The Sovereign Military Order of Malta, established almost 1,000 years ago with the approval of Pope Paschal III, today announced the establishment of its first novitiate since the mid-18th century. The novitiate is located in Rome, Italy, and it admitted the Class of 2027 on October 13, 2026, the Feast Day of Blessed Gerard, the Founder of the Order.
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV sent a letter, through the Order’s Cardinal Patronis Gianfranco Ghirlanda S.J., to the members of the Order, calling the opening of the Novitiate “a moment of particular importance in [the Order’s] spiritual renewal”. The Holy Father encouraged “the novices to adopt the right disposition of heart to leave everything behind in order to follow Jesus alone, being docile to the Holy Spirit so that, with the help of those responsible for their formation, they might discern the divine call to serve the faith and the poor in obedience to the Church”.
The Grand Master, Fra’ John Dunlap, expressed his gratitude to the Pope for his fatherly concern for the Order and for his blessing, care and consideration, particularly in light of this difficult time for the Holy Father.
The novitiate was opened on October 10, 2026 with Mass celebrated by Cardinal Ghirlanda, the Order’s Cardinal Patronis, Silvia Cardinal Tomasi, former Papal Special Delegate to the Order, Mons. Luis Cuna-Ramos, Prelate of the Order, and Father Robert McCulloch, Novice Master.
The Grand Master made the following appointments:
Fra’ Emmanuel Rousseau, Superior of the Novitiate House
Rev. Bruno Esposito, O.P., Spiritual Director of the Novitiate
Rev. Robert McCulloch, S.S.C., Novice Master
Fra’ Thomas Mulligan, Vice Novice Master
On October 13, 2026, the following men took the habit in a clothing ceremony and were admitted into the novitiate. Francesco Brenni (Switzerland); Daniel Johnson (USA); Diego Merry del Val (Spain); Albert Sanchez (Spain).
The Order of Malta’s Novitiate House is within the General Curia of the Hospitaller Brothers of St. John of God, located in the Gianicolense adjacent to Villa Doria Pamphilj. The Brothers of St. John of God were founded 440 years ago, and their charisms are similar to those of the Order.
The Novice Master, Father Robert McCulloch, is a member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban. He served in many formation roles, including major seminaries for the Columbans, and was a missionary in Pakistan for over 34 years.
