Our Grand Master, Fra Andrew Bertie, together with members of the Sovereign Council, joined with other dignitaries and a gathering of the faithful estimated to be half a million strong for the Mass on April 24 at which our new Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, began his pastoral ministry as shepherd of the universal Church. From his many years of devoted service in Rome , our new Pope has a keen awareness of the work of the Order, and no doubt he will rely on our generous and devoted service in defense of the faith and in service to the sick and the poor.

As one of the leading theologians at the Second Vatican Council, Benedict XVI will further the faithful implementation of that great event in the life of the Church along the lines laid out by his remarkable predecessor, Pope John Paul II. Along with his profound theological mind, the new Pope brings to the Chair of Peter a wealth of experience from his service in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In that position, he has met with every bishop in the world every five years, so he has a sense of diverse needs of the Church in various regions. He certainly will rely on the Order of Malta to help meet those needs.

In the course of his homily Pope Benedict XIV spoke of the symbolism of the pallium, the woolen stole he received signifying his role as Pastor of the Universal Church. He told the gathered community that it symbolizes first and foremost Christ the Good Shepherd, who goes out and seeks the lost sheep -- which is each and every human being -- and lovingly carries the sheep on His shoulders back to His Father's house. Then he added a second point: the pallium is a reminder that all of us, in virtue of our baptism, are called to be "good shepherds" to one another, and that we are called to seek out and help those who are wandering in the deserts of this world. With great passion and eloquence, the Holy Father said: "And there are so many kinds of desert. There is the desert of poverty, the desert of hunger and thirst, the desert of abandonment, of loneliness, of destroyed love. There is the desert of God's darkness, the emptiness of souls no longer aware of their dignity or the goal of human life. The external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast. Therefore the earth's treasures no longer serve to build God's garden for all to live in, but they have been made to serve the powers of exploitation and destruction. The Church as a whole and all her pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, towards the One who gives us life, and life in abundance." This description aptly captures the purpose of the Order of Malta, and encourages us in our efforts to assist our lords, the sick and the poor.

In the days ahead, our new Holy Father will present his vision for his pastoral service to the universal Church. He has chosen to be called "Benedict", and in so doing calls to mind one of the most influential figures in the history of the Church, St. Benedict. As the Order of Malta has its roots in the monastic life promoted by St. Benedict, we feel a special tie with the new Pope in this choice of his name. His two immediate predecessors bearing that name are also significant pontiffs. Pope Benedict XV (1914-1922) was called to shepherd the Church through the terrible events of the First World War, and presented himself as a man of peace and reconciliation, both within the Church and between warring nations. Had the victorious leaders heeded his pleas for conciliation, it is likely that the Second World War would never have happened. Benedict XIV (1740-1758) was noted for his learning and willingness to seek the paths of conciliation between nations and among factions within the Church. We pray that our new Holy Father's clarity regarding doctrine and gentleness of manner will help to restore unity among Christians, deeper charity within the Catholic fold, and peace in our world.

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Together with the rest of the Church, the members of the Order of Malta pray for the repose of the soul of Pope John Paul II. Fra Andrew Bertie, Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, went to pay his respects to the late pontiff, praying in the Sala Clementina where the Holy Father’s body lay in state before being carried into St. Peter’s basilica. The Grand Master called on members to pray for “this extraordinary servant of God who changed and moved the whole world.”

Last June 22nd, on the occasion of the annual visit of the Sovereign Council to the Holy Father, Pope John Paul expressed his gratitude to the Order for its dedicated labors: “The Holy See appreciates the many services you offer in the cause of evangelization, and in particular your many initiatives on behalf of those in need. I encourage you to persevere generously in following your path of fidelity to Christ and His Church.”

Throughout his long and fruitful pontificate, Pope John Paul relied on the generous assistance of the Order of Malta , both in its work to assist the poor throughout the world, and in its witness to the Catholic faith. One of the projects closest to his heart was the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which he entrusted in a special way to the members of the Order. From the day twenty-six years ago that the newly-elected Pope held up his pastoral crucifix in St. Peter’s square and enjoined the entire world, “Do not be afraid! Open the doors to Christ!”, our Holy Father has been a tireless preacher of the Gospel and a voice for the poorest of the poor. The Order has been privileged to serve under his leadership, and we all pray that the Lord will now welcome the successor of Peter to the banquet of eternal life.

