Itero del Castillo, Burgos Spain

Itero del Castillo (Burgos): The Hospital of San Nicolás de Puente Fitero, located beside a bridge over the Pisuerga River in an area controlled by the Order in the Middle Ages, has been restored and converted into a hostel for pilgrims by the Confraternita di San Jacopo de Compostela, of Perugia, in close collaboration with the Spanish Association of the Order of Malta. The Order continues to collaborate with the Confraternita through the CISOM (Italian Aid Corps of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta), whose volunteers will be on duty 23-30 May and from 26 July to 8 August. (The hostel, attended by volunteers of other organizations, will be open from early May to mid October). For more information consult www.Confraternitadisanjacopo.it.

During the Jacobean Holy Years, the Spanish Association of the Order of Malta maintains a First Aid Station in the Cloister of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. It is staffed by volunteers of the Association and teams of volunteers from other national associations and humanitarian organizations of the Order. The First Aid Station will be open from 1 July until 17 October. For more information, consult the Spanish Association of the Order of Malta, email: ordenmalta@cece.es. **This information is several years old, it is advisable to check with the Spanish Assoc. for current dates.**

What is the Mass

From The Catholic Gentleman 

Let’s begin with what the mass is not. 

The mass is not a community meal designed to strengthen our unity and “gather us in.” 

Feelings of unity and community can be strengthened at any number of events, including potlucks or Church picnics. At most, feeling unified with our brothers and sisters in Christ is a nice byproduct of the mass, but it is certainly not its chief end.

Second, the mass is not about you. 

It is not about having a wonderful “weekend experience,” as one new parish based program claims. Nor is its purpose to make you feel good about yourself, to encourage you, to inspire you, or to make you feel included and welcomed. You simply aren’t the audience—God is, and the mass is all about him.

So what is the mass essentially? It is first and foremost a sacrifice. 

In fact, it is the once for all sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, that transcends time and space, made present for us again in an unbloody manner. It is the perfect sacrifice that all the Old Testament sacrifices prefigured (See Malachi 1:11). In it, Jesus Christ lovingly offers himself in an act of oblation to God the Father on our behalf. He adores God the Father, he atones for our sins, he offers thanks and praise, and he intercedes for our needs.