December 17, 2008

Hungarian Knights of Malta

I had the spiritually uplifting experience of joining a May 1-6 pilgrimage to Lourdes with other members of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta as a member of the Hungarian Knights of Malta delegation. Above is a photograph of the Hungarian Knights and the malades (sick) that we assisted.  The Hungarian group consisted of 26 members and 22 sick, with whom we traveled from Budapest and provided for their total care during the six days. Overall, about 8,000 of the total membership of 12,500 Knights of Malta attended from around the world, with 2,000 malades that they assisted. The order was founded in 1099 to take care of the wounded and sick during the crusades to the Holy Land. The Knights that attended this pilgrimage lived a part of their motto—defense of the faith and assistance of the poor and suffering—during these six days. It was truly a spiritually revitalizing experience for all participants, giving them strength to face the challenges of their lives.

Eugene Megyesy
Denver