West Islip, NY 11795 — On December 11, 2005, the Knights and Dames of Malta hosted a Christmas celebration for the residents of Our Lady of Consolation. Des & Pat McCarthy (Area Chair), Elissa & Joe Metz (Area Hospitaller), Tom & Donna O'Brien, Dr. Jennifer & Matt DeMarco, Sherry & Paul Durnan, and F.J. McCarthy served the residents a special catered meal. Entertainment and activities were provided and added to the Christmas spirit. The Order of Malta is a lay religious order within the Catholic Church committed to serving the sick and the poor and defending the faith. The Order is over 900 years old and began by ministering to the wounded and sick in the Holy Land. There are 100 members on Long Island and approximately 10,000 members worldwide. The Members of the Order perform charitable work in more than 110 countries. In addition to special projects on Long Island, each year many of the Knights and Dames participate in a trip to Lourdes to take a group of those who are sick or disabled to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. The generosity of the Knights and Dames of Malta made this day at Our Lady of Consolation a successful and enjoyable one for the residents.

Our Lady of Consolation is a 450-bed nursing and rehabilitative care center conducted in the tradition of the Sisters of St. Dominic since 1894 and is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). As a member of Catholic Health Services of Long Island, Our Lady of Consolation plays an integral role in the health care delivery system of the Diocese of Rockville Centre and offers expertise in the field of long-term care and sub-acute care. In addition to skilled nursing home care including geriatric care, rehabilitative care, respiratory therapy and medically complex care, Our Lady of Consolation offers specialized dementia disease care for individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer's and related dementia diseases. In addition, Our Lady of Consolation's Long Term Home Health Care Program provides nursing care and other services for patients residing in their own homes in the community. For more information about the services Our Lady of Consolation offers, please call (631) 587-1600 or visit us on the web at http://olc.chsli.org.