My 40-Year Anniversary as a Knight
of the SOSJ, 1978-2018
By
Grand Master Serge Jurasunas
These photos were taken
during a private induction ceremony, arranged by
Professor Peter Platzer and
officiated over by Grand Master Serge Jurasunas, of an important group of initiates
traveling to the Chapel of Szidona Castle in Hungary, from as far away as
Russia. Right Photo: Professor Nebel inducted as Knight Grand Cross in the
Order.
In
1978 I entered the Order and became a Knight of Grace because I was searching
for something different in my life, something that portrayed the highest values,
that I believed in. I was searching for ways to serve God and to help humanity. This was something that I needed greatly,
which served me immensely during the course of my profession. I had realized
that disease was not only physical but it also involved the patient who needed both to be
educated and to trust himself/herself. In order to cure himself, he needed
to have faith and to believe in God. In
my opinion, this is especially true for the cancer
patient who like most other patients needs something to believe in and fight for, otherwise, their only other option would be to
face death.
Now
If I remember correctly because 40 years
ago is a long time, we met with H.E. Baron Vella Haber who was then the International
Grand Prior of the Order, in an old 15th-century
tavern in a small town called Horn, located in Holland. It was there I
celebrated my Solemn Investiture Ceremony together with two more postulants.
From
that day onwards, I became increasingly involved
with the Order and built a very good relationship with H.E. Vella Haber. Over
the years I progressed one step at a time,
first as Knight Commander, then as a Knight Grand Cross, and then as Baliff. I
was also nominated Ambassador at Large, Grand Hospitaller and finally my good and respected friend H.E. Vella
Haber sent me a letter asking me if I would accept the position of Grand Master
among other nominees who would be voted
in by the International sovereign Council. When I had accepted this responsibility, my main aim was to become even
more devoted to the Order and to really assume the role of Spiritual Protector.
For me it was not, and has never been, just
to have this position for its prestige.
In
the beginning, I was honored with the
concession of running my own clinic under the auspices of the SOSJ, in this
respect feeling very privileged to have received a decree sent to me by H.E. Vella
Haber. It made a big difference because now
I was practicing under the Oath of the Order and helping patients in need, just
the same as when back at the beginning of the eleventh century, Fra. Gerardo
opened a small hospital to help the injured, the sick and the poor. This really
fulfilled my spirit and it showed me what path in life would be like in the
future. If before I felt committed to my
patients, I now felt even more committed to both God and to the Order, having
taken the Vows of a Knight. From here on I would be practicing in their names
to whom I now became accountable.
I
thus felt I that was not alone performing my daily duty since God and the Order were both by my side.
Thereupon I thusly decided to exhibit a
large framed portrait of Christ in my consulting office. Indeed this inspired
so many patients to ask me for a copy, which I was
more than pleased to offer especially during the Christmas season. This
was the same figure of Christ that was published in the Observer along with a
small article that I wrote some years ago. Two other beautiful framed figures of Christ
were also displayed in other parts of the clinic including the waiting
room alongside the decree showing that my clinic was being run under the
protection of the SOSJ. What an honor indeed it was for me to display such a
decree!
Can
I say that the Order changed something in my life?
Most definitely, since I no longer felt alone as I was now experiencing a spiritual support which provided me with an
even greater motivation to help those of
my patients who felt totally lost.
Whenever I quoted them some of the words that Christ had uttered I was also
teaching them about the real values of life. Personally,
I felt a greater strength inside of me as I became more involved with the lives of my patients. I realized that for many of
them, their disease, their illness was mainly
associated with psychological and/or family
problems. Over the years I became the confidant
for many of my patients, having been able
to personally advise them how they should
handle these problems. Today it seems
very easy for me to advise a patient but
of course with a half-century of
experience behind me. I feel this service enabled me to acquire greater skills.
Unfortunately, in recent years, human beings have become like machines
with no roots in the past, no education, and
no sacred beliefs. This is tragic since our society leans toward permanent
violence and crime even within the family
nucleus. Juvenile violence has become a world-wide problem. Many of us are no longer able to tell the difference
between what is good and what is bad. We have become indifferent and immune to
malice, to violence and to betrayal. We are losing many of our values and we
badly need to review and learn once again those which are the real principles
of life.
Over
the years, I subsequently became a very great friend of H.E. Vella Haber. I had the
highest respect for him especially for how he dedicated his own life to the
Order. Needless to say, he was well aware
of my devotion to the Order and my love for humanity along with all my accomplishments in the medical field over the
ensuing years. This was probably the reason he wanted
me to become the new Grand Master of the Order after H.E. Baron Kenneth Bertram
Benfield de Palmanova, of Coventry (U.K.),
passed away to a better life.
Since
I became Grand Master, I have often tried and hoped to inspire the Observer’s
readership via my articles addressing the spiritual nature of our being. This
is not always easy when one currently works in the field of science, but I
guess because of the very nature I was
able to combine both spirituality and science.
That permitted me to really offer
considerable spiritual support, strength
to fight by means of my faith in God, especially in Christ, whilst I was ministering
to many of my patients. What is so exceptionally fulfilling is that after 50 years
I still have the same patients as well as the same families that still come to
me for consultation.
Left: Anna Ruska (Russia), Inducted as Knight & Dame.
Right: Professor Nebel, Inducted to the Rank of Knight
Grand Cross.
So
I may say that I have had a very rich
life during my 50 years of practice, where several patients owe me their
lives, having been healed if not cured of
their ‘incurable diseases’. I remember one patient, a 36-year-old man, who after having been under
complete remission from a bad multiple myeloma cancer,
organized a mass in his village church inviting all his friends, neighbors, family
myself and my wife, to thank them for their support. He also offered to thank God for letting him live, since
he was the father of two children. A few
months earlier we had gone to Rome with
the staff of my clinic where upon arrival, we
all went to St. Peter’s Cathedral to pray
for this patient. So after all, not only is God always very kind, he listens to our prayers.
Is it He who guides me
through my role as Grand Master of the Order? I am sure that his hands lead me
through the decisions I have to make and through His help, I have been able to
always live up to the Vows I took during my Investiture Ceremony. Yes, perhaps that is what I am most proud of:
of never having fallen short of this promise to defend the Order at all times
and to loyal to it forever.
Yours in Saint John,
H. E. the Grand Master of the
S.O.S.J.
Bailiff Grand Cross Serge
Jurasunas
For More Information please visit: www.sosj.org ;
www.sergejurasunas.com
For More Information please visit: www.sosj.org ;
www.sergejurasunas.com
