26/05/2026
Saint John the Baptist is the spiritual Patron Saint of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta.
His name is in the official title of the Order, as the hospice from which the Order traces its origins was located beside a monastery dedicated to the saint.
Knights and Dames of the Order look to Saint John to ask for his intercession to guide their mission and commitment to serving the poor and the sick.
As described by the Order, “If one wanted a patron, one wanted a powerful one, and Saint John the Baptist was about as close to the Lord as one could get. He was the epitome of obedience, poverty, self-sacrifice, humility, and dedication to serving others. He suffered much in guiding the people in the path of the Lord, and suffered martyrdom for his efforts: certainly a defender of the faith.”
The Order celebrates the 24th of June, the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, as its National Day. His martyrdom is also commemorated by the Order every 29th of August as part of its Calendar of Liturgical Celebrations Proper to the Order as the ‘Beheading of St. John the Baptist, Patron of the Order’.
To learn more about the Order’s Celebrations and Dedications, visit:https://orderofmaltaamerican.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Calendar-of-Liturgical-Celebrations-Proper-to-The-Order.pdf
