Dear Knights, Dames and Medallists and supporters
As the Order’s Delegate in Great Britain and Ireland, I wanted to take this opportunity to extend to each of our knights, dames, medallists, chaplains and supporters my warmest good wishes, thoughts and prayers as we mark our Order’s Feast Day – 23 April 2020.
May I also add my own good wishes at this special time of year to our delegation members of different Abrahamic faiths who have recently celebrated Passover and Easter and those who from tomorrow will mark the start of the Holy month of Ramadan.
This years’ St George’s Day will be like none other as as our Grand Prior, Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino said in his own Feast Day message sent to you from the Vatican City earlier today Let us follow His Eminence’s request to exhibit in our homes over the coming days an image of St George and to request his intercession and to invoke the Almighty to end this global pandemic.
During one of my daily COVID-19 walks in London’s Hyde Park earlier this week, I discovered quite by chance this remarkable statue of our Patron Saint which I thought I should share with you. Let us be emboldened by his spirit, strength and resolve and ask him to protect us and our family, friends and neighbours and all those who are supporting our communities in these unprecedented times.
May I also 
use this occasion to formally welcome to the delegation the Rt Rev Kenneth Nowakowski, the newly enthroned Bishop of the Eparchy of London of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Bishop Kenneth was invested into the Constantinian Order in 2015 in his previous role as Bishop of New Westminster in Canada.
Traditionally on St George’s Day I ask our delegation members to pray for our sick and deceased members. I attach below a prayer and list of our members and medallists now resting in God’s eternal grace.
I ask you to especially remember Fr Antony Conlon who passed away a few days ago and remember Robert, the father of delegation medallist Dr Charles Tannock who died as a result of COVID-19.
With the national lockdown still in place, the Delegation has suspended its events schedule until further notice. With the Grand Chancery in Rome also closed until further notice, it has not been possible to announce the new delegation council members or to send out the subscriptions reminders. This will follow in due course.
Instead and following the highly successful Slovak Embassy faith event held in January cohosted by delegation knight Ambassador Lubomir Rehak, I expect our next delegation event to be in the Autumn and include an investiture mass and dinner. Should you have candidates for consideration please let the Chancery know and the relevant paper work can be sent out.
I am also pleased to inform you that over recent months delegation members James Drabble and Elizabeth Thornborough has been working with me to bring the administration and operating systems of the delegation up-to-date. This will ensure the latest technological systems are in place at the chancery and will in turn increase both the productivity and efficiency of the delegation going forward.
Internationally the Grand Magistry in Rome has also been reviewing their own systems in order to adapt the Order’s charitable activities to the new regulatory requirements in Italy.
A new charitable body has been introduced called Ordine Costantiniano Charity Onlus. This new body, organized according to common international standards, will act as an operative branch of our Constantinian Order. It is led by our Grand Prefect, HRH Princess B
eatrice of Bourbon Two Sicilies, supported by some professionals and under the Grand Master’s direct supervision.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic HRH The Duke of Castro, as Grand Master of the Constantinian Order, has launched an important fundraising appeal which I am pleased has already attracted the support of our members in Britain and Ireland.
I am pleased to report that over €170,000 has already been donated including vital donations made to the Pugliese Ciaccio Hospital in Catanzaro (CZ) (€30,000), the donation of ventilators to the Civic Hospital in Partinico (PA) and the Saint Martha and St Venera Hospital in Acireale (CT) in Sicily (€52,000).
A further €50,000 donation was made last week to the Cotugno Hospital in Naples, an institution specialising in combatting infectious diseases. I would therefore like to urge all our delegation knights and dames to consider supporting this important campaign details of which can be found at Ordine Costantiniano Charity Onlus.
To end may I once again thank you all for your continued support. I much look forward to meeting with you soon. Until then, stay safe. Happy Saint George’s Day.
Yours confraternally
ANTHONY BAILEY
DELEGATE
Delegation Prayer
Almighty and Merciful Father, King of kings and Lord of lords, in Your immeasurable goodness You have called us into the ranks of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, Your Knight and Martyr. May we never cease to emulate our heavenly patron and with alacrity follow in the footsteps of Your Only-begotten Son, Who is our Alpha and Omega, our Beginning and End.
Impress, O Lord, upon our heart the Sign of Your Holy Cross, and grant that we may bear it honourably and dutifully, in total fealty to You and to the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church, and to the Vicar of your Son. Bless our Grand Master, His Family and Household, and all our Knights and Dames. Imbue us, moreover, with the particular grace of preserving in diligent charity toward my neighbour, and especially to the sick, the needy, and the abandoned.
All this, Heavenly Father, we beg by the power of the Most Holy Cross upon which throne He Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life did reign, and to Whom with You in the life-giving Holy Spirit be ascribed all honour, glory and power, sovereignty and blessing both now and forevermore. Amen.
Most Holy Mother, Virgin most compassionate, who did stand at the Foot of the Cross, pray for us that we may be made worthy of the fruits of Your Son’s Passion, Death and Resurrection.
Saint George, Knight and Martyr, may your sacred witness strengthen and inspire us to be generous in the service of the Most Holy Cross, in whose Sign alone can we conquer. Amen.
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Almighty and merciful Lord, we remember those members of our Order and especially those of this delegation who are sick or are in ill heath. We remember especially Andorran Ambassador Maria Rosa Picart de Francis, Anthony Bailey, Canon Christopher Tuckwell and Fr Michael Seed.
Remember too those who have departed this life and for whom, on this our feast day we pray especially that they may come to share in the glory and mystery of heaven.
We especially remember those who have passed away during the past year: Mgr Antony Conlon, Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira & Great Britain, Dr David O’Connell, James Mcdonald, Duke Georg von Hohenberg, Patrick Esmonde White and Scott MacMillan of Rathdown.
Remember too Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Castro and Grand Master Princess Chantal, Duchess of Castro. Sir Desmond de Silva, Prince Peter von Hohenberg, Bulgarian Ambassador Lachezar Matev, Cardinal Cormac, Murphy-O’Connor, Gerald, Duke of Westminster, Sir Sigmund & Lady Sternberg, Molly Dowager Marchioness of Salisbury, Cardinal Desmond Connell, Judge Sir Gavyn Arthur, Count Andrew Ciechanowiecki, Major John Tamplin, James Dobbin MP, Father Mark Turnham Elvins, Captain Josef Wojtecki, Monsignor Canon Adrian Arrowsmith, Peter Jennings, Mark Railing, Baroness Margaret Thatcher, Anthony Cavendish, Father Ian Dickie, Lord Denman, Sir John Keegan, John George, Donal Downes, Joseph Gaggero, Joseph O’Connor, Frà Fredrik Crichton-Stuart, Juliusz Englert, Bishop Charles Caruana, Dame Angela Rumbold, Kevin Cunnane, Jadwiga Sas-Skrowonska, Prince and Grand Master Frà Andrew Bertie, Sidney Shipton, Archbishop Maurice Couve de Murville, Captain Gerard Salvin, Major-General Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, Nicola Vecchione, John Brooke-Little, Sheikh Zaki Badawi, John Victor Monckton, Coral Elletson, Dr Peter Bander-van Duren, Florence Riggs, Desmond Fitz Gerald and Rory O’Donoghue.
Eternal Rest Grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam. Requiescat in pace.
