he Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, is a sovereign state, and the world's oldest order of chivalry. The Order is more active today than at any time during its continuous 900-year history. The Order's worldwide charitable activities still carry out the unbroken tradition of its founding charter - to care for the sick and the poor, regardless of race, language, or religion.

To all present day Knights and Dames of Malta, the wearing of the Order's symbol, the eight-pointed Maltese Cross, is not a privilege, but an obligation to serve humanity.