A thanksgiving ceremony was held yesterday at the Magistral Villa in Rome for those who had contributed to the organization and management of the first-aid assistance provided by the Sovereign Order of Malta during the Jubilee of Hope 2025. In the presence of Grand Master Fra’ John T. Dunlap, members of the Sovereign Council, representatives of the Order of Malta’s bodies and Vatican institutions, the Jubilee Medals were awarded to those who distinguished themselves for their service during the Holy Year.
The ceremony represented a moment of public recognition for a year of generous and often silent work, made possible thanks to the commitment of over 2,200 members and volunteers from some 30 countries. A commitment rooted in the Order’s historic mission, based on the principles of tuitio fidei e obsequium pauperum, and which continues to express itself in that “spirituality of service” which, yesterday as today, translates into concrete gestures of assistance and protection of human dignity.
Each week, over 35 volunteers, organized into eight teams of doctors, nurses, and paramedics, worked alongside the 90 regular volunteers at the First-Aid Post in St. Peter’s Square, providing around 3,000 healthcare interventions and professionally coping with both basic medical needs and more complex emergencies.
In his speech, Grand Hospitaller Josef D. Blotz stressed the profound meaning of the initiative: «Behind every great event there is always an invisible thread made up of sacrifice, discipline, personal renunciation, fatigue and the ability to face the unexpected without ever losing balance and lucidity. And it is precisely this invisible thread that we want to make visible and honour today. » Thanks were extended not only to the Order of Malta volunteers, but also to the Holy See and the Vatican authorities, for the trust and collaboration established during the Holy Year.
Opened on 24 December 2024 by Pope Francis and ending on 6 January 2026, with the closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica by Pope Leo XIV, the Jubilee of Hope registered an extraordinary turnout with over 33 million pilgrims from 185 countries coming to Rome during the Holy Year. Within this framework, the Order of Malta has honoured its millennial mission of assisting pilgrims, ensuring a continuous healthcare service in St. Peter’s Square and in the basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls.
The operational hub of the entire mission was the Order of Malta’s First-Aid Station in the Charlemagne Wing, which in 2025 celebrated its 75 years of uninterrupted activity in the service of pilgrims. During the summer months and during particularly busy events, the facility coordinated activities in the papal basilicas, increasing shifts and services. An extraordinary commitment was recorded during Pope Francis’ funeral, when the number of daily services tripled thanks to additional volunteer teams.
To crown this extraordinary commitment, when meeting with the representatives and volunteers of the institutions that had collaborated in the implementation of the Jubilee, in January 2026 Pope Leo XIV congratulated the Order of Malta’s great dedication during the Holy Year, recognizing the value of a service that translated the spirit of the Holy Year in essential care and hospitality for the millions of pilgrims who came to Rome from all over the world.
