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Janie Gestal shares her reflections on the Lourdes Day celebration at St. Anne's home in San Francisco:
Tucked away on the grounds of St. Anne's home is a beautiful replica of the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. On October 9th, close to 400 people took part in a prayerful, joyful day which was reminiscent of the pilgrimage many of our Knights, Dames, auxiliary and malades have been privileged to experience. Thanks to the efforts of Laura Hosking and her volunteers, the events of the day flowed smoothly. As a relatively new member to the Western Association, I was duly impressed by the loving attention given to the malades in attendance.
The event started with a rosary procession to the grotto, followed by a Mass and the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick administered by our devoted priests. Following lunch, we assembled for the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
The sacredness of the day was palpable. As always, our honored guests, the malades, were treated with respect and love by the devoted service of 120 Knights, Dames and auxiliary members of the Order of Malta. The Little Sisters of the Poor are always a model for me in the selfless care and respect they give to their residents of St. Anne's and about 70 residents were able to share this day with us. Two busloads of the residents of the Laguna Honda Home were there to be treated to this spiritual experience and seemed to be very grateful to all of us for the care and blessings they received on this spiritual day.
Julie Munro recognized the need for a group of handicapable people to share Lourdes Day and without hesitation recruited the help of many drivers to deliver them to St. Anne's. Often, opportunities such as Lourdes Day for this population are missed. Many thanks to Julie for her efforts
One of my favorite parts of the day was meeting with those malades I was privileged to care for during past Lourdes pilgrimages. It was such a blessing to see them doing so well and to share in a day of thanks to Our Lady of Lourdes for their good health as well as a day of prayer for out fellow pilgrims who could not attend.
Thank you to all those who made this wonderful event possible.
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The Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California held a Celebration Day on July 6. at Summit Medical Center Adult Day Health Care in Oakland, California. The
knights and dames served lunch to the participants.
This much-anticipated event included Bingo and an Auction that followed lunch.
Aided by the knights and dames, hands moved slowly to cover the numbers on the bingo cards. On the other side of the room the auction took place. Monopoly money was used for the auction. The bidding was fast and furious! Their joy was our treasure.
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Warren J. Kirk President and CEO of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center presented the Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California with the Organization of the Year Award. D uring his speech, Mr Kirk commended the Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California with the following words, “For the past thirty years, the Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California has served the community of the East Bay with a commitment and dedication of the noblest stature. Thirty years ago, this chapter of the Order of Malta approached the Sisters of Providence as one of the avenues to reach the sick and poor in this community. Providence Hospital became the site for a free clinic that offered education, free medical care and assistance to the poor in Oakland and the surrounding areas.
In the early 1980’s, as the elderly population was increasing in the East Bay , it was evident that a health and social program that could provide affordable health monitoring and therapies for the elderly was greatly needed. At that time, there were no services such as Adult Day Health Care Centers to meet the needs of chronically ill adults. Families who needed to work could not afford to stay at home to monitor their frail mother or father. Many of these people either had to be institutionalized or were dependent upon family and friends to monitor and set up continuing medical care. Rapid health decline, numerous re-hospitalizations, and early institutionalizations with early deaths were represented by rising statistics.
Learning of these needs, the Order of Malta joined hands with the Sisters of Providence and immediately contributed start-up funds for the inception of the Adult Day Health Care Center.) On December 14, 1987 The Adult Day Health Care Center opened its doors to serve the Oakland Community. Over the last fourteen years the Order of Malta has continued to grant funds to the Adult Day Health Care Center so that services could expand and continue to meet the needs of the elderly.
In 1996, an Alzheimer’s and Dementia Program was opened as a separate component of the Adult Day Health Care Program. Again, it was the start-up funds from the Order of Malta that allowed this to happen.
It is not just the monetary generosity of the Order of Malta that must be acknowledged here tonight. Fourteen years later, they still regularly volunteer at the Adult Day Health Care Center, in their humble and most steadfast way. It is not uncommon to see them serving meals, reading, doing nails and hair, throwing Chris tmas parties and special events, and more importantly, showing a sense of caring and giving a sense of dignity and respect to the elderly participants of the center.
But the Adult Day Health Care and Alzheimer’s & Dementia Program within Alta Bates Summit is not the only focus of the Order of Malta within our Medical Center. Over the last thirteen years, they have worked jointly with the Medical Center to provide free flu shots to the Oakland community. Throughout the years they have given any where from 2,000 to at times 6,000 flu shots annually. They have done so by contributing funds, voluntarily staffing the flu program clinic and recruiting nurses to administer the vaccine. Thousands of community members rely on the Order of Malta Clinic to receive their annual flu shot…free of charge and with a smile.
