ORDER OF MALTA MOMENT
Lourdes Pilgrimage Application
The Lourdes Pilgrimage application is now open! Please click here to access the application. We have limited spaces available for each group. To guarantee a spot, please make sure to apply early.
Board News
The Board has approved the appointment of Fra Thomas Mulligan of Lincolnwood, IL as Vice Commander and Robert Hutton of Memphis, TN as Vice Chancellor of the Federal Association, pending Rome’s confirmation of Margaret Melady as President at the upcoming Sovereign Council meeting in October.
Medical Needs in Haiti
As shared by Joe Giere of Potomac, MD Crudem’s Hospital Sacre Coeur is seeking Medical Support. One of their greatest needs is to find an oral surgeon. They would love to have an additional two of these specialists per year.
Additionally, there is a need for two new dental suites, gastroenterologists (one every 3 months); ICU physicians and nurses able to train the staff, and NICU nurses to work with and train HSC NICU staff.
Thank you for your dedication and continued support of Crudem’s mission to serve the sick and the poor of Haiti.
Contact Joe Giere, KM to offer your support.
October 3, 2014
Chicago Retreat
Understanding God's Way
September 21, 2014
“The Order of Malta, unlike many other religious orders, was so busy serving others that they did not form scholars or spiritual writers,” said retreat director Rev. Eric Hollas. “So we are discovering our spirituality.”
Father Eric Hollas, a Benedictine monk of Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, MN and a Magistral chaplain in the Western Association of the Order of Malta, directed a retreat for 39 members, candidates, volunteers of the Order of Malta and their spouses at the Stritch Retreat Center in Mundelein, Illinois.
Father Hollas explained that our Order of Malta spirituality is represented in the eight pointed cross and rooted in the beatitudes which he called “the Charter of Christ’s life.”
Wearing the cross on our lapel and our garments, the cross is our habit— spurring us to good judgment and greater service to live the beatitudes.”
Father Hollas’s sermon at the retreat can be viewed here.
Members are urged to make a retreat once a year. Our Federal Association has scheduled the upcoming retreats in Western PA from October 31 - November 2, 2014 and in Dallas, TX from November 7 - 9, 2014.
Fighting for Life
The Healey International Relief Foundation (HIRF) based in Lumberton, NJ, has been aiding in relief activities in Sierra Leone since 2005. The foundation supports the rebuilding of Sierra Leone’s healthcare system and has provided relief services since the end of the civil war. The main projects supported through the Foundation include St. Mary’s Children’s Home, Fatima House of Light, St. Stephen’s Home for Amputees, Serabu Hospital and the National Health Organization clinics.
In June, the Order’s Mary Noel and Bill Page, joined by Tricia Lloyd, introduced members in the greater Washington, DC area to the work of HIRF and specifically to Fr. Konteh and Mr. Charles of Caritas Freetown. Members of our Order got to hear first hand of the success that they have been growing with a rebuilt hospital and more clinics in the works as well as ask questions about the war and the current state of affairs in the country. Once they got home, they began to witness the Ebola spread and try to do whatever they could.
Since then, they have been back to Washington to promote their “Ebola Outbreak Response Project,” in which over 150 community leaders from rural and urban parishes near the capital city Freetown have learned about how the virus is transmitted. Community leaders also received materials such as buckets and posters entitled “Ebola is Real” so they can set up hand washing stations in their towns and villages.
They have been actively promoting their efforts to save lives to the media and on Capitol Hill. While they returned home this week, Tricia Lloyd is available to connect any interested Knights and Dames with their work. Contact her at tricia_morrin@hotmail.com.
This fall, we will welcome 52 new Members into the Order. Please join us for the many events throughout the weekend, including our annual Defense of the Faith forum on Friday. The principal speaker will be Kathryn Jean Lopez, Founding Director of Catholic Voices, on “Defending the Family”.
Registration closes October 10th!
Upcoming Events
Western PA Retreat
Oct. 31- Nov. 2 2014
Rev. Justin Matro, OSB - St. Vincent Seminary
"The Spirituality of the Letters of St. Paul"
St. Vincent's Archabbey, Latrobe, PA
Contact- Dan McGrogan
Dallas Texas Retreat
The Dallas Region is hosting the Texas Retreat on November 7 - 9, 2014 at Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House at Lake Dallas, Texas. The Retreat Director will be Fr. Brendan Gatt of the Diocese of Malta and the theme will be "Touching the Hem of his Robe: Meeting God in Everyday Life." To register click here or contact Lawrence Neuhoff, KM.
Federal Association Calendar
Please click the calendar for a complete listing of all national and regional activities.
Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta
Federal Association, U.S.A.
1730 M Street, NW | Suite 403 | Washington, DC 20036
202.331.2494 | Email Us