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Great Britain to host the Order of Malta’s 2010 International Holiday Camp
2nd July 2010
For the first time, the Order of Malta’s International Holiday Camp - the 27th - is set to take place in Britain.
Later this month, more than 150 disabled guests and 300 helpers will come together at the Bluestone holiday village in Pembrokeshire, on the South Wales coast.
The annual Order of Malta camp caters for people aged 18 to 35 with a range of backgrounds and disabilities. It offers them the chance to take part in activities that would not normally be accessible to them – including, this year, scuba diving and flying lessons with the British Disabled Flying Association.
The camp’s hosts, the British Association of the Order of Malta, look forward to offering guests, who will come from all over the world, the chance to share a holiday and to experience Catholic spirituality and British hospitality. The theme for the 2010 camp is taken from a Beatles song: “All you need is love”. The Association’s President, Charles Weld, notes: “The Order’s international summer camp for young people with disabilities gives us the opportunity to welcome both newcomers and old friends to a very special gathering. The theme for this year – “All you need is love” – inspires every one of us.”
The Order of Malta is the oldest Catholic religious charitable order in the world. From its foundation almost ten centuries ago, the Order’s mission has been to live according to Christian principles and to help the poor and the sick with total impartiality. Historically, this included pilgrims to the Holy Land.
Today the Order of Malta has 13,000 members worldwide and works in the field of medical and social care in more than 120 countries, including running hospitals and providing emergency relief.
General Lord Guthrie, Vice-President of the British Association of the Order affirms: "The camp will greatly benefit all those who are attending from 20 countries. Quite apart from giving great pleasure, it may well also alter lives for the better."
The International Holiday Camp will take place from July 10-17th.
For more details contact Gilly Orr: gillyorr@hotmail.com
GRAND MASTER RECEIVED BY HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
Vatican City, 25 June 2010
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI received in audience Fra’ Matthew Festing, Grand Master of the Order of Malta, accompanied by members of the Sovereign Council.
The long private conversation focused on the Order of Malta’s initiatives to foster inter-religious dialogue and its commitment in the Holy Land, as well as its medical and humanitarian work in some of the most devastated areas of the earth, including Haiti and Africa, often mentioned in the Pope’s appeals.
After the meeting with the Pope, the delegation was received by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State.
Pope Benedict XVI asked the Grand Master to extend his best wishes to all the Order of Malta’s members for the feast of St. John the Baptist.
In wind and rain, a sanctuary
52nd annual Order of Malta international Lourdes pilgrimage: 6,000 pilgrims from 32 countries
Lourdes, 1 May 2010
The British group pray in the sanctuary
To the thousands of pilgrims who came this week to Lourdes, the most visited of sanctuaries, the heavy rains and cold wind made no difference. They came to find peace and hope in the valley where, over 150 years ago, a young Bernadette received apparitions of the Virgin Mary, and where today so many find solace.
Every May the Order of Malta makes its international pilgrimage to Lourdes, its members and volunteers accompanying the sick whom they care for throughout the week. This year the pilgrims numbered over 6,000 and came from 32 countries – in Africa, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. The Order’s mission was to pray for all who need help, and to give support and love to the sick they brought with them to this extraordinary place.
The British group, led by Hospitaller Tim Orchard, welcomed old friends and new among the infirm pilgrims. ‘It is a privilege to serve them,’ said a new volunteer, following the Order’s historic aspiration to care for the sick.
The demands of religious life in a secular society
Grand Master presides over historic meeting of professed members of the Order
Oxford, 10 April 2010
Over forty Professed members of the Order of Malta (those who have taken monastic vows) and novices met at Merton College Oxford from 8-12 April. The momentous occasion marked the first international coming together for many years of Professed knights of the Order. Vigorous discussions on the demands of a religious life in a secular society underpinned the meeting’s concerns, which looked at historic as well as modern perspectives in this, the world’s oldest Catholic chivalric lay Order.
The Grand Master, Fra’ Matthew Festing, presided over the event, organised by the Grand Priory of England which also arranged for an exceptional concert of sacred music associated with the Order to be performed by the ‘Schola Baptista,’ conducted by Eoghain Murphy.
Also present were the Grand Commander, Fra’ Gherardo Hercolani Fava Simonetti, the Prelate of the Order, Archbishop Angelo Acerbi, Fra’ Carlo Ippolito di Sant’Ippolito, and Order Chaplains in Britain, Fr. Antony Conlon and Fr. Ronald Creighton-Jobe.
Grand Master talks to The Times about the Order's historical context, its works and its relevance to today's world
London, 10 April 2010
The Grand Master of the Order has given a rare interview to The Times, published 10 April. For the full text, see under News Area, Publications.
Haiti: two months on
Good news among the ruins
Leogane, Haiti/Cologne, 10 March 2010
Jim Malte, born in the Order’s health centre in Dargonne.