It is their commitment and solemn dedication over the last thirty years that I wish to honor tonight. Please join me in congratulating Mr Andrew Garin , President of the Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California, as Alta Bates Summit Foundation’s choice for Organization of the Year.
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The Orange County Chapter of the Order of Malta hosted its annual special event, “Dinner with our Bishops and Abbot” on Friday evening September 10 th, 2003. It was a gourmet occasion, held in the award winning Accents Dining Room and Wine Cellar of the Sutton Place Hotel in Newport Beach.
The special guests of the evening were the bishops of Orange, Tod Brown (a conventual chaplain ad honorem of the Order), Bishop Jamie Soto Dominic Luong, and Bishop Norman McFarland; and Abbot Eugene Hayes, of St Michael’s Abbey in Silverado, who is also a conventual chaplain ad honorem, who assists us with spiritual direction, celebrates many of our monthly masses, has been to Lourdes on the Order’s annual pilgrimage, and most recently supported us at our Investiture in Los Angeles.
This annual occasion is designed to let our members show their appreciation for the spiritual leadership that we enjoy in the Diocese of Orange, and, as members of the Order of Malta, to let our bishops and abbot know how important they are to the work we do to assist the sick and the poor. Remarks were delivered by the bishops and the abbot, along with appropriate prayers, and during the evening, there was wonderful musical entertainment. Sherry Van Meter and Tom Fuentes were the event planners, and the master of ceremonies for the evening was our Orange County Chapter president, Patrick Ortiz.
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“Amen I say to you, inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it to me.” These words always come to mind when I speak of the Order of Malta Parish Nurse Program for Seniors. My name is Ann Bilash, and I have the great privilege of being the Order of Malta Parish Nurse, at Saint Norbert’s Church in Orange, California.
Since we first began visiting the underserved elderly of the parish in January, 2004, there have been many inspirational and touching experiences involving our Parish Nurse Program and the volunteers from the Orange County Chapter of the Order. I would like to share one such experience involving an elderly parishioner who had been away from the sacraments for many years. I will call him Mr. G.
Mr. G Became interested in our Parish Nurse Program for Seniors when he attended one of our Health Fair Luncheons. After hearing our presentation of the services we provide, he requested a home visit. I asked if I could bring him the Holy Eucharist as well. He said he would want to receive Communion but could not because he had been away from the Church for so many years and would need to have his confession heard. I arranged for our priest to go to his home to give the Sacrament of Reconciliation before my visit. I later made a home visit accompanied by a volunteer from the Order.
As Mr. G received Holy Communion, he immediately broke down sobbing. Several times he said: “It has been such a long time. You have no idea what this means to me.” It was such a powerful moment that our volunteer and I felt blessed to be a part of it. After I completed my medical assessment, including diet counseling and blood pressure check, and we were about to leave, he commented: “You two have no idea what your Parish Nurse Program has done for me.” Both the volunteer and I encouraged him to continue his incredible journey back to Our Lord.
 The Parish Nurse Program at Saint Norbert’s Church is made up of a great team of dedicated and compassionate individuals. Terry and Mary Ann Gilmore have done an exceptional job as directors. The support and advice they offer has been invaluable to me in the work that I do. They have truly made this a labor of love. Our participation director, Sherry Van Meter, brings her ideas, energy, and great organizational skills to our program. Our two team captains, Margaret Grienke and Jill Ortiz, organize monthly schedules for the volunteers. They keep me informed of which volunteer knight or dame will be assisting me out on the home visits. Our program is fortunate to have a Spanish-speaking interpreter, Jannette Ingardia, who translates for me when visiting Spanish-speaking seniors. Our program has also been blessed with many Order of Malta volunteers who give their time to assist me on home visits and to help at the senior luncheons. Their support and participation has greatly contributed to the success of this program. Finally, a Parish Nurse Program could not survive without the support of the pastor. We are truly grateful to the Reverend Monsignor John Urell, Pastor of Saint Norbert’s Church, for his active support of our program efforts.
We continue to expand our efforts to identify the underserved elderly of our parish, who could benefit from the Order of Malta Parish Nurse Program. It is very satisfying to be part of such a unique program, which allows all of us that are involved the opportunity to make a difference in the life of a senior member of our community.
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Lourdes & Beyond
Spring 2004 found the Seattle Chapter getting to know our prospective Lourdes malades. After a last minute cancellation, with much appreciated help and support of Lourdes Chairs Jack and Jeannie O’Brien, we scrambled to bring one of our qualified but previously disappointed prospective malades, Angie Herbert and her husband and caregiver Shawn. For them, this was a Lourdes miracle, and the plane hadn’t even left for France .
