The Maltese grow!

On June 21, 2025, a total of 47 new members were admitted to the Maltese Hospital Service Austria as part of a solemn high office in the Wilten Church in Innsbruck. The celebration formed an important highlight in the annual calendar of the volunteer aid organization of the Order of Malta.

The great priority of Austria, Fra´ Gottfried Kühnelt-Leddihn, himself a active Maltese for 55 years, welcomed the 47 new, mostly young members of the large volunteer aid organization of the Order of Malta on June 21, 2025. The solemn high office, to which the chief chaplain of the order in Austria, Erzabt em. P. Korbinian Birnbacher OSB, board member, was accompanied by over 400 members, family members and guests of honor. As part of the admission, the new people committed themselves to actively combat the “eight -time misery” – illness and hunger, abandonment and homelessness, indifference and lovelessness, as well as unbelief and guilt.

“With today’s admission, 47 committed women and men publicly commit themselves to a life in responsibility, willingness to serve and solidarity. This is a strong sign of lived humanity, especially at a time of increasing social challenges,” said the commander of the Maltese, Johann-Philipp Spiegelfeld, as part of the ceremony. Grand Prior Kühnelt-Leddihn emphasized that every new member helps to fulfill the words of the founder of the order, the blessed Gerhard, who said: “It will-so God will-always work people who work on making the suffering less and the miserable more bearable.”

The Maltese Hospital Service Austria is part of the worldwide Order of Malta, one of the oldest charitable organizations in the world. In Austria, around 1,000 active volunteers are involved in a variety of social, medical and disaster aid services. Every year, each member provides an average of 120 hours. Another around 1,200 members support ideas and financially. With the recording ceremony in the traditional Abbey Wilten, the Maltese once again underline their deep roots in the Christian faith and their role as an integral part of the aid organizations in Austria.