Order of Malta Moment
December 16, 2011
Paul McNamara Receives Grand Cross Pro Merito Melitensi
Vice President Ed Festa, KM ( r) confers the Grand Cross to President J. Paul McNamara. KM
At the conclusion of the December Board meeting, Federal Association President J. Paul McNamara, KM received the Grand Cross Pro Merito Melitensi, which was approved by the Grand Master and the Sovereign Council.
The award was made in recognition of Mr. McNamara’s exceptional service to the Order and the Church, and through them, the poor and the sick. “As President, Mr. McNamara, has emphasized participation in the Lourdes Pilgrimage, has undertaken to make the organization of the Federal Association and its committee structure more effective, and developed and improved the process of enlisting highly qualified candidates for the Order” said the letter of nomination.
Charlotte Area Organizations Receive Federal Association Grants
Dr. Don Joyce, KM, (l) former Charlotte Hospitaller and former Board Chair of Med Assist, and Jerry Schmitt, KM, Charlotte Regional Hospitaller of the Order of Malta present a $20,000 check from the Federal Association to Lori Giang, Executive Director of NC Med Assist, of Charlotte
Two Charlotte-area human services organizations - The Holy Angels Residence and MedAssist Medical Clinic - are 2011 recipients of grants awarded by the Board at the recommendation of the Grants Committee of the Federal Association, in recognition and support of the work they do in the Charlotte region.
NC Med Assist of Charlotte was granted $20,000 to further its mission of assisting low-income, uninsured North Carolinians by providing free medications through its licensed pharmacy. Med Assist obtains medications through institutional patient assistance programs administered by pharmaceutical companies and by purchasing certain low-cost generic drugs with the proceeds of charitable donations such as through this grant. Receipt of these free medications by qualifying clients enables them to comply with prescription orders initiated by their physicians. This year’s grant marks the 9th year that Med Assist has benefited from the charitable works of the Order of Malta.
Holy Angels of Belmont, NC, received a grant of $25,000 on November 14. Holy Angels is a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy South Central Community. Founded over 55 years ago, Holy Angels operates residential facilities for children and adults with intellectual developmental disabilities, many of whom are medically fragile. Through innovative programs and services, Holy Angels provides “unconditional love and unlimited possibilities” for their 80 special needs residents in an environment of spiritual, physical, educational, social, and emotional, support. This grant will fund five mechanical lifts, used to safely lift and transport incapacitated residents. - Jim Turner, KM, Charlotte Region
© 2011 Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Used with Permission.
If the Holy Father can do it, you can, too! Remember, you can follow the Federal Association at www.Twitter.com/maltamoment And, we’re on Facebook at Sovereign Military Order of Malta-Lourdes Pilgrimage.
HRH Queen Reina of Spain Visits the Cite Soleil project in Port au Prince, Haiti.
The Cite Soleil project is a youth center operated by the Daughters of Charity in the poorest section of Port au Prince. The Federal Association has supported the project for several years with grants made by the Grants Committee and by way of very significant personal involvement and support from many of our members in Northern Virginia. Sergio Micheli, KM and Pilar Micheli, DM host a fundraiser every summer and over $344,000 has been sent to the sisters since 2004.
Annual Fall Retreat
Jan 20-22, 2012
All members of the Order (and candidates and family members) are invited to attend the Federal Association’s annual Fall Retreat at the Marywood Retreat Center on the shores of the St. John’s River in Jacksonville. Rev. Richard Fragomeni, Ph.D, will be the spiritual director for the retreat. Father is a professor of homelitics at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and he is well known to many of our members there. For more information and to sign up, please click here.
Upcoming Events:
Dec 17 - Wash DC - Christmas Party, 4:00 - 6:00 PM, St. Ann’s Infant Maternity Home. Contact: Chrissy Page
Dec 17- Syracuse, NY - Order of Malta Pancake Breakfast at Franciscan Northside Ministries, Assumption Church, Servers arrive at 7:30AM. Contact: John Clark.
Dec 17 - Wash DC - Malta House Christmas Party at 2:00 PM Contact: Valencia Camp
Dec 25 - Baltimore - Sarah’s Hope Christmas Breakfast and Gift Sharing. Contact: Pat Monaghan
Jan 2 - Charlotte - Room at the Inn at St. Peter’s Catholic Church. Contact: Barbara Laughlin
Jan 7- Chicago - Day of Recollection at Our Lady of Pompeii beginning at 9 AM and ending after Mass at 4:30 PM. RSVP and Contact: Fra’ Tom Mulligan by Jan. 2, paxtnm@gmail.com
Jan 15-20, 2012- New Orleans Home Repair Program work week. Click here for info and sign up.
Jan 16 - Wash DC - Malta House - Celebrating Martin Luther King Holiday through Fellowship, 2:00 PM. Contact: Valencia Camp
Jan 20 - Lancaster - Sanctity of Life Mass at St. Leo the Great Church, 7 PM. Bishop Kevin Rhoades, celebrant. Contact: Pat Whalen
Jan 20-21-Jacksonville, FL- Annual Florida Retreat, Marywood Retreat Center, Rev. Richard Fragomeni. Click Here.
Jan 21 - Dallas -Sanctity of Life and Pro-Life March in downtown Dallas. Contact: Theresa Martter
Feb 6 - Charlotte - Room at the Inn at St. Peter’s Catholic Church. Contact: Barbara Laughlin
Feb 11 - Houston - Anointing Mass, St. Michael’s Church. Contact: Kate Signorelli
Feb 11 - Wash DC - Malta House - Senior-Junior Prom at 2:00 PM. Contact: Valencia Camp
Feb 11 - Atlanta - Mass of the Anointing of the Sick, 11 AM Holy Spirit Catholic Church; Msgr. Edward Dillon is principal celebrant. Contact: Mary Savarese
Feb 26-Mar 2, 2012 - New Orleans Home Repair Program work week. Click here for info and sign up.
Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta
Federal Association, U.S.A.
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