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Today, we remember on this day the dedication of the Church of St John the Baptist in Valetta on the Island of Malta. It was dedicated as the principal church of our Order, where through many generations the members of the Order joined fraternally and confraternally to worship the Holy Trinity, the Lord our God, to venerate Our Lady the Immaculate Mother of God under the title of Our Lady of Philermos, and to seek her intercession as well as the intercession of all the saints, most especially of all our brothers, sisters, confrères, chaplains, supporters, and associates who have joined our founder, Blessed Fra’ Gerard, in his community in heaven.

Today, we remember Clemens August, Count von Galen, was born in 1878 in Oldenburg, Germany the eleventh of thirteen children in a deeply religious aristocratic family. He was ordained in 1904 and did pastoral work in Münster and Berlin, where he lived through the difficult times of the First World War, the troubled post-war period, and a great part of the Weimar Republic. In 1929 he was called back to Münster and in 1933 made Bishop there. Already in his first Lenten pastoral letter in 1934 he exposed the neo-heathen ideology of the Nazis (National Socialists) who had taken power. He was one of the bishops whom Pope Pius XI in 1937 called to help prepare the encyclical “With Burning Anxiety“ against the racial doctrine of the Nazis. In 1941 the Nazi leadership advised Hitler to assassinate Bishop Galen. They feared doing so, but in his place 37 priests were sent to concentration camps, of whom 10 lost their lives. In the troubled post-war period he instilled new courage into many. In February 1946 Pope Pius XII elevated him to Cardinal for his fearless resistance against Nazism. He died on 22 March 1946, known by all as “The Lion of Münster” He chose as his episcopal motto: “Nec laudibus nec timore” Often translated as: “Unconcerned about praise, unaffected by fear”. Blessed Clemens August, we pray your intercession that in these troubled times all members of our Order may find inspiration in your motto.

Today we remember, Saint Nuno de Santa Maria Alvares Pereira Religious and Prior of the Order of Saint John of Jeruslem, of Rhodes, and now of Malta. He was born 24 July 1360 at Santares, Portugal and he died Easter Sunday, 1 April 1431. He was a cousin of the founder of the Braganza family, the extant royal house of Portugal. He entered the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem and of Rhodes at the age of 23. At the age of 25, while serving King John I as Constable (military commander) he defeated a much larger invading Castilian army, thereby assuring Portugal’s independence. Renowned in all of Europe as one of the most famous knights of his age, he was Constable (Grand Marshal, military commander) of the Kingdom of Portugal and also Prior of the Order of Saint John in Portugal. He was outstandingly generous and charitable towards the poor, and in later life became a lay-brother in the Carmelite Order where he was remarkable for his devotion to Our Lady and humbly undertook the meanest of duties. Saint Nuno (Nonius), you protected a kingdom but also served the lowest. Pray for Our Grand Master and for our Order, for all our members and benefactors and for those whom we strive to serve.

Blessed Gerard was born at Villamagna near Florence about 1174. Loyally he followed his feudal lord to Palestine for the defense of Christendom, and there became a 'serving bother' in the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. After returning home, he met Saint Francis of Assisi and from his hands received the habit of the Friars Minor. However he did not leave the Order of Saint John and all his life he continued to wear the white Cross of the Order on his habit. He lived as a hermit in penance and prayer. On his deathbed he asked for some cherries. Although it was much too early in the season, a good sister went to look and found in a small enclosure a cherry tree full of ripe fruit as fresh as in June. He died about 1245. Although the exact date of his death is uncertain, his memorial is kept every year on 18 May at Villamagna, where his body is. Blessed Gerard you gave us the great example of loyalty, of bravery in the defense of Christendom, of service to God’s sick and poor, and of personal spiritual development. Pray that all members of our Order may follow your example.

Vilmos (William) Apor, born 1892, was an Hungarian bishop who earned a special reputation for his service to the poor, especially during the months of hardship that came toward and at the end of World War II. Named Bishop of Gÿor in 1941, he chose as his motto: “The Cross strengthens the weak and makes the strong gentle.” During the many air raids he opened his home to those whose houses had been destroyed. When Russian troops entered the city in 1945, many women including religious took refuge in his episcopal residence. On Good Friday 1945 three Russian soldiers came to the residence and demanded that the women be taken to their barracks. Bishop Apor refused and placed himself in front of the women. One of the Russians shot and wounded him. Out of fear they then fled, leaving the women unmolested. Bishop Apor lived in great agony for three days and died on 2 April, Easter Monday.

She was born in 1136 at Calcinia, near Pisa (Italy). At the age of fifteen, she joined the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, and worked for fifty-five years in the infirmary attached to the monastery at Pisa, caring for her neighbor out of love for God. She died on 28 May 1206. Her body was taken back to Calcinia where it is now enshrined. Not only honored among the saints and blessed of The Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, She is celebrated also as a patroness of the City of Pisa.

Saint Fleur (Flora) was born about 1300 at Maurs in France. At the age of thirteen she took the veil in the convent of the Sisters of St John of Jerusalem at Beaulieu, in the diocese of Cahors (France), where she devoted herself to tending the poor and the sick in the hospital attached to the convent. She sublimated distractions and temptations in the love of God and in mystical experiences. She had a special devotion to Christ Crucified, to Our Lady of the Annunciation, and to Saint John the Baptist, the patron of the Order of Saint John. She died in 1347 and her relics are still in the church at Issendolus in the Diocese of Cahors. Saint Fleur, for 33 of your 47 years on earth, you served the sick and the poor as a sister of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. Pray for the Order and its members, who serve the sick and the poor.

It is not known for certain whether he came from Poland or the Germanic areas of Europe, but he was certainly a Knight of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. At the time of Emperor Frederick II, he served in a little church at Caltagirone in Sicily, caring for widows and orphans, devotedly and without thought for himself. He died about 1271 and is still honored at Caltagirone, where his relics are venerated in the Basilica of San Giacomo.

The Bull of Pope Paschal II dated 15 Feb 1113 approved the institution of “the fraternity of The Hospital of Saint John at Jerusalem”. This was understood by those involved to be Saint John the Baptist. If one wanted a patron, one wanted a powerful one, and Saint John the Baptist was about as close to the Lord as one could get. He was the epitome of obedience, poverty, self-sacrifice, humility, and dedication to serving others. He suffered much in guiding the people in the path of the Lord, and suffered martyrdom for his efforts: certainly a defender of the faith. Through the intercession of our Patron, Saint John the Baptist, we pray for all those, who, in the name of the Order, bring help to the afflicted and mercifully assist their brethren in sickness, hunger, poverty, and ignorance: that God may always enlighten them, protect them, console them in adversity and grant that their works of charity may bear much fruit in his sight.

Nicasius was the grandson of one of the last emirs of Sicily, who had been converted by Roger of Normandy (or perhaps converted because of Roger). Nicasius was born about 1135 in Sicily, possibly in Palermo, into the Kameti family, later know as 'de Burgo'. He joined the Order of Saint John as a knight, as did his brother Ferrandino. They answered the call of Roger des Moulins and travelled to the Holy Land where Nicasius was martyred in 1187. He fought in the great siege of Acre (1187-1191). According to one tradition he was captured there and beheaded with many others, including his brother Ferrandino. According to another tradition, he was captured during the disastrous battle of The Horns of Hattin and was decapitated in the presence of Saladin after refusing to convert to Islam. Saint Nicasius, as a Knight of Saint John, you gave your life in the Holy Land in defense of Christendom. Pray for the Order of Saint John and for peace in the Holy Land.

Adrian Fortescue was born around 1480, the son of Sir John Fortescue of Punsbourne, Hertfordshire, England. A cousin of Anne Boleyn, he was made a Knight of the Bath in 1503 and was held in favor by King Henry VIII, taking part in the Wars of England against France in 1513 and 1523. Widowed once and married twice, he had seven children. In 1532 he was received as a Knight of Devotion into the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and very recently (1530) of Malta. In 1539 he was attainted of High Treason without trial by an act of Parliament which condemned fifty persons who opposed the ecclesiastical policies Henry VIII. He was beheaded on Tower Hill, London, on 9 July, together with The Venerable Sir Thomas Dingley, a Knight of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. The Order of Saint John of Jerusalem has considered Sir Adrian to be a martyr of the Order, and has promoted devotion to him at least since the early seventeenth century. Pope Leo XIII declared him Blessed on 13 May 1895. Blessed Adrian, pray for the Order and all its members, and for religious freedom for all persons.

King Herod had married Herodias, wife of his brother, Philip. At great risk, John the Baptist preached that this was in violation of Jewish law, which Herod was bound to obey even though he was king. Herodias resented this greatly. Herod feared John as a righteous man, but respected him and kept him in protective custody. But Saint John finally was martyred at the behest of Herodias.

He was born in Rome of Bavarian parents on 18 January 1880 and was baptized Alfredo Ludovico Luigi. He entered the Benedictine monastery of St Paul-Outside-the-Walls when he was 11,and in 1896 began his novitiate, taking the name of Ildefonso. He made his solemn profession in 1902. After studying philosophy at Sant' Anselmo (Rome) and theology at St Paul's Abbey, he was ordained a priest in 1904. He was appointed Archbishop of Milan by Pope Pius XI on 26 June 1929 and created a Cardinal on 15 July. In 1933 he was invested Bailiff in the Order of Malta. A few days before he died, he withdrew to Venegono Seminary. His last, moving words were to the seminarians: “You want something to remember me by. All I can leave you is an invitation to holiness...”. He died a few days later on 30 August 1954. His cause for canonization was introduced in 1957 by his successor, Archbishop Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Pope Paul VI. When his tomb was opened on 28 January 1985, his body was found to be intact. He was beatified on 12 May 1996.

In 1306 the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem bought and occupied the Island of Rhodes. On Mount Philermos in Rhodes there were the remains of a Byzantine church. It had housed a “miraculous” pilgrimage icon of the Blessed Mother, which pious tradition accredited to having been painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist and having been brought from Jerusalem. The Knights of Saint John built a basilica on the spot and reinstated the icon, which was venerated as “Our Lady of All Mercies” and became known near and far as “Our Lady of Philermos”. Since then the Order has been devoted to Our Lady under that title as its protector and patroness. In 1530 the Order moved to Malta and the icon was placed in the church of Saint Lawrence, which soon was badly damaged by fire, but the icon was unscathed. On 19 May 1565 Suleiman began the great Ottoman siege of Malta. Although greatly outnumbered, the Order withstood the attacks. A relief army landed on Malta and the next day, 8 September, the Feast of Our Lady of Philermos, the Turks fled. After Bonaparte captured Malta in 1798, the Order took away the icon of Our Lady of Philermos which came under the protection of the Russian Tsars. It was saved from the 1917 revolution, and in 1919 was taken to Copenhagen. In 1931 it was taken to Yugoslavia and placed under the protection of the king. When the country was invaded in 1941, the icon was hidden in a monastery in Montenegro. It later was found by Tito and placed in a museum in Cetinje but was never displayed. Considered lost for some time, a few years ago the icon was ‘discovered’ and now can be seen at the National Museum in Cetinje, Montenegro.

Saints Zachary and Elizabeth were the parents of St John the Baptist, Patron Saint of The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. According to Saint Luke, they were righteous in the eyes of God, observing blamelessly all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

He was born about 1250 at Imola (Italy) into the family of the lords of Linasio. An able lawyer, at Romagna in 1297 he mediated between the Guelphs (supporting papal authority) and the Gibelines (supporting imperial authority), the factions in Italy in the exceedingly disruptive political and military struggle between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor. He became a knight of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem and was elected Grand Prior at Rome. He devoted great energy to caring for the sick at Florence where he died on 5 October 1320. He was buried in the Church of Saint James in the Campo Corbolini. Blessed Peter, you were a peace maker in a Christendom torn by internal political struggles. Pray for just and lasting peace in our world today, torn by vicious conflicts between seemingly irreconcilable political, social and religious factions

Saint Hugh was born about 1168 at Alessandria (Italy). He became a knight of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. After lengthy service with the Order in the Holy Land, he was elected Master of the Commandery of St John di Prè in Genoa (Italy), where he worked in the nearby infirmary. He was renowned for miraculous powers over the natural elements. He is believed to have died in 1233.

Blessed Pope John was born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli at Sotto il Monte, Italy on 25 November 1881. In 1915 he was drafted as a sergeant in the Italian military medical corps and became a chaplain to the wounded. In 1925 Pius XI made him Bishop and Apostolic Visitor in Bulgaria and he took as his Episcopal motto: Obedientia et Pax (Obedience and Peace). In 1953 he was created Cardinal and became Patriarch of Venice. In 1956 he was invested as Bailiff in the Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. At the death of Pius XII he was elected Pope on 28 October 1958. His was an authentic image of the "Good Shepherd": meek and gentle, enterprising and courageous, simple and active. On 24 June 1961, the patronal feast of our Order, he approved the current Constitution of our Order. In 1962 he opened the Second Vatican Council. He died on the evening of 3 June 1963. Blessed John, during the horrors of war, you served the sick, wounded and dying in military hospitaller duties, caring for their suffering bodies and souls. Pray for the multitude in the world today suffering the ravages of wars and internal conflicts.