[Photo: Westfälische Nachrichten/Jürgen Peperhowe]
The Order’s worldwide emergency service, Malteser International, continues to work with victims of the January earthquake which swept away so many lives and dreams. The team on the ground – currently 12 international doctors, nurses, logisticians and administrators and numerous local volunteers - again and again experiences glimmers of hope. Recently, a young mother gave birth to a healthy son in the Order’s centre in Darbonne and spontaneously named him Jim Malte in gratitude to the medical team.
The Order of Malta Master Plan for Haiti takes
shape
The Associations and organisations of the
Order of Malta working in Haiti recently met in
Miami to coordinate their disaster response and
develop a Master Plan for the rehabilitation and
reconstruction of the country. “Basic health care
through health centres and mobile medical teams,
vaccination campaigns, psychosocial care, access to
drinking water, sanitation and - of course - poverty
reduction will be focus points of our long-term
commitment”, Ingo Radtke Malteser International
Secretary General reports. “We don’t work for the
people in Haiti - but with them. We will pool all
the Order’s relief efforts and integrate our relief
measures into Haitian structures to foster long-term
reconstruction.”
Haiti: Water, sanitation and hygiene become the big issues
Order emergency relief, Malteser International, in Leogane
Port-au-Prince/Cologne, 29 January 2010
A medication table,
created from old boards,
in the health camp, Leogane
From today the team from the Order of Malta’s emergency relief organisation, Malteser International, has taken over the health post camp in Leogane from their Argentinian partners. The team - medical doctors, nurses, a midwife and a paramedic - is providing basic medical assistance both in the camp and the surrounding areas. In addition, the team will support urgently needed vaccination campaigns. The World Health Organisation reports occurrences of tetanus and suspicions of measles though this is not yet confirmed.
“Conditions in the camp are still rudimentary and patients have to lie on the floor,” Beate Maass, Malteser International’s humanitarian coordinator, explains. “Transport is a problem. Latrines are needed too. There were complications this morning during a birth and we had to transport the patient to the nearest hospital in a rented staff car. We are very happy that the baby was born safely in the hospital by Caesarean section.” Malteser International’s partner organisation, ArcheNova (‘Initiatives for People in Need’), will build makeshift latrines for the patients in the camp.
Malteser International is installing two water treatment plants in Leogane. Each will give 8,000 people sufficient drinking water daily. Hygiene and health promotion campaigns are planned to start within the next few days.
The British Association of the Order of Malta has raised over £100,000 so far in its appeal for the earthquake victims. Donations go directly to those who have lost everything. You can donate online through our website (www.justgiving.com/fas), or by sending a cheque made payable to BASMOM Foreign Aid Service. If you are a UK taxpayer and complete a GiftAid form (see British Association Appeal, 14 January on this website), we can also reclaim the tax on your donation
Memorial Mass for Anthony Gerard Edward Noel, 5th Earl of Gainsborough, 1923 – 2009
London, 28 January 2010
5th Earl of Gainsborough
Brompton Oratory was all but filled for a Memorial Mass to honour and to remember with great affection the life of Anthony Gerard Edward Noel, 5th Earl of Gainsborough. The Requiem was celebrated by Fr. Ronald Creighton-Jobe and the music, from Anerio's Missa Pro Defunctis, was sung by the London Oratory Choir.
Thirty members of the family were present, the Dowager Lady Gainsborough escorted by her son Viscount Camden, the new Earl of Gainsborough. Cardinal Cormac Murphy O' Connor and the Grand Prior of England were robed in the sanctuary.
Seventy members of the Order and a multitude of friends attended, including a contingent of estate workers and their families, all of whom the late Lord Gainsborough knew personally.
In his homily, Fr. Ronald Creighton-Jobe spoke of Tony Gainsborough's sixty years of service to the Order of Malta and the Church, championing the Lourdes pilgrimage, devoting much time to the development of the Hospital of St. John and St. Elizabeth as its chairman, and latterly to the Orders of St John Homes Care Trust. His kindly presence was a comfort to malades over many years of devotion to them.
Lord Gainsborough was a past president of the British Association, chairman of Rutland County Council and a well-loved Commodore of the Bembridge Sailing Club. A generous host and friend, Tony Gainsborough was married for 62 years, was a member of the Order for 60, raised 7 children and lived to know his great grandchild.
Julian Allason
Malteser International teams in Haiti fight infection risk
Poor hygienic conditions create high infection rates in wounds
Port-au-Prince/Cologne, 22 January 2010
Hospital Francois de Sales,
Port-au-Prince
“Because of the poor hygienic conditions here, even simple wounds after first treatment can become dangerous for the patient. We are facing high infection rates for wounds already treated, so we are reinforcing our medical aid in this field,” reports Dr.Klaus Runggaldier, Malteser International´s head of rescue services. “More emergency health kits with antibiotics, medicines and dressing material arrived in Port-au-Prince yesterday. The timing was vital.”
