knights and dames receive the award from the grand prior when they are touched on the shoulder with a sword and are given their robes and insignia. post-nominal letters of the order are not used outside the organization itself, and a knight and dame may not use the prefix "sir" or "dame", though they may request from their local heraldic authority a personal coats of arms, should they not already possess any, and have it adorned with emblems of the order of st. john. further, membership in the order only grants precedence within the society, which is as follows: