A Partnership of Service: SOSJ & the Cathedral

Some moments in our life together at the Cathedral don’t arrive with trumpets or headline fanfare. They just settle in quietly and remind us who we are. Christ the King Sunday gave us one of those moments.

As part of our ongoing “hub and spoke” ministry—where this Cathedral serves as a kind of anchor for a wide network of partners who care for the city—we took time to honour a relationship that has shaped our common life far longer than most of us realize: our decades-long friendship with the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller.

Twelve Knights and Dames joined us that morning. They weren’t here for pomp or costume drama. They came because they have been steady, faithful companions in the work of mercy, healing, and practical compassion. Under the watchful eye of Grand Marshal Richard Earthy, a new plaque was mounted in the Cathedral—something humble, simple—yet deeply meaningful. It marks years of shared ministry: beds made, wounds tended, neighbours fed, and dignity restored.

Watching that plaque go onto the wall, I didn’t feel anything grandiose. I felt gratitude. This is what partnership in Christ looks like: quiet, steady, long-term faithfulness.

Rooted in Hospitality

If you’ve ever read the Order’s history, you’ll notice how easily their story sits alongside ours. They began by caring for pilgrims in Jerusalem—offering shelter, protection, and healing. They carried an instinct for mercy that has lasted almost a thousand years.

Their motto, “For the faith, and for the service of humanity,” could easily hang over our own doors.

Here in Vancouver, the Order has supported ministries that reach people at the very edges of health, stability, and hope. And the Cathedral has been one of their closest homes for that work. We haven’t always talked about this partnership publicly, but it has been there, humming away quietly—like so many good things God does among us.

What I Said That Morning

During the service, I offered these words:

“My friends, on this Feast of Christ the King—when we proclaim that all authority, all mercy, all healing, and all hope find their source in Jesus Christ—we pause to honour a partnership that has quietly borne much good fruit in his name.”

“This plaque is not simply a marker on a wall; it is a sign of the faithfulness of God expressed through the faithfulness of God’s people. It reminds us that Christ’s reign is revealed not in domination or display, but in service, compassion, and self-giving love.”

That is the truth of it.

This small plaque isn’t about nostalgia or institutional pride. It’s about the simple, stubborn goodness that happens when Christians decide to serve together without fuss.

The Blessing We Offered

We then prayed:

“Strengthen us to continue in that same spirit until all your people know the peace of Christ’s reign.”

I love that line.

Because Christian blessings are never about preserving the past. They always call us forward.

Another Spoke in the Wheel of Ministry

The Order is part of our broader vision: we are stronger when we partner. The Cathedral is the hub, yes—but the life of Jesus flows outward in many directions, through many hands. The Knights and Dames are one of those hands.

• They bring their long tradition of mercy.

• We offer our rooted place in the city.

• Together, something good happens that neither could accomplish alone.

It’s a picture of how the Christian life is meant to work.

Looking Ahead With Hope

After the blessing, as the plaque caught the light, I found myself offering a quiet prayer:

“Christ, make us worthy of this lineage of service. Let this not be a full stop, but a comma.”

The original Knights Hospitaller tended wounded travellers. We tend a different set of wounds today, but the need is the same: people are searching for mercy, for dignity, for healing.

This partnership reminds us that Christ the King rules not from a throne but from a basin and towel. His kingdom arrives whenever someone chooses kindness over indifference, compassion over convenience, service over status.

May this plaque be a signpost for all who pass by.

May it nudge us toward courage and generosity.

And may our friendship with the Order continue to bear fruit for years to come—quietly, faithfully, in the name of the One who reigns in love.

Amen.