Hospital Francois de Sales,
Port-au-Prince
Further international medical staff from France, Belgium and Germany have arrived in Haiti today, including Dr. Alfred Kinzelbach, a highly experienced public health expert and regional coordinator for Malteser International in the Great Lakes, who flew in from Uganda.
In response to yesterday’s aftershock, the Malteser International team in Haiti will install an earthquake early warning system.
The British Association of the Order of Malta has already raised $120,000 in its appeal for the victims of this overwhelming tragedy. Donations go directly to those who have lost everything. You can donate online through our website (www.justgiving.com/fas), or by sending a cheque made payable to BASMOM Foreign Aid Service. If you are a UK taxpayer and complete a GiftAid form (see British Association Appeal, 14 January on this website), we can also reclaim the tax on your donation.
First patients arrive by helicopter at the Order's Hopital Sacre Coeur, Milot
Haiti, 19 January 2010
Many patients are suffering trauma, many need amputations.
Malteser International team reaches Port-au-Prince
A first report from the 'quake epicentre
Cologne, 16 January 2010
The Malteser International medical aid team with two French, four Haitian and four German staff members finally reached Port-au-Prince last night, flying into the Dominican Republic and driving to Haiti. “The border crossings are completely blocked,” Dr. Georg Nothelle, Malteser International emergency relief coordinator and team head reports. “Numerous teams of helpers want to get in. Haitian people want to get out. We had to wait more than two hours at the border.” He continues: “The hospitals in the border region in the Dominican Republic meanwhile are filled to capacity with the injured from Haiti.” Malteser International is also planning to support these hospitals.
The local Malteser team in Haiti has provided accommodation for the team in a district of Port-au-Prince that has not been damaged. But many other helpers have had to return to the airport area in the evening to sleep.
Aid actions for the coming week
The Malteser International team will now split up
into smaller groups to assess needs and provide
firstaid in the different districts of the city.
They will also try to reach severely damaged towns
and villages to the west and south of Port-au-Prince
and provide assistance there. “Help is needed
urgently in so many places but the search and rescue
teams cannot be everywhere at the same time,”
Nothelle explains. “There are dead bodies
everywhere. They look just as if they were asleep,
with people are just passing by. It’s really
terrible.”
On Sunday, 17 January, a second Malteser International team will arrive in the crisis region via Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) to reinforce the medical team on the ground, with whom they are in continuous contact.
On Monday, 18 January, Cesar Russo, Malteser International chief logistician in Myanmar after cyclone Nargis hit the country in 2008, will arrive in Haiti with emergency health kits containing urgently needed medicines; Malteser teams in the USA are preparing to send medicines purchased on the regional market.
Malteser International is the worldwide relief agency of the Sovereign Order of Malta for humanitarian aid. The organisation provides aid in about 200 projects in more than 20 countries without distinction of religion, race or political persuasion. Christian values and the humanitarian principles of impartiality and independence are the foundation of its work. For more information: www.malteser-international.org and www.orderofmalta.org
Haiti: Malteser International responds to devastating earthquake
Medical team leave for emergency relief in the disaster region
Port au Prince/Cologne, 13 January 2010
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti in the late evening yesterday, with reports giving many hundreds dead, thousands injured and leaving countless people homeless. Grey dust covers the area where as yet an unknown number of buildings and homes have been destroyed. There is significant damage to the infrastructure, roads and the communication system.
“Due to the soil erosion, our capital lacks a solid base. With mudslides following the earthquake, the slums built on the hills have completely slipped off,” reports Eduard Aimé from Haiti . “Even the more solid buildings like the presidential palace, the ministries and the cathedral have been severely damaged.”
Top priority: basic medical care, clean drinking
water
Malteser International is preparing the
deployment of an expert medical team from Germany
and France to support local Malteser teams on the
ground. “Our colleagues in Haiti are fully aware
that basic medical care and the provision of clean
drinking water are matters of top priority now,”
Ingo Radtke, Secretary General of Malteser
International, explains. The emergency relief of
Malteser International is coordinated within the
worldwide international network of the Order of
Malta.
For 15 years the Order of Malta, through its Associations in the United States, has been supporting a hospital (Hôpital Sacré Coeur, Milot) in the north of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. The 73-bed hospital is the only one in the region. In 2008, Hôpital Sacré Coeur treated 56,000 outpatients, with over 4,100 hospital admissions and 1,262 newborn deliveries. There is no other pharmacy or laboratory in the area, so last year the hospital filled 136,000 prescriptions and completed over 77,000 lab tests. It provided almost 2,000 patient visits through the Mobile Clinic project. For more information:
www.malteser-international.org; www.maltausa.org/works_major_projects.php
