Mission

For 25 years, Growing the Faith, a program of the Western Association of the Order of Malta in partnership with Catholic parochial schools, has promoted the spiritual enrichment of underserved children in our communities through direct participation of Knights, Dames, Auxiliary, and volunteers of the Order and the donation of religious materials.

Program Description

In 2000, the Growing the Faith program program — part of the Order of Malta’s Western Association — was founded on a simple principle: to support and encourage children to embrace and grow in their Catholic faith. The program achieves this goal through partnerships with Catholic parochial schools, which receive funding from the Order of Malta for the purchase of religious materials that supplement and enhance the schools’ religious curricula.

Members of the Order — Knights, Dames, Auxiliary, and volunteers — become active participants in the schoolchildren’s spiritual journeys as they visit classrooms, share their knowledge of our faith and the history of the Order, and engage in the school’s prayer services and Masses, among other activities. The Order also shares its special devotion to Mary by donating rosaries to every child, along with an easy-to-use prayer guide.

The Growing the Faith project is a Work of our Order. It is designed, planned and implemented by us with no interference or involvement of others. Our beloved Grand Master Blessed Andrew Bertie, a former teacher himself, especially loved the program and used it as a worldwide example of the Order’s best “Defense of the Faith” — for without knowledge how can we defend the Faith? - Antonio Sanchez Corea, KM

History

Founding

In 2000, while attending the funeral mass for a young malade who had journeyed to Lourdes with the Western Association, Dame Helen Mary Stein was struck with profound sorrow — and an equally strong desire to support young children in their Catholic faith journey.

After the service, held at Saint Mary’s Church in Walnut Creek, she gathered a small group of Order members for lunch: Bob Stein, Tom and Kit Greerty, Bob and Jane Kilmartin, Cheryl and Mark LeClerc, and Katie Madden Pandes.

It was in that informal setting that the seed for a new program was planted. She asked the group: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could include children in poor areas in our mission statement of helping the sick and the poor?”

The overwhelming answer was “Yes.” The next question was: “How?”

The small group met again at the Stein’s home to discuss how the program might take shape and what it would be called — all with the idea of seeking funding and support from the Western Association. Kit Greerty proposed a name that perfectly captured the group’s goals: “Growing the Faith,” an organization dedicated to supporting faith formation among the area’s most impoverished children.

As explained by former teacher Helen Mary Stein, until that time, the Western Association had yet to support Catholic schools financially or through the presence of Order members. She really wanted to change that, feeling a deep sense of mission from the Blessed Virgin and her son, who said: “Let the little children come unto me.”

“It was and is my strong feeling that these children are our future,” she emphasizes, “and this kind of program is as vitally important as others supported by the Western Association.”

Tony Sanchez-Corea, Chancellor of the Western Association at the time, agreed and facilitated an initial grant of $10,000 to support the fledgling Growing the Faith program. The funds would be used to endow Catholic elementary schools with religious materials and support Knights, Dames, Auxiliary, and volunteers as they participated in the faith life of the schools and their students.

Early Operations

The program was piloted in a small number of Bay Area schools: St. Peter’s in San Francisco’s Mission District, St. Catherine of Siena in Martinez, and St. Mary’s in Gilroy. St. Peter’s became a model of what transpired in the coming years and demonstrated that a trusting relationship and partnership with the principals and schools had to be nurtured and built over time. Helen Mary Stein invested a great deal of time with Principal Vicki Butler to understand the school’s mission and how the Order could play a part.

In those early days, Bob Kilmartin took the lead in purchasing religious books and materials with guidance from the schools about their needs. Early on, the group decided that the priority would be to purchase books that would have a long lifespan in the schools, e.g. not consumable workbooks. The new Catechism of the Catholic Church and books about the lives of the Saints were a core part of the offering; a specially designed book plate with the Order’s shield was included with care in each and every book.

Meanwhile, the Order’s Rosary Crusade — led by Mary and Ennis Kane — donated blue rosaries and the group packaged them along with pamphlets about how to pray the Rosary.

The group would gather not only to package the Rosaries, but also all of the other materials to be delivered to each school. Each school marked this special occasion in different ways, but members of the Order were always present as guests and active participants.

Group gatherings would be held at a member’s home and mass would be celebrated to bless the group’s efforts. Lunch, discussions, and work would follow.

Growth and Development

After several years, the group determined that it needed additional support and expertise in selecting appropriate books for the schools. Helen Mary Stein again engaged with St. Peter’s, this time with Sister Toni Lynn Gallagher, who helped shape a book list that would allow the schools to do their own ordering; this became important as the number of schools grew and the ordering process became too unwieldy for a single person to handle centrally.

With this new model, the schools could order any books from the list as long as they remained within their budget. The common thread was that these supplemental materials — much needed building blocks for Catholic faith formation and education — were generally not in the schools’ budgets.

In the Bay Area, the program expanded to include field trips to the Oakland Cathedral for children from participating schools, as well as retreats and masses orchestrated by Dame Judy Telfer. Meanwhile, the program expanded regionally, as Order members engaged with Catholic schools in Southern California, Arizona, and the Pacific Northwest.

