I recently returned from a pilgrimage with the British Association of the Order of Malta to the Holy Land. Our visits to the holy places reminded us all of the story of the life of Our Lord. But it was a visit to the Hospital of the Holy Family run by the Order in Bethlehem – founded in 1895 and just a short distance from the Nativity grotto – that was especially moving. In 1985 the hospital, which had been run by the Sisters of Charity, was closed down due to the Arab/Israeli conflict. Pope John Paul II asked the then Grand Master, Fra’ Andrew Bertie, to take it on, and a new chapter began in the 900-year history of the Knights Hospitaller. The buildings were refurbished as a modern maternity hospital and in January 2023 it expects to reach the milestone of the birth of 100,000 babies.