From 2 to 8 May 2025, 6 Companions of Kenya, 3 from Uganda and 9 from Ethiopia took part in the Order’s annual pilgrimage to Lourdes—alongside thousands of Members, volunteers, and Malades from the Order of Malta’s Priories and National Associations around the globe.
Lourdes is a major Catholic pilgrimage site in southwestern France, in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, renowned for the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.

2025 is not only a Jubilee Year, but also marked the third consecutive year that the Companions of Kenya participated in the Order’s Lourdes pilgrimage, the 67th anniversary of the Order of Malta’s first pilgrimage to Lourdes, and the 167th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

This was the first official multi-national African Pilgrimage with the Order of Malta and the Delegation came under the management of and kindly supported by, the British Association of the Order (BASMOM).

Speaking from Nairobi after the pilgrimage, Sam Mattock, the Coordinator of the Pilgrimage Organiser, stated, “As every year, the streets of Lourdes were flooded with the Order’s uniforms from around the globe, but this year was particularly special because our pilgrimage was blessed by His Eminence Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel CM, Metropolitan Archbishop of Addis Ababa.”

At the start of the pilgrimage, Cardinal Souraphiel addressed the pilgrims with the following words:
“Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Grace and peace to you from Rome, where I join you in spirit as we unite in prayer during this time. How joyful it is to know you gather in Lourdes, a sanctuary of hope, with our friends from the British Association of the Order of Malta. Let us first extend our deepest gratitude to them for their generous hospitality a testament to the universal bond of our faith. In these turbulent times, your pilgrimage carries profound meaning. As you kneel before Our Lady of Lourdes, pray fervently for peace, peace in our hearts, peace for Africa, and peace for our wounded world. Let your prayers rise like incense, uniting with the conclave’s discernment, that the Holy Spirit may guide Christ’s Church to be a beacon of reconciliation.

Remember: Your faith is your strength. In this place of miracles, trust that even the smallest prayer can move mountains. Stand in solidarity with one another, across nations and trials, knowing God’s love transcends every division. Finally, let us pray for our British hosts that their kindness returns to them a hundredfold and for all who labour for unity in Christ. May Mary, Mother of Mercy, intercede for us all.

Amen. May God bless you, and may your pilgrimage bear fruit for the world.”

Sam added, “As the Grand Master stated in his 2024 Lourdes address, the pilgrimage is at the heart of our beloved Order. The Kenyan, Ethiopian, and Ugandan participation is a true testament to the Orders unity, and to our diversity working in unison for the Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum. I would also like to give my sincere thanks to the following people, without whom the pilgrimage would not have been possible, including Ambassador von Trott zu Solz, Ambassador Michael Murphy, Adam Camenzuli, Nathalie, Eleanor Benson and the British Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta President, Lady Celestria Hales, and her team led by James Pavey and Tabitha Branikmeyer.”