“The amount of joy and love we had from these children is indescribable,” says Helen Mary. “They gained so much from knowing a world outside of their concrete jungle.”

As the program grew, it developed a mission statement that was approved by the board of the Western Association. Knight Michael Grace, a strong proponent for the mission of the group, dedicated his time and talent to register a special Growing the Faith logo that had been created by designer Maryanne Hoburg. Meanwhile, the group developed a printed brochure to help new schools learn about the program and the Order of Malta.

Impact

In a letter to the Western Association Board of Directors on November 7, 2024, Dame Judith Telfer highlighted the transformative impact of the program on the lives of young individuals in our underserved communities. Here are just a few highlights:

Faith Formation

Growing the Faith enriches Catholic education by providing workshops, literature, and prayer groups, which deepen participants' understanding of Catholic teachings. By doing so, the program fosters a community of well-informed Catholics, instilling a strong foundation of faith in each individual.

Youth Involvement and Field Trips

Inner-city youth engage in meaningful service opportunities through this program, laying a foundation for lifelong faith commitment and leadership within the Catholic community. Many students from various schools involved in Growing the Faith recently had the opportunity to visit the cathedral on a field trip. This experience left a deep impression on them; they were not only respectful but also moved by the beauty and solemnity of the cathedral, which has inspired their desire to continue on their faith journey.

Exemplary Character of the Students

Despite the violent, drug-ridden, and impoverished conditions in which many of these students live, they demonstrate remarkable, exemplary behavior. They show deep respect for their elders, work hard, remain humble, and are encouraging to their peers.

Their respectfulness, especially during Mass, and their positive spirit are inspiring to all who witness their journey. These young individuals embody the values of the Catholic faith and, despite their circumstances, display a maturity and commitment that are truly remarkable. They deserve our undivided attention and support as Knights of Malta.

Long-term Impact

Through its diverse initiatives, Growing the Faith not only fosters devotion but also cultivates a growing, active faith community that spans generations and social backgrounds.

“This program prepares future generations to uphold and extend the mission of the Church, creating a long-lasting legacy of faith.”

Case Study: St. Peter’s School

As mentioned earlier, the group’s engagement with St. Peter’s in San Francisco was a model for engagements with schools throughout the Western Association. The school serves a vulnerable population in the city’s Mission District but, as described by then Principal Vicki Butler, it is “an oasis of love and security for many beautiful children.” Of the school’s 360 children, approximately 98% are Hispanic and Catholic, having migrated from numerous Latino countries. In 2011, Vicki shared what the Order’s involvement meant to the school community:

The love for the Blessed Virgin is remarkably special here! The gift of Rosaries from the Knights and Dames of Malta to the students is a precious event. It is amazing how the rosaries are always with each, as are the medal of Mary or Jesus and/or scapulars.

After a rich celebration of the Immaculate Conception at Holy Mass on December 8th, the Knights and Dames visited one of the fourth grade classes. The students proudly shared their individual projects of a saint they had studied. 

The young lady who studied St. Bernadette is Paulina Casillas. Paulina came from Mexico a year and a half ago. She spoke no English, however, because of her high grades in Math on the entrance test, she was accepted. Since then, she has learned in just a year to speak and study in English. She gets mostly A’s and a few B’s in all her subjects. Paulina is so proud of her project about St. Bernadette. She knows all about the saint and she says she would like to go to Lourdes some day to see the grotto where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette. 

The Knights and Dames participate in other aspects of the school’s faith life, as well. For example, on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, children of St. Peter’s School process around their school block saying the Rosary with the blue rosaries they had just received from members of the Order.

Bob Stein and Tom Greerty walked with the children in a drizzling rain, but every face was smiling. The small voices sang the Ava Maria between the decades of the Rosary. The procession ended at St. Peter’s Church where the parish family brought in over 2,000 roses to be placed in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

 

On another occasion, Principal Vicki Butler invited eight members of the Order to come to the school in their working uniforms. The group visited classrooms to see the use of the materials that had been donated. They went to the kindergarten class where the children were watching a Veggie Tale Video called “Where is God when I’m scared.” Mr. Celery was the main character. The children were entranced.

After they finished, the teacher asked the children if they would like to meditate. There was a unanimous “Yes!” The members of the Order stood amazed at these five year olds.

They went to the carpet and all sat down in orderly little lines. Not a word was said. The teacher asked them to close their eyes to take a walk to Jesus. Quiet filled the room and her voice brought them on a walk by the beach to Jesus. She told them that they could tell Jesus anything they wanted.

 

Finally she asked if they wanted to share what they had said to Jesus. Most said “I told Him I love him” and one little boy said, “Jesus put his arms around me.” This teacher had given these children the greatest gift — they can talk to Jesus and He will hear them. They have a friend for life in Jesus.

 

Member Participation

Founding Members

Helen Mary Stein

Dr. Bob Stein

Kit Greerty

Tom Greerty

Marc LeClerc

Cheryl LeClerc

Bob Kilmartin

Jane Kilmartin

Katie Madden Pandes

Program Chairs Past & Present

Helen Mary Stein

Dr. Mary Francis Jeffries

Anthony Miranda