Order of Malta

After a forced hiatus of one year, the TEDeum Youth Group of the Hungarian Association was again able to organise its annual Ball for Disabled Youth. More than fifty guests, plus their attendants, dressed in their best finery, gathered from all corners of the country in the gymnasium of the Saint John Paul II Secondary School in Budapest. They were treated to a welcoming drink of sparkling wine, and a buffet table with open sandwiches, sweet and savoury pastries, and cool drinks. Wine, beer and cocktails could also be purchased.

The event was opened with a prayer and welcoming words by Father Imre Kozma, after a greeting by the Hospitaller of the Hungarian Association of the Order, Loránd Erőss, who thanked the chief organisers, Réka Erőss and Kati Kállay, and all the enthusiastic volunteers who prepared and hosted the event.

The guests and volunteers danced happily the whole evening - on their feet or in wheelchairs! A quieter tearoom was also at their disposal, as well as a roulette and cards room.

The evening was a great success: we were able to gift our young guests with a happy, relaxed evening. But the disabled youth were not the only ones who profited: for example, the radiant face of a 26-year-old wheelchair-bound young woman, who had ventured outside her home for the first time in ten years, was an intense learning moment for our volunteers. Such experiences encourage us to make continual efforts to involve the younger generation in pursuing our calling as members of the Order.