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Fra' Matthew Festing, 58, an Englishman,
became the 79th Grand Master of the Sovereign
Military Hospitaller Order of St John
of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta,
elected March 11 by the Council Complete
of State (the Order’s
electoral body).
In accepting the role, the new Grand Master
swore his Oath before the Cardinal Patronus
of the Order, Cardinal Pio Laghi, and the
Council Complete of State. He succeeds
Fra’ Andrew
Bertie, 78th Grand Master (1988-2008),
who died on February 7.
The new Grand Master affirms his resolve
to continue the great work carried out
by his predecessor. Fra’ Matthew
comes with a wide range of experience in Order affairs. He has
been the Grand Prior of England since the Priory’s re-establishment
in 1993, restored after an abeyance of 450 years. In this capacity,
he has led missions of humanitarian aid to Kosovo, Serbia and Croatia
after the recent disturbances in those countries, and with a large
delegation from Britain he attends the Order’s annual pilgrimage
to Lourdes with handicapped pilgrims.
Educated at Ampleforth and St. John’s College Cambridge,
where he read history, Fra' Matthew, an
art expert, has for most of his professional life worked at an
international art auction house. As a child he lived in Egypt and
Singapore, where his father, Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing,
Chief of the Imperial General Staff, had earlier postings. His
mother was a member of the recusant Riddells of Swinburne Castle
who suffered for their faith in penal times. He is also descended
from Sir Adrian Fortescue, a knight of Malta, who was martyred
in 1539.
Fra' Matthew served in the Grenadier Guards
and holds the rank of colonel in the Territorial
Army. He was appointed OBE (Officer of
the Order of the British Empire) by the Queen and has served
as her Deputy Lieutenant in the county of Northumberland for
a number of years.
In 1977 Fra' Matthew became a member of
the Order of Malta, taking solemn religious
vows in 1991.
As well as his passion for the decorative
arts and for history, for which his encyclopaedic
knowledge of the history of the Order is
legendary, as is his very British sense
of humor, Fra' Matthew spends any free time possible in his beloved
Northumberland countryside.
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On February 16, 2008 the Order of Malta, Orange County Location,
under the leadership of members Terrance
Barry, K.M. and Jill Ortiz, D.M., inaugurated its first World Day
of the Sick. With the wholehearted cooperation of Bishop Tod D.
Brown, committees were formed, invitations sent to the parishes,
publicity sought, priests in the Diocese of Orange were notified,
and all was in readiness for the memorable celebration.
As a result of the
Order’s efforts, Holy Family Cathedral in Orange was filled
to overflowing with more than 1200 in attendance. Bishop
Brown presided at the Eucharistic celebration which included anointing
of the sick, sprinkling with holy water from Lourdes, and blessing
of the caregivers’ hands with holy oil. Adding to the
drama were the beautiful voices of the award winning Cathedral
choir. Assisting Bishop Brown were twenty-three priests,
three deacons, and twenty-seven Knights and Dames.
The overwhelming
response by the residents of Orange County was most gratifying
and pointed to the need of this celebration as an annual event.
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Our beloved chaplain, Father Egon Javor, has been called home to
God in his ninety-first year. Our President, Richard Madden, summarized
his wonderful life of dedication in these words:
“Father Egon
was a founding monk of Woodside Priory, and the founder of the
Woodside Priory School. Born in Hungary, Father Egon was
a recognized spiritual leader among people of Hungarian birth in
the greater Bay Area. He was a tireless worker in giving
assistance to Catholic Hungarian refugees and immigrants through
the years.
In the life of the
Western Association, Father Egon was a much sought-after spiritual
director. He also was the mentor for many knights and dames
as each prepared to make the Promise of Obedience.
He was a provisional
Chaplain of the Order from 1975 and then in 1987, he became a Magistral
Chaplain in 1987. In 1979, he received the Cross of Merit
and in the year 2000, he received the “Grand Cross pro
piis meritis al Merito Melitense” in recognition for
his outstanding spiritual leadership and the assistance he consistently
and continuously gave to the spiritual development of the Western
Association of the Order of Malta.
Last year, in recognition
of his ninetieth birthday, a scholarship fund was set up in his
honor to assist needful students at Woodside Priory School. During
his last year, he bore his infirmities with dignity and patience. When
he died on Sunday morning, many of the Benedictine monks of his
community were present with him.”
Please pray for the
repose of his soul.
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PHASE II –
Order of Malta Home Renovation Program in New Orleans,
Louisiana
September 2007-
April 2008
From
March 2005 to April 2006, over 250 members
of the Order of Malta from all across the
US participated in Phase I of the Order
of Malta Home Renovation Program in New
Orleans. Thanks to a successful partnership
with Rebuilding Together, Catholic Charities
of New Orleans and the New Orleans Marriott
our volunteers worked none different one-week
work sessions in Treme, Gentilly, and New
Orleans East. Sixteen families have moved
back in their homes as a result of the
great work done by our Order of Malta volunteers.
So successful was the program that we have
decided to extend it for six more sessions – Sept & Dec
2007 and Jan/Feb/March/April 2008.
The
exact work weeks are listed below, along
with all of the other information about
the program. One of the major differences
in Phase II will be the overall size and scope of the project. In Phase I our
volunteers were working on homes with major damage requiring extensive and
expensive repairs. Teams of 30-40 volunteers
would work all week, and the house would
still be weeks from completion. In Phase
II we will be working in houses that only
need a week’s worth of finishing work before the family can move back
in. We are only accepting 25 volunteers per week.
Our efforts will be concentrated in the Treme / Esplanade Ridge section of New
Orleans. Very near downtown / French Quarter, this entire neighborhood will positively
be re-built.
We
need six teams of volunteer workers, 20-25
per team, one team for each of the six
weeks listed below. Volunteers will arrive
on their own (usually) on Sunday afternoon,
and check into the New Orleans Marriott
( Canal Street). We work (usually) Monday – Thursday
from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM. All three
meals will be provided, and there will
be a farewell party on the last night.
If
you can help, please contact Bill Regan
at the Malta Office (415) 788-4550.
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