| The
British Association
In Great Britain
the Order has a long connection with the Hospital of St. John and
St. Elizabeth which is in St. John's Wood, London, and is so named
because it was an ancient manor of the Order. Founded in 1875, the
British Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (BASMOM),
as part of the OSJCT (Orders of St John Care Trust), participates
in the operation of homes for the aged, in Lincolnshire, Wiltshire,
Arundel and Oxfordshire. Currently there are some 2200 residents,
the Order being part of the organisation which is the largest provider
of protected accommodation in the UK. The Delegation of Scotland
and the Northern Marches provides mini-buses for the Order of Malta
Dial-a-Journey Service for the disabled. BASMOM also sponsors a
leprosy centre in Uganda and a medical centre in Tanzania. The various
Associations cooperate in organising pilgrimages to Lourdes and
Fatima as well as to other places.
The Order has
some 240 British members, many of whom are descended from recusant
Catholic families and martyrs. Membership is by invitation, usually
after work for the Order. The President of the British Association
is Prince Rupert zu Loewenstein (shown here).
In Britain the
Order has two auxiliary bodies, the Order
of Malta Volunteers in England and the Companions of the Order
of Malta in Scotland. They are closely associated with the work
of the Order, organising pilgrimages to Lourdes and Walsingham and
various fund raising events.
The Grand
Priory and offices of the British Association are at Brampton
House, The hospital of St. John and St. Elizabeth, in St. John's
Wood, London NW8.
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