Guild of St Raphael

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The Guild of St Raphael was founded in 1915. It was an organisation within the Anglican church specifically dedicated to promoting, supporting and practicing Christ’s ministry of healing as an integral part of the Church. It has expanded to include members from other denominations, and now has 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.

Some internet sources [1] place the founding of the Guild by some of the members of the Stella Matutina, including Robert Felkin. There is little documentary evidence available to support this assertion outside of the book by Francis King, (1989), and he notes that the Guild rapidly became completely separate from any of the practices of Stella Matutina.

Prayer for healing, usually within a liturgical framework, is at the heart of the Guild’s work, which uses anointing with Holy Oil and the Laying on of Hands. Other healing activities include listening, and counselling. Guild practitioners have also written about exorcism, In 1960, the Rev. Henry Cooper, chaplain to the Guild of St. Raphael, 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 [2].


The Guild also published a half-yearly periodical, Chrism, which looks at 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.

The Guild always co-operates with members of the medical profession and others engaged in the work of healing.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Guild of St. Raphael: The Ministry of Healing. Booklet, 2005
  • Henry Cooper, Deliverance and Healing: The Place of Exorcism in the Healing Ministry, London: Guild of Health and Guild of St. Raphael, 1972
  • Christian Healing: History and Hope by Mary Theresa Webb, 2002
  • Psychology and Life by Leslie D. Weatherhead, 1935

[edit] External Links

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