Guild of St Raphael
Encyclopedia
The Guild of St Raphael, founded in 1915, is a Christian organisation dedicated to promoting, supporting and practicing Christ's ministry of healing
as an integral part of the life and worship of the Church. Originating from within the Anglican Communion, it has expanded to include members from other Churches and is now ecumenical in outlook. It is also international in scope with over one hundred branches throughout the world. The Guild takes its name from the Book of Tobit
, where Saint Raphael
is the angel who helps Tobias find his way.
, including Robert Felkin
. There is little documentary evidence available to support this assertion outside of the book by Francis X. King
, (1989), and he asserts that the Guild rapidly became completely separate from any of the practices of Stella Matutina. The available evidence suggests it never was connected.
Recent minutes (published in Chrism, 2006) show that the driving personalities behind the foundation of the Guild in 1915 were a Miss Caroline Biggs, recorded as Secretary of the newly formed Guild, with the Reverend Canon R. P. Roseveare of St Paul's Deptford, recorded as its first Warden.
By 1920, under Canon Roseveare's Wardenship, the fourth Annual Report gives the membership as 19 priest members, 26 priest associates, 2 lay members and 248 lay associates. The Guild had already penetrated into Africa, Canada, New Zealand, India and China.
A letter to the Times, published in 1933 by Bishop W.W. Hough, Warden of the Guild, notes that "The movement has grown. There are now over 2,000 lay members, and 300 priest members who are practicing spiritual healing in most of the dioceses in the land."
The Guild looks too for the healing of communities and of God's creation itself - taking into account those many social and political factors which cause 'dis-ease' in our broken and divided world.
Prayer for healing is at the heart of the Guild's work, as are the sacraments of healing - anointing and the sacramental act of the laying on of hands. But members make use of other healing actions as well - the ministry of listening and silence, counselling, informal liturgies and simple symbolic actions. The Guild has in the past gained a high profile for its study and recognition of exorcism. In 1960, the Rev. Henry Cooper, Chaplain to the Guild, argued that successful exorcists are people who know something about psychiatry and work well with doctors. They resort to bell, book and candle only when psychiatrists have given up http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,869837,00.html.
The Guild also engages in extensive theological education and research. In particular through its periodical, Chrism, mentioned below.
In this and in all its activities the Guild has always stood for the closest co-operation with members of the medical profession and others engaged in the work of healing.
Healing
Physiological healing is the restoration of damaged living tissue, organs and biological system to normal function. It is the process by which the cells in the body regenerate and repair to reduce the size of a damaged or necrotic area....
as an integral part of the life and worship of the Church. Originating from within the Anglican Communion, it has expanded to include members from other Churches and is now ecumenical in outlook. It is also international in scope with over one hundred branches throughout the world. The Guild takes its name from the Book of Tobit
Book of Tobit
The Book of Tobit is a book of scripture that is part of the Catholic and Orthodox biblical canon, pronounced canonical by the Council of Carthage of 397 and confirmed for Roman Catholics by the Council of Trent...
, where Saint Raphael
Raphael (archangel)
Raphael is an archangel of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, who in the Judeo-Christian tradition performs all manners of healing....
is the angel who helps Tobias find his way.
Origins and History
Some internet sources http://www.kheper.net/topics/Hermeticism/Felkin.html place the founding of the Guild by some of the members of the Stella MatutinaStella Matutina
The Stella Matutina was an initiatory magical order dedicated to the dissemination of the traditional teachings of the earlier Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Originally, the outer order of the Stella Matutina was known as Mystic Rose or Order of the M.R. in the Outer...
, including Robert Felkin
Robert Felkin
Robert William Felkin was a medical missionary and explorer, a ceremonial magician and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a prolific author on Uganda and Central Africa, and early anthropologist, with an interest in ethno-medicine and tropical diseases.He was founder in 1903 of the...
. There is little documentary evidence available to support this assertion outside of the book by Francis X. King
Francis X. King
Francis X. King was a British occult writer and editor who wrote about tarot, divination, witchcraft, magic, sex magic, tantra, and holistic medicine.-Partial bibliography:* Techniques of High Magic with Stephen Skinner...
, (1989), and he asserts that the Guild rapidly became completely separate from any of the practices of Stella Matutina. The available evidence suggests it never was connected.
Recent minutes (published in Chrism, 2006) show that the driving personalities behind the foundation of the Guild in 1915 were a Miss Caroline Biggs, recorded as Secretary of the newly formed Guild, with the Reverend Canon R. P. Roseveare of St Paul's Deptford, recorded as its first Warden.
By 1920, under Canon Roseveare's Wardenship, the fourth Annual Report gives the membership as 19 priest members, 26 priest associates, 2 lay members and 248 lay associates. The Guild had already penetrated into Africa, Canada, New Zealand, India and China.
A letter to the Times, published in 1933 by Bishop W.W. Hough, Warden of the Guild, notes that "The movement has grown. There are now over 2,000 lay members, and 300 priest members who are practicing spiritual healing in most of the dioceses in the land."
Works
Its main emphasis is on the actual practice of the healing ministry through its local branches, and this is where its strength lies. Its members observe a simple rule of prayer, study and work for this ministry. Their aim is always to promote Christ's ministry of healing - looking not just for physical healing, but for the healing of the whole person.The Guild looks too for the healing of communities and of God's creation itself - taking into account those many social and political factors which cause 'dis-ease' in our broken and divided world.
Prayer for healing is at the heart of the Guild's work, as are the sacraments of healing - anointing and the sacramental act of the laying on of hands. But members make use of other healing actions as well - the ministry of listening and silence, counselling, informal liturgies and simple symbolic actions. The Guild has in the past gained a high profile for its study and recognition of exorcism. In 1960, the Rev. Henry Cooper, Chaplain to the Guild, argued that successful exorcists are people who know something about psychiatry and work well with doctors. They resort to bell, book and candle only when psychiatrists have given up http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,869837,00.html.
The Guild also engages in extensive theological education and research. In particular through its periodical, Chrism, mentioned below.
In this and in all its activities the Guild has always stood for the closest co-operation with members of the medical profession and others engaged in the work of healing.
Periodical
The Guild publishes a half-yearly periodical, Chrism, in which it endeavours to explore different aspects of the healing scene. Past editions have dealt with diverse topics such as Children and Healing, Touch in a Fearful Society, Animals and Healing, A Theology of Health for Today, M.E. (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), Dementia, Genetic Engineering and Healing, Alcohol and Substance Abuse.Wardens
- 1915 Reverend Canon R. P. Roseveare of St Paul's Deptford
- 1959 Reverend F. S. Sinker, Vicar of Offchurch, diocese of Coventry
External links
- Guild Website
- Time Article on Exorcism, 1960
- Guild Website, St Brelade, Jersey
- A fresh look at a remarkable document: Exorcism: The report of a commission convened by the Bishop of Exeter
- The Bishop's Advisory Group on the Church's Ministry of Healing, Bristol
- Book review on Chrism Autumn 2002 number on Dementia