Dean takes on national role with St John
This article was first published in The Melbourne Anglican on 27 June 2025.
Melbourne’s Anglican dean will oversee chaplaincy for one of Australia’s most recognised emergency response providers, St John Ambulance, in a new volunteer role.
The Very Reverend Dr Andreas Loewe was installed as the inaugural Dean of the Australian Priory of the Most Venerable Order of St John in a special Eucharist service last week.
Apart from pastoral care and liturgical oversight, the Dean of the Priory is responsible for maintaining the organisation’s connection to its spiritual roots.
Dr Loewe saw his new role as a national extension of his work in Victoria, taking his resources and experience onto the national level to provide spiritual oversight to state and territory chaplains.
While having a first aid certificate, he said his role was not one of saving lives but of helping those who did save lives contextualise what they were doing through their faith.
As a Commander in the Order of St John he has volunteered as a chaplain for local brigades and people working on the frontlines as first aiders and emergency responders since 2012.
Dr Loewe appreciated the value the Order placed on giving young people leadership opportunities because he was a St John cadet as a teenager in Wales.
“You’re literally entrusted with life and death situations,” he said. “People have an incredible amount of trust and appreciation for the work you do.”
Dr Loewe emphasised the Order’s respect for young people as he reflected on the 100 years of cadets in Australia.
“We want young people to flourish,” he said. “We take them seriously.”
The Order of St John Chancellor Cameron Oxley believed Dr Loewe’s vision and insight would be vital in the continued growth of chaplaincy in St John.
Mr Cameron said Dr Loewe’s theological depth, pastoral sensitivity and distinguished leadership were the perfect combination for the role.
The Most Venerable Order of St John was constituted as an order of chivalry by Queen Victoria in 1888 and was dedicated to St John the Baptist.
The historic Order is committed to humanitarian work and healthcare.
The Order’s origins date back to the Knights Hospitaller in the Middle Ages.
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