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MEMBERSHIP The qualifications for membership and the spiritual and other obligations are set out in the Code and Regulations of the Order. The main qualifications sought in those invited to join are to be a Catholic in good standing - to be verified by Church authorities - and to be committed to meet the spiritual and other duties of membership. Article 9.3 provides: "All members of the Order shall be under the obligation to conduct their everyday lives in an exemplary manner in conformity with the teachings and moral laws of the Church. Moreover, in accordance with the Code and the Regulations, all members are committed to devote their energies to the service of the Order and, in particular to Hospitaller and social service." In addition, membership reflects standing as a person of integrity and demonstrated concern for others. Often this will mean past service in the area of Catholic health care, but this is not a prerequisite. Though membership of the Order invariably reflects significant community service in the past, the honour involved is not the primary purpose of conferring membership. Rather, it is to enlist participation in a body which has stood for certain values, in particular the care of "Our Lords the Sick". The Order has been of great significance in the history of the Church and indeed of Western civilisation. The preservation of its values, founded essentially on spiritual values, is critical. The Order is one of the few lay Religious Orders in the Catholic Church (it has been a religious order since 1113) and its members are obliged to take an oath at investiture as to their religious and other obligations. The eight pointed Cross which symbolises the Order represents the eight Beatitudes and is thus a visual memento of its spirituality. Each new aspirant to membership (with exceptions in countries where no National Association presently exists) is required to engage in a twelve-month probation before membership is finally submitted to Rome. During this period, an aspirant is encouraged to inform himself or herself about the history and objects of the Order and to participate in its activities. Financial Obligations Most new members will be admitted with the rank of Knight or Dame of Magistral Grace. The financial obligations, apart from certain ones, are limited to (currently) $400 AUD per annum subscription. The initial expense (in all countries) is that if accepted by the Sovereign Council in Rome, the new member, except as mentioned below, is expected to make a once-off payment equivalent to 2,000 Euros (or in some circumstances 1,000 or 500 Euros), depending on which form of membership is chosen by the member. This payment, which is known as "passage money", is to sustain the cost of conducting the Grand Magistry, which is the international Headquarters of the Order. The origin of the term "passage money" is that when a Knight volunteered his services to fight in the Holy Land he was expected to pay the cost of his passage! However, members under 35 years (in all countries) are entitled to full membership at the cost of 1,000 Euros. Any member can also enter at a different and lesser level known as a "Donat" which carries full voting rights, but enables a candidate to proceed to full membership by degrees if he or she so desires. The cost (in all countries) is 1,000 Euros, or 500 Euros if the candidate is under 35. The cost in joining is obviously substantial, but it is a way in which members are called upon to contribute to the very considerable costs of running the central government of the Order. As the descriptive material shows, the Order has very extensive international activities conducted from Rome. These include major relief operations, diplomatic relations currently with some 96 countries and Observer status at the United Nations. Click here to see the Order of Malta worldwide. Spouses and Friends It should be noted that the Order encourages and warmly welcomes the involvement of spouses of members in its various activities. Thus some of the spiritual activities such as the Masses and Retreats are often supported by members' spouses, family members and friends. The same is true of the very enjoyable social gatherings conducted by the Order. Moreover, some spouses are volunteers in the direct service activities of the Order. In addition to regular gatherings at a State level, the members of the Order and their spouses and guests come together in a National Assembly of all members every two years in June for the Investiture of new Knights and Dames, for a weekend of prayer reflection and discussion and for social interaction in an atmosphere well described as a meeting of friends. Warning: Self-Styled "Orders of St John" Trading on the world-wide reputation of the Order of Malta, a variety of organisations, self-styled "Orders of St John", have unfortunately been brought into being overseas, using without authority names or insignia similar or identical to those of the genuine Order of Malta and falsely claiming historical descent from the genuine Order or a connection with the local Catholic Church. Some of these bodies now operate in Australia and have recently sought to recruit members and solicit financial support. It is prudent to be wary. Any inquiries regarding the activities of any particular suspect body can be made to admin@smom.org.au. The following names and design are protected trademarks of the genuine Order of Malta and have been registered in Australia: "Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta" "Sovereign Military Order of Malta" "Sovereign Order of Malta" "Knights Hospitaller" "Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem" "Knights of St John of Jerusalem" "Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem" "Knights of Malta" "Order of Malta" Crest Device Further information about the genuine Order of Malta can be obtained here, and from the Order's head office website at www.orderofmalta.org. |
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