The Subpriory of Our Lady of Lourdes was founded in 2006, as a spiritual home for the Order of Malta Community. Like all Grand Priories and Priories, its roots go back much further, explained Peter D. McGuire, GCMOb, Regent of the Subpriory.

Addressing the Michigan Area Order of Malta at the Area’s June 28 annual meeting, Peter McGuire observed that Grand Priories and Priories are “how the Order is organized,” modeled on the “ancient structure” of religious communities whose members have taken vows.

In 1956, Pope Pius XII established a new “Second Class” of the Order for “Knights of Obedience.” The title was later changed to “Knights and Dames in Obedience.” The introduction of the “Second Class” was to enable Knights and Dames to enter into deeper commitment to the Order with a more profound spirituality, and in so doing assist the Knights of Justice – our beloved “Fra’s” who have taken vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. It has often somewhat incorrectly been observed that the Knights of Justice and the Knights and Dames in Obedience are the only members of the Subpriory. However, Peter McGuire said, “All Knights and Dames, regardless of class, are full members of the Subpriory and should feel they are very welcome members of the Subpriory of Our Lady of Lourdes.” As Regent, Peter is the religious superior of the Subpriory, elected by the Professed Members of the Subpriory, the Knights of Justice, then approved by the Council of the Professed and the Sovereign Council and appointed by the Grand Master.

There are six “Grand Priories” in the Order, with five Subpriories, including the Subpriory of Our Lady of Lourdes, which is comprised of all of the members of the American and Federal Associations, approximately 3,000 members in total, Peter McGuire explained. A Priory’s status is based on how many “Fra’s” are members; a Grand Priory has five or more “Fra’s”, while a Subpriory has four or fewer.

The Order of Malta Priories ensure that, “… all [activities of the Order] are performed in accordance with our religious charism,” he said. “Our charism of caring for our Lords, the Sick and the Poor – being a conduit of God’s love – is what defines us as a religious order. As members of the Order of Malta we are all members of a religious Order of the Catholic Church, not social workers.”

With a strong focus on the spiritual life of the Order’s Members, the Grand Priories and Subpriories help the Order to exercise its charism appropriately, he observed.

Making a comparison to other orders of priests and religious, he noted that many other Orders work in schools, hospitals, or other settings according to their charisms, but live in their religious communities. Similarly, “Think of the Subpriory as the place where you live and pray, while the [American] Association is where you go to do the works of the Order.”

The Subpriory of Our Lady of Lourdes includes 125 Dames and Knights of Obedience. While becoming a Dame or Knight of the Second Class does not mean “agreeing to blind obedience,” it is, however, “a promise before your community and God to be obedient to your religious superior in the evangelical sense.” The decision to enter into Obedience is to answer a call from God, a vocation, and is “to be taken seriously,” he stressed.

Dames and Knights of the Second Class make a promise, binding in conscience, to strive for Christian perfection in the spirit of the Order.  Commitments include daily Mass, frequent reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, praying the Divine Office, and engaging in the Order’s works, he said.

Membership is open to Dames and Knights who have been members of the Order for five years and have attended the Order’s pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Essentially, the process of formation begins with a five-day silent retreat. At the end of the formation process, the candidate again participates in a five-day silent retreat. The candidate first makes a temporary promise of obedience for a period of three years. At the end of that time, the promise of obedience may be taken permanently, or, if the candidate needs more time, the temporary promise can be renewed for a further three years. Members in Obedience are also obliged to make an annual five-day silent retreat.

To learn more about the Subpriory of Our Lady of Lourdes, visit https://orderofmaltaamerican.org/spiritual/subpriory-of-our-lady-of-lourdes/.

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