Pilgrimage of the Order of Malta
Sunday, 25 August 2024
The Sovereign Military Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta, commonly called the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) or simply the Order of Malta, is the oldest Catholic lay order in the world. For the past 900 years, since its foundation in Jerusalem in 1099, it has provided tireless aid to alleviate the suffering of the poor and sick around the world.
In 1938, the Chancellor of the Irish Association, Marquis Patrick MacSwiney of Marshanaglass, and Dr. Charles Conor O’Malley, Professor of Ophthalmology and Otology at University College Galway, began the Ambulance Corps as the Association’s main charitable activity. The first unit was established in Galway. Within ten years, Ambulance Corps units had been established in other Irish towns and cities and are still actively involved in providing emergency medical care to local and rural communities today. This service served as a model and example for the development of similar ambulance and mobile emergency services elsewhere, for example the Malteser Hilferdienst in Germany and Malteser International.
The Irish Association has subsequently expanded its activities to include the provision of nursing and care services for the disabled, the elderly, the marginalised and the vulnerable, as well as supporting maternity and medical services at the Order’s hospital in Bethlehem.
Schedule of ceremonies
2:00 p.m.: Rosary
2.30 p.m.: Anointing of the Sick
3:00 p.m.: Concelebrated Mass
Main Celebrant and Preacher: Fr. Tom Rodgers
Afterwards, Rosary procession outdoors (weather permitting)
