Hungarian Heritage Review, 1991 (20. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1991-01-01 / 1. szám
oppressed, destitute and downtrodden in her native Hungary, as well as in Transylvania and Poland. Through her dedicated efforts during the past 34 years, the federation was able to garner thousands of dollars in relief for flood victims and the poor in Transylvania and Hungary, and for Solidarity in the early stages of its development. Altruism—in its most dedicated context— has been the basis for Eva Szorennyi Ormenyi's investiture into the Order of Malta. Each knight and dame is dedicated to service for mankind, giving aid to the destitute, the ill and the oppressed, even to the extent of making annual pilgrimages to Lourdes, France, where they volantarily offer their assistance working among the sick in the hospitals. Persons accepted into this benevolent order also must have approval from Rome, proving their desire and ability to help the suffering of this world. Also dedicated to assisting Hungarians, especially the minority in Transylvania, Janos Lupkovic's altruism was highlighted during that evening's crowning event, a regal banquet at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. He was given special recognition for transporting 11 handicapped and ill Hungarian children to the grotto at Lourdes, France, this year, and for personally taking relief assistance to the destitute Hungarians in Transylvania after the 1989 Christmas Revolution in Romania. Originally formed in the Holy Land during the time of the First Crusades, the Order of Malta has evolved into a worldwide organization having hospitals and orphanages which offer love and caring assistance to suffering and destitute mankind. In keeping with its tenets, a Knight or Dame of Malta utters a daily prayer:" ...be it mine to practise charity towards my neighbours, especially the poor and sick. Give me the strength I need to carry out this my resolve, learning ever from Thy Holy Gospel a spirit of deep and general Christian devotion...” By Claire L. Vereczky July 2, 1990 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA A religious and military order founded in the Middle Ages, and also known as the "Knights Hospitalers", it was originally called the "order of St. John of Jerusalem", then "Knights of Rhodes", and ultimately "Knights of Malta". It is the oldest religious-military institution and, therefore, takes precedence over the other orders that followed its example, such as the "Knights Templar" and the "Teutonic Knights". The "Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem" was founded in the mid-11 th century in Jerusalem by merchants from Amalfi, Italy, to aid the increasing number of pilgrims who were visiting the Holy Land. A monk named Gerard, rector of the hospital during the siege of Jerusalem by Godfrey of Bouillon during the First Crusade, was the first master of the order. During his mastership (1100-1120) the order extended its influence in the Middle East and Europe, building hospitals on routes to the Holy Land. Pope Paschal II, by the bull of Feb. 15, 1113, recognized the order and put it under the protection of the papacy, a practice continued by later popes. Under Raymond du Puy, who succeeded Gerard, the Knight's mission became more militaristically oriented, as it helped wage war against the Muslims. At the same time, the order was becoming immensely rich through donations and bequests, and subsidiary chapters were established throughout Europe. It became a military force that for centuries formed the advance guard of Christian Europe. As it assumed knightly-military functions in addition to religious ones, the order divided itself into soldier-brothers, or knights of justice; servant brothers; and clerks, or chaplains. When the Latin Empire of Constantinople was founded in 1204, the order, from such fortresses as the famed Krak des Chevaliers in Syria, acted as a militia, while continuing its hospital work. Their last stronghold in the Holy Land was at Acre. After the collapse of the Latin Empire in 1261 and the fall of Acre in 1291, the Knights settled on Cyprus until they took the island of Rhodes from the Seljuk Turks in 1309. Their fortification of Rhodes made it Christendom's strongest outpost against the Muslims. On Rhodes the order was divided into the langues, or tongues, of Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, Aragon, Castile and Portugal, England, and Germany. The members of each langue lived together and had their own leader. The order's main offices were distributed among the langues. The symbol of the order came to be a white cross on a black robe. Muslim leaders frequently attacked the Knights on Rhodes, and in 1522, after heroically resisting a siege by Suleiman the Magnificent, the Knights capitulated and left the island. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V's cession of Malta to the Hospitalers (1530) confirmed the sovereignty of the order at a time when it was defeated and homeless. Suleiman used his fleet to attack Malta in 1565, but after a siege that lasted five months the Knights defeated Suleiman's powerful Muslim force. Later History. With Napoleon's expedition to Egypt, in 1798, Malta came into the possession of the French and later passed to the British, who by the Treaty of Amiens (1802) undertook to restore it to the order. In 1814, however, the Treaty of Paris legalized British possession. From Malta the order went successively to Messina, Catania, and Ferrara, coming finally to Rome in 1831. In 1879, after a long period of lieutenancy, Pope Leo XIII restored the title of grand master, with the usual powers. The modern organization that subsequently emerged has stressed charitable activities, particularly care of the sick, and has expanded beyond Europe. JANUARY 1991 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW 17
