The 2025 Jubilee in Rome kicked off this December when the Pope opened the portal at St. Peter’s basilica on Christmas Eve. Millions of pilgrims are expected over the next year, and the Western Association was asked to staff medical clinics in each of the four major Basilicas for the initial week to help smooth the process. Dr.s Dan Field and Rick Kozak led a team of 16 Knights, Dames and volunteers to provide medical assistance to the pilgrims journeying to Rome for the blessed event which began the opening of the Jubilee door on Christmas Eve.

Fra’ Alessandro de Franciscis, The Grand Hospitaller for the Order of Malta, oversees the operation and scheduling of teams from around the world for the Jubilee year 2025.  The Western Association team arrived in Rome on Dec. 19th, began their service on Dec. 22 and finished service on Dec. 28th. There were four teams, each consisting of a doctor, nurse or paramedic and 2 helpers. The teams rotated between the four major basilicas in Rome, St. Peter’s, St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St John Lateran.  Each team of four would spend 1- 2 days at each basilica stationed in the basilica’s onsite medical office. There were 2 shifts, 7:30-1:30 and 1:30-7:00. St. Peter’s was definitely the busiest in terms of patient care with up to 5 per day which is pretty good when you consider thousands of people were in the square constantly.

The Italian Order of Malta doctors also assisted at St. Peter’s but, unfortunately, were not present at the other facilities. The teams were presented with medals and a certificate from Fra' John Dunlop, Grand Master of the Order of Malta, and Fra' Alessandro on the first night of the week-long service.  All Western Association members and volunteers felt blessed to be in Rome during Christmas and witness the beauty of the Catholic faith in and around the Vatican.  To experience Pope Francis opening the Jubilee door on Christmas Eve at St. Peter’s is forever etched in their minds. The magnitude of the crowd filling St. Peter's square on a cold Rome Christmas Eve night and to see the Pope open the Jubilee door reminded everyone of the  beauty of our tradition and our shared faith. The bells of St. Peter’s rang joyously upon the opening of the Jubilee door, and the enormous crowd in the square watched in silent awe- reminding us of the enormity of our faith world wide.