Our Aim
To promote the understanding and practice of the healing ministry according to New Testament teaching, and to help to restore this ministry to the normal stream of Church life.
We seek to work with all Churches and to offer a disciplined fellowship focused on healing as an essential part of the Gospel and integral to the Church's mission.
JESU ESTO MIHI JESUS
The emblem of the Order contains these Latin words,
which translate as 'Jesus be to me my Saviour'.
Each arm of the cross has another Latin word,
each reflecting one of the attributes of Jesus Christ:
Lux - Light Rex - King Dux - Leader Lex - Law
Together they give the full meaning of the emblem:
'O Jesus be to me my Saviour, my Light, my King, my Leader, and my Law'.
Full Membership
Membership is open to all Christians, Clergy and Laity, who believe that the healing ministry of Christ operates in the Church today and who agree to participate in furthering this ministry.
Associate Membership
Associates assent to the OSL's Statement of Faith and to the Charter of the Order, and pay an annual subscription for inclusion on the mailing list.
Chapters
Groups of OSL Members and Associates from the same geographical area meet in Chapters. Each Chapter usually has an ordained Minister as Chaplain as well as a Lay Convenor and a Secretary/Treasurer.
Meetings include times for teaching and study, prayer, and sharing together.
Chapters also conduct regular healing services in their local areas.
OSL and the Church
The OSL affirms the Church's faith as contained in the accepted creeds of the Christian Church, especially the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, and recognises the various statements of faith from different denominations.
The OSL encourages cooperation between the ministry of the Church and healing professions, and seeks to be an avenue whereby this cooperation can be achieved and maintained. More and more healing professionals are becoming aware of the spiritual aspects of healing and empirical studies now show direct links between prayer and recovery from illness and surgery.
The Order of St Luke - OSL Healing Ministries
We take our name from St Luke 'the beloved physician'.
The International Order of St Luke was founded in the USA in 1947 by The Rev. Dr. John Gayner Banks, a priest of the Episcopal Church.
The Australian Order of St Luke began in the 1950's and was granted autonomy in 1961.
The Order is now firmly established in Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries, and is widely accepted by Christians internationally and across denominations.
OSL Healing Ministries was adopted as the operational name of the Order of St Luke the Physician in Australia in late 2009.