The Visitation

Today we finish the month of May with yet another Marian feast – the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. Besides the birth of Jesus, this must have been one of the happiest days in Mary’s life. This photo shows the exuberance of the encounter, not the solemn moment that most painters portray. This is a scene from the movie of 20016 ‘The Nativity Story.’ This was also the first encounter between Jesus and John the Baptist, both of whom were unborn at that moment. However they stirred in the mother's wombs as they felt the presence of each other so close. This celebration also reminds us to be hospitable and welcoming to those who visit us. The spirit of hospitality is very important in many cultures, as it is in Malta and the USA. People offer food or a drink or some coffee and cake to whoever is visiting on any day. We expect that from the friends we visit, but we should likewise do the same to friends and family who visit us. The interaction between Mary and Elizabeth produced also the prayer of the Hail Mary, while Mary recited the Magnificat, which all priests pray daily during Vespers, the evening prayer of the Church. 

St Joan of Arc

                        
This young girl was quite a heroine in the 15th century, especially in a world dominated by men. Born in southern Paris in 1412 from an educated couple, she had visions at the age of 12, which were later revealed to be from St. Michael, St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Margaret of Antioch. They all told her to go to King Charles of France and pressure him to release France from the clutches of Great Britain. So the King, realising the pure intentions of Joan, sent her to take part in the war of Orleans. She arrived there in 1429 with her iconic banner to give a boost to the morale of the soldiers, who had just about given up a victory over the British. 9 days after her arrival, the British soldiers retreated. The French soldiers kept advancing, encouraged by Joan on their side until they arrived at Rheims. There the King was crowned with Joan of Arc next to him. The French victories raised their morale, which stayed with them during the One Hundred Years War. However Joan was arrested  in Compiegne a year later and was accused of witchcraft and heresy. Her trial was the most cruel, and a classic 1928 black and white film called ‘The Passion of Joan of Arc’ shows with extreme close-ups the atrocity she suffered. It was a silent film but was set to music a few years ago, with a spectacular and haunting score. During her trial she was also condemned because she wore pants, trousers, something which every woman does today. Joan was burned at the stake in 1431 in Rouen, and her ashes were spread in the River Seine. The Catholic Church did another trial 25 years after her death, and her penalty was removed and was found innocent, but yet she lost her life. Her example was admired by the poor and wealthy alike, and her love of the sacraments as well as her contemplative life led her to be beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920.

Mary, Mother of the Church

Mater Ecclesia at Dar tal-Kleru, Birkirkara, Malta

Yesterday we commemorated the birthday of the church, and as Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, she somehow gave birth to the church, which He represents. Pope Francis in 2018 introduced another feast dedicated to the Blessed Mother – as Mother of the Church, celebrated today, the day after Pentecost. Remember that on that day, Mary was with the apostles, gathered together as a community, as a church, as the Body of Christ. Today we honor her again as our Mother – the Mother of all Christians, and Mother of all churches. This feast was actually introduced by Pope St. Paul VI in 1964, who had declared Mary as Mother of the Church, that is Mother of all Christians and of all priests. Then in 1975, the Year of Mercy, the church had also introduced a special Mass in honor of Mary as Mater Ecclesia, mother of the church. Above all, we must look at Mary as the one who gives us life, that spiritual oxygen which energizes us and nourishes us with her presence in our lives. May the Blessed Mother bless all of our families and may they be strengthened in their weakness through her continued motherly protection. May Mary help re-fill our churches with people who have drifted away, with the excuse of Covid, or prefer to watch Mass on TV. We need to gather as communities with Mary and Her Son in our beautiful churches, built by our forefathers.

Come Holy Spirit

Stained glass at Mdina Cathedral Chapter Hall

Christ Jesus, before ascending into heaven, You promised to send the Holy Spirit to Your apostles and disciples.

