March 3, 2005

Malteser International, the global relief arm of the Order of Malta, will officially come into existence on March 3, 2005. It subsumes the existing ECOM (Emergency Corps of the Order of Malta), and will be responsible for executing and/or coordinating the Order's efforts in foreign humanitarian aid and disaster relief throughout the world. Several associations of the Order (most notably France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland and Britain) have long-established and fully functional aid arms - these will continue to exist, and work through Malteser International for the coordination of their global activities.

In countries where there is one or more association of the Order but no relief arm exists, such as the United States or Canada, Malteser International will found a local organisation with the support of the local association(s), and work with them to build up capacity to raise awareness of the works of Malteser International, conduct informational and training activities, recruit humanitarian aid staff and volunteers, assist in liaison with local governmental and supranational bodies, and access public and private funding.

Malteser International's global headquarters are in Cologne, Germany. On the date of its founding, it will merge with the Foreign Aid Service of the Malteser Hilfdienst, and have approximately 120 international and 650 local staff engaged on 80 projects in 34 countries, serving approximately 5 million people.

In the long tradition of Christian service of the Order of Malta, Malteser International is committed:

• To provide assistance to those in need without regard to creed, gender, race or nationality
• To respect the religious and cultural traditions of those they serve
• To work closely with, and hand over responsibilities as soon as feasible to, local partners
• To be accountable towards all our stakeholders
• To manage financial resources cost-effectively

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Introduction

Our recent expedition to India and Thailand to review Malteser and OHFOM projects and offer our support for Tsunami survivors was most informative.

We were most gratified to find that the Order of Malta, through Malteser Hilf Dienst (MHD) and OHFOM have been active in India for many years and in Thailand for 20 years. Because of this significant presence in these countries, Malteser is well respected and well known and ,therefore, able to respond immediately to the emergency situation on 27 December, 2004.

India

We left snowy Frankfurt 8 February bound for Mumbai (Bombay). Our group consisted of: H.E. Albrecht von Boeselager, Grand Hospitaller H.E. Johannes Heereman, Executive President, MHD H.E. Nicolas de Cock de Rameyen, President of ECOM H.E. Thierry Beaumont-Beynac, President of OHFOM Myself, Antonio R. Sanchez-Corea, member of the Sovereign Council, SMOM and Lucille Sanchez-Corea, Dame of Malta Western Association USA Jeffrey Gamble, representative of the Federal Association, USA would join us at Mumbai, and Ingo Radke was detained a few days due to illness.

The purpose of our visit was to offer our sympathy and encouragement to the people of the affected regions and our support to Malteser and OHFOM workers and partners. To accomplish these goals we traveled 4 days in India and 3 days in Thailand. In India we traveled 8 hours per day by SUV and covered a large part of this vast country in Southern India from Kanniyakumani , in the Tamil Nadu region at the tip of India , to Kollam in Kerala region and then by Plane to Chennai (Madras) and by Car eight hour days to Pondicherry. Our first stop was Nagercoil in Kanniyakumani region where we were greeted in the traditional manner by Father Maria of HOM (Help for One Million) and eighty his able assistant volunteers. Father's project is well organized and successful.

Click here to download a complete pdf file of the Report (1.6MB pdf)

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The intensity surrounding many moral issues in the recent election may have abated somewhat, but the moral issues remain, as does our responsibility of members of the Order to defend and further our faith. On the eve of the election, Archbishop John R. Quinn gave a homily addressing these issues, which can be found in our Spirituality section. Please take the time to read his homily, and browse through other materials made available by our spiritual directors.

The complete text of Archbishop Quinn's talk may be found on our Spiritual Formation Site under Sermons and Speeches.

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On October 7th, 2004, the City Council of Orange County honored the Order's "Parish Nurse Program" which Terry and Mary Ann Gilmore direct at St. Norbert's parish. A week later the Orange County Register carried a piece about the parish nursing program sponsored by the Order of Malta. Terry Gilmore told the Register reporter that the pilot program is being very well received, and there are plans to begin a similar program in Los Angeles. The article describes the impact both on an elderly widow and the nurse who visits her. The nurse reported,"I see how spirituality can bring strength and comfort and peace of mind in someone's life at a very difficult time. It made me look at my own faith and made me a more spiritual person, too." This offers a beautiful summary of the goal of the order

On February 5th, 2005 His Eminence Roger Cardinal Mahony will honor five members of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, among them David Frelenger, M.D. of the Order of Malta. The honorees are recognized by the Cardinal for their commitment to the service of the Church. We congratulate Dr. Frelenger for his devoted service to the needy in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

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