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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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It is the long term wish of the Grand Magistry and of the leaders of our own association and fellow American associations that we should begin to take more responsibility for our brethren in need in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the creation of Malteser International is one element in that plan. In asking "how can I help?" it is important to understand some of the complexities involved, and how Malteser International initiative intends to address them.

Relief work requires a broad set of skills in addition to the "obvious" medical skills - staff and volunteers are thoroughly trained in a variety of capacities, and act as: physicians, paramedics, nurses and orderlies, logisticians, administrators, project managers, media liaison and trainers.  The natural human response to a catastrophe, particularly for members and friends of an organization founded to help "our lords the sick and the poor", is to want to roll up our sleeves and help.

In the field of humanitarian aid and disaster relief, this is not always as straightforward as it sounds - well-intentioned but unskilled or uncoordinated efforts can and do actually make things worse by putting additional burdens on infrastructure, supplying unwanted commodities which get in the way or need to be destroyed, obstructing local efforts to restore permanent local capacity, and potentially accidentally compounding the trauma for survivors.

The critical burden of disaster relief will always best be borne by comprehensively trained and certified full-time professionals in the field. Emerging global standards in the arena require the highest levels of professionalism (Malteser International subscribes to the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Code of Conduct and the Sphere Project standards), and the international aid community actively discourages untrained volunteers from appearing at disaster scenes.

As was clearly illustrated by phenomenal public generosity in the recent tsunami disaster, the urge to help is often best served by sending financial resources to an organization well placed to help. Fungible money can be quickly directed as needed to purchase only those supplies most urgently needed, and employ as much local labour as possible, which also contributes to local economic recovery.

In addition to direct financial assistance, in the finest tradition of the Order it is possible, and indeed desirable, for interested members and friends to help by devoting their time, talent and treasure. To be of constructive use, however, meticulous planning, careful training and the ability to fill an express need are all critical components.

Over the coming few years, as Malteser International establishes a US operation, interested members and friends of the Order will have the opportunity to:

• learn more about the global activities of Malteser International
• investigate the various roles through which humanitarian aid is provided (e.g. medicine, logistics, planning and administration, finance)
• study the key topics and issues in global humanitarian aid
• meet and hear from Malteser International colleagues with direct aid experience
• participate in a rigorous training program, both at home and in the field, in theoretical and practical skills

It is our hope that as we develop an American corps of supporters of the global efforts of Malteser International, a subset of those with time and skills to help "on the ground" will emerge. In the meantime, those with an interest in the area of humanitarian aid, and support for the long-term goal of creating partnerships in the Americas that allow us to take a more active role in assisting in crises in our own region, should register their interest in staying informed.

Members of the Order of Malta and supportive friends should:

• visit our association's website (www.OrderofMaltaUSAWestern.com) and click on the "Malteser International" button to find out more about the history and activities of Malteser International
• sign up to receive a regular e-newsletter covering the global activities of Malteser International, the establishment of a US operation, and opportunities for more involvement (either via the website, or by sending an email to: Malteser@OrderofMaltaUSAWestern.org ; and
• participate in a skills inventory which will soon be undertaken, allowing Malteser International to understand the number and types of relevant skills (e.g. medical, logistical, financial, language) that already exist among those willing to help/li>

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January 7, 2005

It was noted that the Grand Magistry now reports that the birth of the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem dates from around 1048 and generally will be referred to as around 1050.

Policies were approved concerning communications, protocol and uniforms.

Extensive chapter reports were given including the activities on both the spiritual and hospitaller works of the Association. Of particular note was the selection of St. Brendan's Parish in Los Angeles for the new parish nurse program in that chapter, the interesting concept of establishing a charity coordinator (Terry Barry in the Orange chapter for their many charitable programs), the continued great success in San Francisco of Lourdes Day at St. Anne's, the day of recollection at Saint Patrick's Seminary and the Saint Anne's Christmas party.

The chapter development of San Jose during 2004 resulted in a recommendation to establish a chapter there and this was approved, as was the approval of Jerome J. Crowley, Jr. as president and Robert J. Masi, MD as vice president of this new chapter.

A substantial presentation on the Orange County chapter parish nurse program was introduced by director Bob Morey and presented by Terry and Mary Ann Gilmore. The success of this signature Order of Malta program and the enthusiasm shown for it is substantial.

