Journey of the Icon in Jerusalem and Acre

Diary of Captain Norman Lloyd Edwards, Deputy Lord Prior

I travelled overnight on 29th December and was met at Tel Aviv Airport by the Chief Executive Officer (Rod Bull), who drove the 50 minute journey to the Hospital in Jerusalem.

A few hours sleep and I was ready for the Eucharist in St George’s Cathedral. The young Palestinian Dean welcomed me as “Captain Norman – the Pioneer of St John “ – so now you know

Afterwards at coffee I met Reverend Bill Broughton, a retired Chaplain U S Navy, resident here for many years. He helps at the Services and returns to San Diego periodically. He is a keen amateur archaeologist and great supporter of St John so we invited him to join us the following day.

Up early on Monday, 1st January 2007, where I was met by a guide who showed me around the Old City. We began at St Anne’s Church. Run by White Fathers it has a beautifully simple crusader style and has a resonant echo. A monk, learning that I was from Wales invited me to sing loudly, an offer I declined as being too early in the day. The Church is located next to the Pool of Bethesda, where Christ healed the man sick for many years. The pool has Roman remains and one sees how over the centuries new structures were built over the old ones, a common feature out here (see Acre later). On to the Holy Sepulchre, a mish-mash of some seven different Christian denominations, heavily ornate and lacking any sense of awe.

After a cup of Arabic coffee (I declined the offer of a water hubble- bubble smoke provided to all customers) we proceeded to the Wailing Wall. Then onto St Stephen’s Gate where standing outside the City Walls we looked across the valley to the Mount of Olives. We were able to see the Lacrimosa and Mary Magdalene Churches.

The next day we set off early. Our party consisted of Rod, George Akroush (Development & Public Relations Executive), Bill Broughton, Emil (our Driver) and myself. It took 3.45 hours to get to Acre (known as Akko), where we were met by Dr Eliezer Stern, employed as the main archaeologist in Western Galilee, by the Government. Since 1992 (the last time I was here) he and his team of professionals and amateurs have been digging up vast sections of the old castle. In 1290 the Crusaders, having retreated from Jerusalem, established their enormous fortress 150 miles further North. It had a number of churches and hostels for the different “langues”, a Hospital to house one thousand, stables, storerooms, underground passages and market stalls. Defeated by Saladin a hundred years later, the crusaders fled to Cyprus and then to Rhodes. For centuries, until Dr Stern made his first excavation and started to uncover the riches below all one could see at Acre were the halls, storerooms and other areas of the Ottoman era. Today one can see many halls, chambers and the crypt of the St John Church. It is hugely impressive and an ideal venue for weddings, degree ceremonies and concerts. But there is still more to unearth. It is a long slow process performed by hand and careful sifting lest any significant piece be lost. There is no surprise in learning that it has been declared a World Heritage Site. Acre is a delightful resort and we were there during a Moslem holiday so the place was full of families riding on horses and in carts, eating ice cream and reveling in the warm sunshine – just like our Sunday School outings in yesteryear.

Whilst there I donned my Sopra Vest and Mantle of a Bailiff Grand Cross much to the curiosity of other tourists, to whom our host took pleasure in explaining their significance. Many took their own photos while we seized the chance to display and photograph for the first time the Icon, to mark the 125th Anniversary of the Eye Hospital.

This carving from Jerusalem stone was designed and made by an internationally renowned sculptor Fawzy Nastas. His father was also a stone mason who had helped build the current Hospital in 1960 and had carved the shields of former Hospitallers of the Order which are sited in the Cloisters of the Hospital. The design is representative of the tower, wards and cloisters of the Hospital, with our cross superimposed, all held by a pair of hands, following the old Arabic saying “Blessed are the hands which serve and heal”. This will be blessed on 11th January in the presence of our Grand Prior, HRH The Duke of Gloucester and handed to the Priory of England, before going on a journey to other Priories and St John Associations.

The next day I visited the new St John Eye Clinic in Hebron, a city some 25 miles from Jerusalem but the traffic worsened by checkpoints made it feel much further. Along the route one was very conscious of the separation wall being built between the West Bank and Israel. It reminded me of the Berlin Wall, separating communities and increasing division. The morning I was there the small staff of six treated 43 patients. These patients could only have got to the main Hospital, with great difficulty and delay.

The area around Hebron is fertile land with vast quantities of vegetables to be harvested. Their glass factories are equally famous but it is an enclosed community with all the problems, not least the social and political, that is entailed. The success of the Hebron Centre encourages us to open a further centre in the North, where mobility restrictions are just as prevalent.

As one might expect the Hospital in East Jerusalem is a large building with three large wards. However due to advances in surgery with consequent reduction of length of stay in Hospital, the beds are rarely full. Recent renovation of the male ward to a high standard shows up the need to do the same to the remaining wards. The newly refurbished Outpatients Department caters for large numbers every day.

The 180 staff, dedicated and mostly long serving, range from gardeners and cooks to consultants and fully qualified nurses. Many were trained in-house, with occasional help from overseas visitors.

I met a number of local people who all stated how grateful they have been for the treatment they have received over the years and the love and appreciation they have for our Hospital.

We must make the most of the opportunity of 125 Celebrations to advertise and fund our efforts in the region. One can only feel humble that so many persons from around the world are prepared still to serve here and devote their energies to helping the needy. We must now play our part.

There is no doubt of the continuing need for our work.