We held our first “Lourdes Send-Off Mass” on April 1 st at Seattle ’s Cathedral of Saint James, our Order’s first significant liturgy in the cathedral. Each participant in this year’s pilgrimage to Lourdes was given a special blessing at the Mass by our celebrant and the Seattle Chapter’s new Spiritual Director, Fr Richard Quinn CSsR, a provisional Magistral Chaplain of the Order. Afterwards, we all dined together and shared memories of previous pilgrimages to Lourdes . Then, on April 27 th, our malades and the other members of the “Green Team” were joyfully sent and wished a bon voyage to Lourdes .
Dining With Friends
 On
Easter Sunday April 11 th and Mother’s
Day May 9 th we had the opportunity and
privilege to serve our lords, the sick
and the poor at a special celebratory “Dinners
with Friends” at Seattle’s
Sacred Heart Shelter for homeless women
with children. All involved seemed to enjoy
these Sunday dinners which our Chapter
provides and serves on the second Sunday
of each month.
Investees from Seattle
Seattle sent a contingent of sponsors and our three Investees to the annual Investiture, this year at the new cathedral in Los Angeles . Our Seattle Class of ’04 includes Carolyn Jo (Scooty) Kellogg, Dr Robin Bernhoft, and James Minorchio. Seattle looks forward to welcoming the Class of ’05 in warm and sunny Phoenix in October, 2005.
Summer Season’s Sites
 Mid-summer we had our Seattle Chapter’s third annual summer party, this year a “South of the Border Fiesta” at the home of John and Mary Jo Costello. We again invited our Lourdes malades and invited them share the stories of their pilgrimage with potential new members and with members who couldn’t go to Lourdes this year. It was a lovely summer evening on Lake Washington and the Mexican band lent a festive atmosphere to the South of the Border food and drink. A special treat: long time members, but recent transplants, Dick and Adele Rudy and Richard and Maude Ferry were able to attend the gathering.
We all heard one of our malades, who had been a church organist before suffering a very severe car accident and who was unable to walk without a cane prior to her trip to Lourdes, tell us that she is now able to walk without the cane and is also slowly regaining her ability to play the organ for some Masses. This was something she feared that she would never be able to do again. She is glad she went to Lourdes because she feels a new strength and inner peace.
A Seattle Auxiliary?
Perhaps our most intriguing “work in progress” is the emerging interest of some special young people in the work of our Order. Although not yet formally affiliated with our work, these young people and their adult leadership bode well indeed for our Chapter’s ability to make a difference in the lives of the sick and the poor in Seattle .
Come see us, please
If any of our members plan travel in the beautiful Pacific Northwest , please let us know, so that we may meet you and share our hospitality.
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New Mailing System Save Time & Money
In an effort to modernize the office and keep up with the large volume of mailings in the Western Association, the Malta Office recently leased a new mailing system from Pitney Bowes. In 2003, the office sent out over 70,000 pieces of mail, using a system that was designed for an output of about 1,000 pieces per month. Given the current rate of growth in membership and activities it seemed time to invest in a system that would help streamline this process of bulk mailings and provide considerable savings on postage.
The new mailing system allows us several advantages over the old equipment. The first is a new designated printer that is designed to print only envelopes. This new piece of equipment does our largest print job, i.e. the entire Western Association database, in less than five minutes.
The second advantage is the new postage machine. It is designed to handle the large volume of mail that goes out each week. For example, in July of 2004, more than 6,500 pieces of mail were processed from the Malta Office. Previously, each piece had to be handed through the postage machine. Again, what once took hours is now reduced to a matter of minutes.
The last, and most important, component of this state of the art mailing system is the new computer software that accompanies these machines. The office staff has been trained to use “Smart Mailer”, which enables the user to imprint postal bar coding on each piece of mail, saving a few steps and cutting the end cost of mailings. By September 1 st, 2004 , all mailing databases will be updated and included in this new system. With our non-profit status, the cost of postage on our mailings will drop significantly as well.
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Mike Lambert reports that there is a lot of good broadcasting coming from "Immaculate Heart Radio" in Sacramento. Over the past month Karl Keating was interviewed on "Catholic Answers Live" (which is the program our Association sponsors). There have been programs devoted to the upcoming election and the release of the new movie about St. Therese. If you want to find good Catholic broadcasting, go to www.ihradio.org and click onto one of several buttons that say live broadcast. IHR is bidding on a station in Albuquerque/Santa Fe and about to start the process in Phoenix. In Las Vegas a legal hurdle has been removed and awaiting FCC go ahead. Quincy and Eureka are on the air. They now have 8 medium to small market stations and are adding 3 medium to large markets. This means that our Order of Malta Defense of the Faith Hour will be available to 8 million listeners!
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