Grant that the same Spirit may perfect in our lives the work of Your grace and love.
Grant us the Spirit of Fear of The Lord that we may be filled with a loving reverence toward You.
- the Spirit of Piety that we may find peace and fulfillment in the service of God while serving others;
- the Spirit of Fortitude that we may bear our cross with You and, with courage, overcome the obstacles that interfere with our salvation;
- the Spirit of Knowledge that we may know You and know ourselves and grow in holiness;
- the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our minds with the light of Your truth;
- the Spirit of Counsel that we may choose the surest way of doing Your will, seeking first the Kingdom;
- Grant us the Spirit of Wisdom that we may aspire to the things that last forever;
Teach us to be Your faithful disciples and animate us in every way with Your Spirit.  Amen.

Cardinal Mercier's Prayer To The Holy Spirit:   For five minutes every day quiet your imagination, close your eyes to everything visible and your ears to all external sounds and withdraw into the sanctuary of your baptized soul which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. There, speak to the Holy Spirit and say:

"O Holy Spirit soul of my soul I adore you. Enlighten guide, strengthen and console me. Tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it. I promise to submit to everything that you ask of me and to accept all that you allow to happen to me. Just show me what your will is."

If you do this, your life will be happy and serene. Even in the midst of troubles you will experience great consolation, for grace will be given to strengthen and help you to cope with every difficulty.

Dieting for Heaven

Our Maltese Saint George Preca was used to tell short stories, similar to parables, so that people of all ages could understand them. One day he met a man who was pretty fat and after he went for confession, St George asked him if he fasted during Lent The man said ‘No Father George, I cannot fast, because if I don’t eat, I will feel very weak and pass out.’ Three months later, he met the man again, and this time he was fairly thin, compared to three months earlier. And the priest asked him how come he lost so much weight. ‘Well, Father, I went to see a doctor, and he found out that I was diabetic, and he demanded that I eat less and cut  down on pasta and bread.’ Then St George would conclude this story by saying: ‘You see, some people would do anything for their personal lives, but for heaven, they are afraid of doing the tiniest of sacrifice!’

Infanticipating

I heard on a radio podcast an interesting word that describes being pregnant. It made me laugh and smile, and realized how true it is. The word is INFANTICIPATING, a combination of the words ‘infant’ and ‘anticipating’ – a clever way of creating a new word to describe exactly what is taking place, anticipating an infant, also to affirm the pro-life mission, and affirm the undeniable presence of life at the very moment of conception. I searched a few other words that describe the same meaning, some of them slang words, and may not be as clean as ‘infanticipating’, but here they are:

pregnant - expectant - enceinte - expecting - carrying a child - clucky - parturient - caught - childing - expecting a baby - heavy - in pod - knocked up - storked - up the duff - up the pole - with child - antenatal - anticipating - expecting a happy event - fecund - fertile - fertilized - fruitful - gestating - heavy with child - in the club - prenatal - productive - prolific - up the spout - up the stick - on the way - with one in the oven - having swallowed a watermelon seed - in a delicate condition - with a bun in the oven - in a family way - with a joey in the pouch - in the pudding club - be blooming – be eating for two – in an interesting condition – hormonal – pupped – up the stump – cooking up baby – in an interesting condition - bumpaholic. (Do you know that pregnant in Spanish is embarazada ! In English embarrassed is something completely different.)

The miracle baby

Derick Hall today with his mother Stacy

Standing tall at 6ft 3in, and weighing an impressive 256 pounds, Derick Hall has come a long way in his 22 years. The outside linebacker was born four months prematurely without a heartbeat, weighing a tiny two pounds and one ounce, with a bleed on the brain. After a week on life support, the prognosis wasn’t favorable and doctors believed he’d remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life. Doctors told his mother Stacy to sign a paper and “to let life take its course.” Thankfully she refused. Her tiny baby spent five months in NICU before finally going home. Her son flourished. He began his football career with flag football and there was no holding him back. The future Seattle Seahawks player has just been drafted to play professionally and will now be able to show his physical and mental prowess on the field and demonstrate to millions how life, no matter how precarious, is always worth fighting for. On March 19, 2001, Hall was born without a heartbeat before he was resuscitated. And yet, doctors gave his parents a grim prediction of what they thought his future looked like. His mother continues “They said he’d never be able to walk or be able to talk. They said he’d just be a vegetable. He’d be 85 percent mentally retarded. He wouldn’t have any quality of life. They said, ‘We shouldn’t try to save this baby.” Stacy said she didn’t know if she could afford to raise a medically-fragile child. But, she said, “We just trusted God wholeheartedly, and look what we’ve got now.”

