I didn’t know anything at all about the Knights of Malta before my friend joined, so I’m going to explain a little bit what they are. The order actually started as a Catholic religious order that ran a hospital in Jerusalem (I enjoyed the public health connection!) back in the eleventh century. The US part of the organization originated in 1927 in New York City, but has now expanded nationwide. The general mission of the order is to care for the poor and the sick, and they do this many different ways, both domestically and internationally. Currently, there are over 3,000 dames and knights (what members of the order are called) in the US, and about 13,500 internationally. (If you’re interested, you can read more here.)
The investiture day was a fun, but long, day. It began with the actual investiture Mass itself, celebrated by Cardinal Wuerl, who actually used to be a bishop here in Pittsburgh!. Mass was followed by a luncheon, and then they gave us a few hours to get ready for the dinner in the evening! I, of course, had made an appointment at Drybar to get my hair blown out, so I hurried there, and only had about an hour or so by the time I got back to my hotel after my blow out, so I had to get ready pretty quickly.
Of course, picking out my dress for the dinner was very important. I ended up going with this Adriana Papell dress – I love anything beaded and sparkly! They also make a cocktail length version, and it comes in lots of other colors, too.
The dinner was so much fun – it was a really amazing night. It was held at the US Chambers of Commerce, which was an absolutely beautiful building. I didn’t want to take any pictures during dinner, but I wish I had – the ceiling was wooden beams that were intricately carved with state names, and mottos, and emblems. Every single part of the evening was fantastic – from dinner, to dancing, to all of the people I met, who were so kind!
I’m really excited for and proud of my friend being invited to join the Order of Malta, and truly honored to have been asked to join him on such a wonderful day!
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