SAINT CATHERINE’S FOUNDATION

HRH Crown Princess Katherine Named President of American Associates

New York, 23 September 2002. - HRH Crown Princess Katherine succeeds the Reverend Father Basil S Gregory as President of the American Associates of the Saint Catherine’s Association. Her Royal Highness has been a member of the board of Directors since the creation of the American Associates in 1997, as well as a Trustee of the London Foundation, Princess Katherine has shown great commitment to the cause of Saint Catherine’s (Mount Sinai, Egypt).

To her new role of president Her Royal Highness brings a wide experience of charitable work. Princess Katherine serves as a Patron of the United Kingdom and United Sates registered Lifeline Humanitarian Organisation, a charity dedicated to the war-torn countries of Eastern Europe and Yugoslavia in particular. Appointed Official Coordinator for Health and Humanitarian Aid by Yugoslavia’s Minister of Health, Princess Katherine is also Patron of various hospitals there. She has given her name and patronage to Yugoslavia’s charitable Princess Katherine Foundation and serves as Honorary President of the Yugoslavian Red Cross.

The Saint Catherine Foundation and its related associations in Switzerland in and the United States have been set up to support conservation work at the Monastery of Saint Catherine, Mount Sinai, Egypt. The major task of re-housing and conserving the library is already underway, in conjunction with a research project developed by the London Institute Camberwell College of Arts. The condition of each of the bound manuscripts, scrolls and printed books is being individually assessed, and specially designed boxed storage is being created. Plans for the architectural remodelling of the library interior are being drawn up to provide the best possible environment for the literary heritage of the monastery. This is a long-term activity aimed at ensuring the survival of the collection for the centuries to come.