Order of Malta volunteer's St Brigid's fundraiser for Lourdes pilgrimage

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Order of Malta Ireland volunteer Jackie Kennedy has been fundraising for the charity’s annual Lourdes pilgrimage by selling handmade St Brigid's crosses.

The Athlone native spent four days making almost 60 crosses for locals in exchange for a small donation towards the charity.

"I've been making the crosses for years, and there's always been a huge interest," Jackie said. "This year I thought if I sold them, it would go a little way towards the Lourdes fund.

"Between going out to the bog to collect the rushes, sorting them by size, and then finally weaving them - it was four long days spent making them."

The pilgrimage, taking place from April 30 to May 5 this year, will see Order of Malta volunteers and their guests, known as malades, from across the world making the trip to Lourdes in hopes of healing and tranquility.

The trip for the malades is all-inclusive, and all their costs are covered by the Order of Malta Ireland through their fundraising events.

Order of Malta Ireland Assistant Commander, Mark Finlay KM, explained that the pilgrimage offers a lot of the patients a sense of peace.

"People go to Lourdes for many different reasons. Some go in hopes of a miracle, others go to find peace before passing. There have been some cases of a miraculous cure over the years.

"I'm 40 years with the order, and I have made 28 pilgrimages to Lourdes. People always think they wouldn't be interested, or that it's too religious, but once you go to Lourdes once, you always want to go again."

For volunteer Jackie, the pilgrimage in May of this year will be her ninth journey to Lourdes with the Order of Malta.

"One thing you experience in Lourdes, despite the hardships people are going through, is a total peacefulness. You never hear of the pain or the misery, it's a very calming feeling," she said.

When asked what the most rewarding part of volunteering with the Order of Malta was, Jackie said it was about helping the most vulnerable in the community.

"It's lovely to serve your community," she said. "We all have something that we can give back to others in the community.

"I first came across the Order of Malta when I was working in a nursing home, and they would come in to do the patient transfers - I was so interested in their work and how they help people

"That would make you feel good any day of the week. We can all help and support each other in a great way."

The St Brigid's crosses are just one small fundraiser for the charity.

The Order of Malta require year-round fundraising to sustain their ambulances, for the upkeep of their facilities, and to ensure they are always available for those in their community who may need their support.

"People don't realise that we are a volunteer organisation, and almost all of our funding comes from fundraising," Mark said. "Of course we do have a fee if we are working events, but that all goes back into the running of the organisation.

"The volunteers do the work that they do for one reason. It's because they love what they do."

If you're interested in getting involved in the Order of Malta, or you would like to make a donation, contact Mark Finlay on 0876972344, or email athlone@orderofmalta.ie.