The chancellor presented the budget for 2005 and reported on various administrative matters. The budget reflected an incredible amount of excellent work by Bill Regan, Gary West and the Finance Committee, and a substantial improvement in the first detailed budget prepared by the Association for the year 2004. The budget was reviewed carefully and intensely by the Board and approved. It was particularly noted that 89% of the budget goes directly to our charitable and religious activities and only 11% to administration.

The president reviewed the current tsunami relief issue and the Board approved a contribution of $100,000 by the Association for ECOM (the Emergency Corps of the Order of Malta, soon to be known as Malteser International). An effort was approved to raise additional funds for this disaster from individual members of the Order.

The treasurer, Malcolm Visbal, reported on the excellent financial position of the Association and indicated that the Brother Gerard Program for 2004 had exceeded all previous years and individual members had contributed in excess of $670,000 for Hospitaller works (the year actually concluded with the Brother Gerard Program totaling slightly in excess of $700,000).

The annual Lourdes pilgrimage from Tuesday, April 26 to Wednesday, May 4 was thoroughly reviewed by co-chairman Jack O'Brien and the 2005 pilgrimage is fully subscribed with 175 participants and a waiting list. One of the largest malade application lists has been received and will be screened and reviewed by the Malade Selection Committee in February. A new hotel for our members has been added to the Imperial and De la Grotte and it is the Hotel Vesuvio.

The membership committee chair, Mike Grace, reported on the successful completion of the provisional year for the class of 2005 and the strong orientation programs during the month of January for the provisional candidates for the year 2006. The time line for the 2007 prospective members was reviewed and it was emphasized that all members should carefully read the announcement materials which will show the acceleration of the normal June initiation of the new member program to much earlier in the year.

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On Saturday January 22, 2005 several members of our Association joined 7,000 people for the first annual "Walk for Life" held along the Embarcadero on San Francisco's historic waterfront, walking from the Ferry Building to the Marina Green.

The day began with Mass at Saint Mary's Cathedral celebrated by our Conventual Chaplain, Archbishop William J. Levada. Also concelebrating were Bishops Vigneron of Oakland and Daniel Walsh of Santa Rosa, and the two auxiliary Bishops of San Francisco, John Wester and Ignatius Wang. The Archbishop and Bishop Wang also participated in the Walk itself.

After the celebration of the Eucharist, the walk began along the waterfront. While the objective of the walkers was to have a peaceful and prayerful presence in San Francisco, they were met with hostility and jeers from pro-abortion activists. Among those taking part was the director of Bishop Gallegos Maternity home in Sacramento, a charity that is a recipient of funds from the Hospitaller Committee's annual grant giving.

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On All Saints' Day Fr. Eric Hollas, O.S.B. addressed the monthly meeting in San Francisco on the tradition of pilgrimage. He noted that it is an important part of every religious tradition, and that as a devout Jew Jesus Himself went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. From the early centuries of the Christian faith pilgrims have journeyed to places associated with Our Lord, the Blessed Mother and the saints. Fr Hollas then highlighted the centrality of pilgrimage to the Order of Malta: "The Order had its very foundation in Jerusalem for the purpose of ministering to pilgrims who got sick on the journey. And Blessed Gerard no doubt met most of the pilgrims who came to town because sooner or later most needed his service. But the important point to remember is that then as now the care of the sick - and especially the care of sick pilgrims - is paramount to the mission of the Order of Malta.

This has to have implications for your own life as members of the Order, because the cross of Malta that you wear is not an honor but a reminder of an obligation. It is a reminder that on our pilgrimage to Lourdes the care of the sick is of primary importance and all else is secondary. It is a reminder that service to the people at Saint Anne's is yet another opportunity to exercise your special ministry. But since we go to Lourdes at most once a year, and since we don't spend every day at Saint Anne's, we should remember yet another dimension of our service. For it is true to say that all our fellow Christians are pilgrims, and service them in the journey of life is at the core of your call. It means that insensitivity to others is not an option for you. Sensitivity to the needs of our fellow pilgrims is the only option we have as members of the Order of Malta.

But in our service to fellow pilgrims we can easily lose sight of one important point, and it is that you are a pilgrim as well. As pilgrims have sought God for centuries, so you as a pilgrim seek God; and this is at the heart of what it means to be part of the living body of Christ, which is the Church."

The complete text of Fr. Hollas's talk may be found on our Spiritual Formation Site.

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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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