News

Summer joy: the 41st Order of Malta international camp, just concluded

A week of fun, recreational activities, sporting adventures, cultural visits, social evenings, and religious celebrations saw 550 young people, disabled guests and volunteers, aged 18-35, gather at *Xavier Castel in Navarra, Spain, from 3 – 10 August. 25 countries were represented, this year including  Estonia, Mexico and Peru and a return of Lebanon, to great acclaim, as well as a contingent from Great Britain.

Grand Commander Fra’ Emmanuel Rousseau officially opened the camp, observing that “… this is not a welfare initiative, but a temporary community in which each helps the other. And this experience… will transform you more than you can ever imagine.” Grand Hospitaller Josef Blotz and the Prelate, Monsignor Luis Manuel Cuña Ramos were there too. Pope Leo XIV sent a message assuring his spiritual closeness to the participants and that the week would represent “an opportunity to contemplate the beauty of God, develop friendships and strengthen the sense of Christian responsibility.” Participants meet and share their experiences, which often give rise to friendships that are destined to last a lifetime.

*Javier Castle is the birthplace of St Francis Xavier, Spanish Jesuit missionary, one of the greatest evangelizers of the 16th century, whose life was dedicated to reaching out to and serving others.