Towards the end of the eleventh century, Gerard went to Jerusalem. There, next to the Church of Saint John, he established a hospice (resting place) for pilgrims and the sick. To maintain his work he founded a religious fraternity. During the Crusader siege of Jerusalem in 1099, he was in the city. All the inhabitants of the city including the Christians were forced to assist in the defense of the walls, but instead of stones, Gerard threw small loaves of bread to the hungry besiegers. Having been so observed by the Muslim guards, He was accused of treachery, but when ordered to open his cloak, instead of loaves of bread, stones fell out. After the conquest of the city, Gerard served the multitude of wounded, sick and dying. Many of the crusading knights put aside the sword to join Gerard in this work and the brotherhood expanded rapidly. On 15 February 1113, Pope Paschal II solemnly approved the Order with the Papal bull, Pie postulatio voluntatis, addressed to ‘Gerard, Founder and Warden of the hospice at Jerusalem and to his lawful successors’. Gerard conceived the principle that the sick and the poor were the ‘lords’ of the members of his order and the members were their ‘serfs’, under the feudal obligation to render the same devotion and reverence that secular lords would receive from their liegemen. He died at Jerusalem on 3 September 1120. Blessed Gerard, we pray for your continued intercession, and the intercession of the great company of our Order with you, that our many works in this terribly suffering world will continue to bear much fruit from the tree you planted.

Born the grand nephew of Emperor Franz-Josef, he was far down the line of succession to the throne. Due to a series of tragedies, in 1916 in the middle of the The Great War (World War I), he succeeded to the imperial and royal crowns. He very strongly opposed the war and attempted through secret negotiations to bring about a fair and lasting peace. As a result he was known as "The Peace Emperor". In 1919 the socialist government forced him into exile where he and his family lived a quite, humble, deeply religious Catholic life. His attempt in 1921 to return to Hungary failed. Emperor Karl and his family were exiled to the island of Madeira where they lived in poverty, and where he bore a serious illness with great trust in God. He died in Funchal on 1 April 1922. The date for his memorial was set as 21 October, the day on which he had married Zita, Princess of the House of Bourbon-Parma. Blessed Karl, at great danger to yourself and your family, you worked diligently to end the incredible destruction and bloodshed of The Great War. In spite of losing your crowns, your power, your country, your wealth, and your health, you never lost your profound trust in God. Pray for us and for peace in our world

When we remember “all the saints” of our Order, it is well to reflect that we refer not only to those who have been formally recognized by the Church through beatification or canonization. On this day we remember the thousands of our predecessors in the Order of St John, including knights, sisters, dames, chaplains, auxiliary troops, supporters who have already entered the presence of God, joining in heaven that venerable fraternity of Blessed Fra’ Gerard, for all such are recognized as ‘saints’.

In 1134 three Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, the sons of William, sire of Eppes, Jean, Hector, and Henri, fell prisoners of the Muslims at Ascalon and were sent to Egypt. They reportedly miraculously found or received in their prison from an angel a statue of Our Lady, which they named "Notre Dame de Liesse" [“Our Lady of Joy” in French]. The Sultan sent his daughter Ismerie to the dungeon to convert the three knights, In response to their prayers, Ismerie, took an interest in the Knights and through the intercession of Our Lady and the mercy of God the princess was converted. The princess arranged the escape of the pious crusaders and joined them on their journey to France. During their flight all four fall asleep, and during their sleep they were miraculously transported to Northern France, awakening close to the Eppes’ castle. They carried the statue with them, and in the region of Laon, about 35 miles northwest of Reims, they founded a church as a resting place for the statue. Through local devotion the church took on the name of the statue, and gave that name to the whole region, so that "Notre Dame de Liesse" came to mean both "Our Lady of Joy" and "Our Lady of [the place called] Liesse". The statue came to be venerated by many, and "Our Lady of Liesse" became the Patroness of the Diocese of Soissons. In 1620 the titular Bailiff of Armenia, Fra' Jacques Chenu de Bellay, built a church to Our Lady of Liesse at Valletta in Malta. The original statue was destroyed during the French Revolution, but the medieval basilica at Liesse remained a center of devotion to the Mother of God, and a new statue was installed and crowned there in 1857. It is still the focus of pilgrimage, especially on Whit Monday.