare of the sick, the disabled, and the poor of all ages without distinction of religion, race, origin or age;
- To promote the glory of God through the teaching of the Roman Catholic faith and through the exercise of Christian charity.
Projects
The flagship project of the Association is the Phoenix Burns Project.
Keynote Events
Installation and Blessing of Icon of Our Lady of Philermos by Archbishop Stephen Brislin
THURSDAY, 23 JUNE, 2011
A special mass was celebrated at the parish by Archbishop Stephen Brislin to mark the occasion of the feast day of St John the Baptist, the patron saint of St John Relief Services and the Phoenix Burns Project. The archbishop installed and blessed the new icon of Our Lady of Philermos. This icon was commissioned for the parish by St John Relief Services and is of great historical and spiritual significance to the Order of Malta, with which St John Relief Services seeks to be affiliated.
Contact Information
For more information, please contact the Parish Office or Dr P. Martinez Germano at pmartinez@pbp.org.za.
St John the Baptist, Patron Saint of St John Relief Services
