On a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon, about 30 knights, dames, associates, prospective members and friends of the Order of Malta Cleveland gathered in the rectory at St. Peter Church in downtown Cleveland to begin celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The feast day is Feb. 11, but the group met on Feb. 7.
The event included filling winter Malta Bags for the homeless. The rectory dining room was filled with boxes of sturdy bags bearing the distinctive red Order of Malta emblem and hundreds of other items to fill the bags.
Father Phil Bernier, OFM Cap, St. Peter pastor, blessed the group and the items for the bags before participants picked up a bag and filled it.
(See photo gallery above.)
“I can’t tell you how much people appreciate these bags,” Father Bernier said. His parish, located adjacent to the Bishop William Cosgrove Center, a ministry of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland, also supports those in need.
Among the items placed in the bags were personal hygiene supplies like soap, deodorant, hand sanitizer, lip balm, toothpaste and a tooth brush; bottled water; food items including protein bars, canned tuna and chicken, trail mix and beef jerky; miscellaneous gift cards for area merchants; a small flashlight, notebook and pen; bus pass; hand and foot warmers, plastic trash bags to keep things dry and selected clothing items such as socks, gloves, a knit hat and a scarf or gaiter. Some parishes provide the group with hygiene bags. Assumption Parish in Broadview Heights sent several hygiene kits for this event.
Karen Hostoffer, area hospitaller, displayed one of the coats the organization is distributing this winter season. The black quilted coats have a hood. Inside there is a label from the Order of Malta and a drawstring so the size can be adjusted. Hostoffer said the coats were designed with input from the homeless to include features they find useful.
The Cleveland group fills Malta Bags about four times per year, Hostoffer said. It took about a half hour to fill 50 bags. Some stayed at St. Peter while others were distributed to parishes, ministries and the homeless. A few of the group members keep a bag or two in their car in case they encounter someone in need, Hostoffer said.
After filling the bags, the group moved into the church where Father Bernier celebrated Mass and invited those interested to receive the anointing of the sick.
The celebration concluded with a dinner at The Friar’s Table in Playhouse Square. The restaurant is a collaboration among Playhouse Square, EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute and Cleveland Capuchin Ministries.
The Sovereign Order of Malta is a lay religious order whose members exercise Christian virtue and charity. They are committed to serving the poor and the sick. Dr. Nicolle McGowan is the area chair. She and several other members will participate in the annual pilgrimage to Lourdes, France this spring. Learn more about the group here.