About Us  Our Lady of Philermo - "Pray for Us" Mission of the Order:
The Order of St. John of Jerusalem is one of the oldest institutions of Western and Christian civilization. Present in Palestine in the mid. 11th century, it is a lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. Its 11,000 members include Professed Friars and others who have made vows of obedience. The other Knights and Dames are lay members, devoted to the exercise of Christian virtue and charity. What distinguishes the Knights of Malta is their commitment to reaching their spiritual perfection within the Church and to expending their energies serving the poor and the sick.
The Order of Malta remains true to its inspiring principles, summarized in the motto "Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum", (defense of the Faith and assistance to the poor and the suffering), which becomes reality through the voluntary work carried out by Dames and Knights in humanitarian assistance and medical and social activities. Today the Order carries out these activities in over 110 countries.
| History The Order of St. John was founded before the taking of Jerusalem in 1099, by the armies of the First Crusade. It began as a monastic community dedicated to St. John the Baptist, which administered a hospice - infirmary for pilgrims to the Holy Land. Originaly connected with the Benedictines, it became, under Blessed Gerard (1120), an independent organization. By the Bull of 15 February 1113, addressed to Gerard, Pope Pascal II approved the confraternity of the Hospital of St. John, placed it under the protection of the Holy See, and ensured its right of freely electing its heads, Gerard's successors, without any interference from any other ecclesiastical or any lay authority. From the beginning, the Order's independence of all other States, in virtue of Papal acts, and its universally recognized right to maintain armed forces and wage war constituted its international sovereignty. The Order no longer takes up military arms, but instead exercises its mission through prayer, defense of the faith and aid to the sick and the poor.  St. John the Bapitst - "Pray for Us" |