Many folks ask us about our ministry to the sick. It is really the principal outreach that we have in the London community. In theory our ministry should work out to four hours each weekday for two friars but it is hard to work to a stopwatch. We find that many times our time spent visiting the sick goes beyond what is written down on paper.

As friars we work in conjunction with the staff at the Malta High Commission who act as a liason between our franciscan community and the Health Department of the Government of Malta. Since our presence and ministry are officially recognized the staff at Malta House provide us with lists of patients presently in London for medical treatment by arrangement between the Government of Malta and the Health Authorities of Great Britain. This information allows us to plan our visits to the patients and their families while they are in hospital.

Our patients are spread out in different hospitals throughout the greater London area but we find that because many are here for specific treatments, they end up under the care of certain consultants who are willing to work in tandem with the Health Authorities in Malta. A list of the hospitals we visit frequently might mention: The Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, The National Hospital for Neurological Disorders, The Royal London Hospital, The Royal Marsden Hospital (Fulham and Sutton Branches), The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital at Stanmore, Middlesex Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital. There are other hospitals which we visit as necessary but for the past two years the majority of patients being sent to hospitals in Greater London would have passed through at least one of the institutions named above. This list can change as it has changed in the past. (Most notably, in recent history adult cardiac cases are being handled in Malta and so the contact with St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington has been drastically reduced to a handful of patients a year.)

Our ministry to the sick can be very traditional, spiritual and even sacramental. There are times when there is no specific religious dimension and what we do would seem to be providing the family with a simple (albeit important) human presence. That may be how it is perceived by an unbeliever but on our part our presence is resonant with that of the compassionate human Annointed One of God. At other times we are asked to be present as interpreters for patients who are not comfortable with the English language.

The Maltese who come to London are diverse in their background. Sometimes they are not even Maltese--we have had Russians, Brits and Italians who either live in Malta or who live in Malta and are married to Maltese nationals. One would have to point out that we have also had a number of Maltese who do not consider themselves Catholics.

We present ourselves as Franciscans and offer our presence to all patients who are listed but they are never forced to open up and we are well beyond the point of trying to convert those who are not active members of the Church. We have visited patients who have never asked for a prayer, we have prayed with non-catholics and we have certainly been there for Catholics who are struggling with their faith or those who live an intense faith life and desire the support of our sacramental ministry.

Many patients take the time to telephone before they leave or to drop a note when they return home, especially if they have returned home without having the opportunity to take their leave in person. Some patients are here for short stays, some treatments can average four to six months, some come back for subsequent check-ups. One gets to know people over time and sickness can often intensify the process. Our experience is that most patients appreciate having a visitor who knows their language and understands their culture. Sickness is a trial and being in a foreign country can add further insecurity and disorientation to the myriad of issues which the patient and/or his/her family have to process. We do our best to be a balm soothing their spirits.

When they talk about what has touched them about the friars who have visited them they mention many things: a smile, a soft word of encouragement, someone with whom to share a joke, a reminder of Maltese traditions or foods, a silent presence of solidarity, a warm touch on the shoulder, a shoulder to cry on, a tear shared: all of these things seem relatively small but can mean so much.

We deal with the patients themselves but we also deal with their families. For many families the experience of serious sickness is new. Beyond the language difficulties there are many other hardships the family endures including loneliness and isolation, dietary difficulties, financial difficulties, marital difficulties. It is all very well to say that sickness brings families together but many times it seems to make things even more difficult: nerves are frayed, exhaustion becomes overpowering, boredom, poor diets, past issues, disturbed sleep patterns are just a few of the factors which come into play

Although our co-operation with Malta House puts us in contact with Maltese people coming from Malta to London for medical care, we do often visit other Maltese who have come here for privately funded treatments or are living in London and are in hospital for different treatments or at home convalescing. Some of their problems are different but the Maltese Language, Culture, Faith and Identity are all important factors prompting the sick themselves, or their families, to ask for our visits.

In the long run we have also come to realize that not only do we build relationships with our Maltese brothers and sisters but we also begin to touch the lives of the hospital staff...especially those whose domains we enter regularly. At first we are other bodies passing through their surreal fields of vision. Then they come into contact with us as we regularly visit each patient and eventually a series of patients. A rapport is formed and eventually the hospital staff realizes that they can turn to us as resource people for their appropriate needs. Here too we reach out to the greater community for we are members of a universal community of God's people and we cannot allow ourselves to become national or religious xenophobes.