In the evening of June 18, the Holy Mass dedicated to the first anniversary of the activities of the Order of Malta in Estonia was celebrated in the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral in Tallinn by Bishop Philippe Jourdan, Bishop Darius Trijonis from Lithuania, our venerable Prelate Monseigneur Luis Manuel Cuña Ramos, Rev. Edgaras Versockis and Rev. Alfonso Di Giovanni.

During the Holy Mass, 19 volunteers and contributors of the Order of Malta Estonia took an oath to fight against the eight evils of the world: disease, hunger, guilt, unbelief, abandonment, homelessness, lovelessness, and indifference. They formally joined the Maltesers, the volunteer community of the Order of Malta Estonia.

“In Latin we say “in medio virtus“, which means “virtue lies in balance”. This is true of all virtues except one, which is love. In the case of love, the rule of balance does not apply, because there can be no upper limit in love. We may love too little, but we can never love too much,“ Bishop Jourdan stated in the Homily.

“Dear brothers and sisters who are associated with the Order of Malta – I dare to say this must be your vocation. Of course, charity must be professionally organized and effectively structured, otherwise it would not achieve its goals and would only be an empty wish. We need to know well the issues we have to solve. We also need to know well the people we want to help. But for this there is one prerequisite, without which all our work would be empty and useless – we must deeply love all people and especially those whom we help. You can’t just be charity professionals who can do everything and sow prosperity but not love. We must sow love, otherwise people will not know well-being. And in order to sow love, we have to love a lot ourselves. Fortunately, God gives you a big heart that can hold many people,“ Bishop added.

All volunteers received Rosaries as a gift as well as a Prayer Book of the Order of Malta. The evening of the festive day ended with a lively gathering with delicious food and drinks.

The event was honored by the participation of order members from Austria, Sweden, Lithuania, and Rome, making the ceremony even more festive and emphasizing that we are truly part of a large and honorable organization.

Malteser International is an international humanitarian aid organization whose mission is to “serve the poor and the sick.” We provide medical and mental health support, clean water, food, protection, and shelter.

Order of Malta Estonia have already implemented over 125 volunteer projects in Estonia in a short period of time!