Order of Malta Moment

Before his death in 1983 due to lymphoma, the saintly Terence Cardinal Cooke, Archbishop of New York, gave us an incredible insight into the beauty of suffering and death, when he wrote that human life, God’s precious gift, is no less beautiful when it is accompanied by sickness or suffering, disease or illness, hunger or poverty, mental or physical handicaps, loneliness or old age. Indeed, at these times, he wrote, life takes on extra splendor, as it reveals God’s power shining through our human weakness. “It is in and through the weakest of human vessels that God continues to reveal the power of His love.” All of us know the experience of suffering in its many forms, or we have come very close to that reality through the experience of family and friends and those for whom we care. These are privileged moments which invite us as individuals and as a community of faith to enter into a mystery which is a paradox, namely, that suffering and death are actually something beautiful. The question naturally arises, “How can that be?” or a natural response, “That doesn’t make any sense!” While space here doesn’t permit us to tackle the classic philosophical “Problem of Evil,” I propose that we can draw strength and confidence from our Faith in light of our divine Lord’s experience when we care for the sick and poor as members of the Order of Malta. Click here to read more -

Little more than two weeks remain for submitting a Grants application to the Grants Committee for projects serving the poor and the sick. Knights and Dames who actively participate in such programs may apply for grants that conform to the Guidelines listed in the members' section of the Federal Association's website.

Further guidance and a copy of the electronic form are available by calling the Hospitaller Programs Administrator, Leif Carlson, at 202-331-2494 or emailing him. Click here to read more -

Order of Malta members will conduct a panel on “Spiritual and Medical Dimensions of Care on Pilgrimages to Lourdes at the annual conference of the Institute for Religion and Medicine of the University of Chicago on May 28-30. The theme for this year’s conference will be: What Does It Mean to Care? – Religious Traditions and Health Professions Today. Click here to read more -

The “Lourdes Merchandise Team” sells items throughout the week in Lourdes, and the proceeds go directly to the Lourdes Committee budget to help defray the cost of bringing malades and companions who are not able to pay for the pilgrimage. Two years in a row this effort has resulted in a contribution of over $10,000 to the pilgrimage. Click here to read more -

Bishop Emeritus Raymond J. Boland, D.D. will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of his ordination as a Bishop on May 3, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, MO. Bishop Boland is the Chaplain of the Kansas City Chapter of the Order of Malta, and will deliver the homily at his Anniversary Mass. Click here to read more -