Baron Peter von Fürstenberg started to visit Lithuania in 1989. He emphasized that Lithuania is a suitable country for the development of Maltese activities, it is a Catholic country. Moreover, the country needed help.
Baron Peter von Fürstenberg invited the German Maltesers to establish communication with the municipalities, hospitals and elderly house of Lithuanian cities.
In 1991, the Order of Malta’s Relief Service starts operating in Lithuania.
In 1993, Baron von Fürstenberg was accredited as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Lithuania, and continued to serve until 2006.
In September 1993, during the visit of the Holy Father John Paul II to Lithuania, he was already involved in the visit with the first Maltese groups, whose task was to help provide medical assistance at the three places of worship of the Holy Father. The young Malteser organisation was able to recruit around 200 volunteer medical staff and accomplished this task with excellence.
Baron von Fürstenberg’s new step in the expansion of the Malteser activities in Lithuania was to ask the funding from German Catholic foundation “Renovabis” for the new project “Meals on Wheels”. Funding was obtained, 12 cars were purchased and in 1994 food for the poor began to be transported to 12 cities in Lithuania, reaching 350 elderly people with hot soup.
Baron von Fürstenberg was the main initiator of the creation of the Young Maltesers of Lithuania. In 1993, several Lithuanian youth activists and teachers visited the German Young Maltesers camp and established contacts with Malteser Jugend officials and started the activities. A few years later, already over 20 Young Maltesers groups were active in Lithuania.
In 1995, Baron von Fürstenberg initiated the European Union project “Voluntary Home Care” in Lithuania and persuaded the German Maltesers to contribute to its implementation. More than 130 Malteser volunteers were trained in the basics of nursing, and Maltesers Homecare offfices were established in 5 Lithuanian cities. They took care about 750 elderlies.
With the active support of Baron von Fürstenberg, the first state visit of the Grand Master of the Order of Malta to the Republic of Lithuania took place in 1999, when Order’s Grand Master, Fra’ Andrew Bertie, met with the President, H.E. Valdas Adamkus. The highest state honours were exchanged.
After an address to the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Postal Agreement between the Republic of Lithuania and the Order of Malta was signed. Lithuania became the 48th country with which the Order has concluded postal agreements.
Baron Fürstenberg’s last major activity was to initiate the establishment of the Maltese Children’s Day. In 2005, 3 centres were opened for the care of “street” children and disadvantaged children.
For his services to Lithuania, Baron Peter von Fürstenberg was awarded the Grand Cross of the Commander of the Order of Gediminas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on 16 May 1999.
We will mourn this great man and keep in our hearts eternal gratitude for his work for our homeland!
