Ailing woman impressed

Mrs. Jones, who has cancer, traveled to Lourdes as a "malade," someone with an illness who is helped by others -- including Knights and Dames -- to attend Mass and other celebrations at the famous site.

During her week there, the parishioner of St. Pius X Church in Loudonville found the Knights and Dames to be "extremely well-organized. I had at least eight people who were watching out for me in particular!"

Locally, the American Association of the Knights and Dames of Malta is involved in volunteer work through Catholic Charities and Eucharistic ministry at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany. (The 1200-member American Association, based in New York City, is one of three associations of Knights and Dames in the U.S.) The group also organizes an annual pilgrimage to Lourdes, doing everything from arranging flights to physically carrying the sick around Lourdes in carts designed for that purpose.

Every day in Lourdes, Mrs. Jones was taken to Mass at a different church or chapel in the area where the Blessed Mother appeared. One Mass was said at the grotto itself. "It was a wonderful spiritual experience," she stated. "Seeing the faith of the other 'malades' was also wonderful."

While Mrs. Jones did not receive physical healing from her cancer, she said that her spiritual growth as a result of the trip was a kind of healing in itself.

During her time in Lourdes, she found that her caretakers created "a very unselfish and giving type of atmosphere -- and in their life here, they're also very giving. They make the lives of the sick and poor easier."

As a result, Mrs. Jones decided to apply for membership in the association. She filled out an application, which asked about her spiritual life and how she has helped others. She hopes to hear in the fall whether she is accepted.

"It's just wonderful," she said of her trip to Lourdes and the Knights and Dames. "We met so many new friends -- that's another element that's great."

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