Derick in his Auburn uniform

Derick himself says “Going through all that trauma at a young age, going through breathing machines and treatments and stuff like that, getting through all of that every year at a young age really put me in a position to learn how to fight, compete, and face adversity.” Stacy again recalls “I told him you have to push through it and fight through it. He loved football.” He played American football in High School at Gulfport, Mississippi, played at College level at Auburn and got drafted with the Seattle Seahawks. A miracle baby whose mother never gave up. Congratulations Derick !

From altar boy to Deacon

It was an honor for me receiving news that one of my former altar boys has just been ordained a Permanent Deacon for the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey. Robert Vidal was a little child when I was serving as Associate Pastor at Holy Spirit Parish, in New Hyde Park, NY. His family was very active in the parish, with all the 4 children attending the parish school, with Robert serving as an altar-boy. Unfortunately Robert’s father died at a young age, and later their mother Kathy moved with her family to Tennessee. I am glad that she follows my blog faithfully, and I’m sure she’ll be surprised to see this post. Deacon Robert Vidal was ordained as a Permanent Deacon on Saturday May 20 at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Assumption, in Trenton, NJ with 10 other deacons who will now serve in various parishes, besides 2 transitional deacons, who will be ordained priests within a year. Robert will serve in his parish at St Mary of the Pines, in Manahawkin, NJ. 

Rev Mr Robert Vidal with his family

It’s amazing how God works and how He uses you to inspire other people along the way of your ministry in several parishes, in Malta, New York and Oregon. 4 other former altar-boys were also ordained priests over the years. Notice in the first photo almost a replica of the imposition of hands by the Bishop reflected in the stained-glass window, just behind the Bishop' presidential chair. This makes the photo even more unique and special. Ad Multos Annos Deacon Robert Vidal, and congratulations to the Vidal family. (click on each photo to enlarge)

My 1982 altar boys from New Hyde Park, NY. Robert is in 2nd row, first from right.

Old Farmer’s Advice

These are some clever, funny, yet thoughtful pieces of advice that come from the mouth of an experienced farmer. Anyone who has any experience with ranching and farming can agree how true these little bits of wisdom are!

* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
* Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.
* Life is simpler when you plough around the stump.
* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
* It doesn’t take very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
* Don't judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you.
* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

St. Rita

Today being the feast of St Rita, many abused women are looking up to her as their patron saint. Her life story, though it happened 700 years ago, could very well be happening today.

St. Rita was born in 1381 near Spoleto, Italy. Her parents arranged her marriage to Paolo Mancini when she was only 12, despite the fact that she repeatedly begged them to allow her to enter a convent. Mancini was a rich, quick-tempered, immoral man, who made many enemies in the region. St. Rita endured his insults, abuse, and infidelities for 18 years, and bore him two sons whom she raised with Catholic values. Toward the end of her husband's life, St. Rita helped convert him and although Mancini became more congenial, his allies betrayed him, and he was violently stabbed to death. Before his death, he repented to St. Rita and the Church, and she forgave him for his transgressions. Now her sons wished to exact revenge on their father's murderers. Knowing murder was wrong, she tried to persuade them from retaliating, but to no avail. She, instead, prayed to God for Him to take away the lives of her sons instead of seeing them commit such a terrible sin. God heard St. Rita's words and her sons died of natural causes a year later. Soon afterwards, St. Rita desired to enter the monastery at Cascia but was spurned for being a widow, as virginity was required for entry into the convent. However, she persisted in her cause and was allowed to enter the monastery after reconciling her family with her husband's murderers. She was 36 and she remained at the monastery for the rest of her life, living by the Augustinian rule, until her death, May 22, 1457. St. Rita was beatified by Pope Urban VIII in 1627, and canonized on May 24, 1900 by Pope Leo XIII. 

Ascension

Today we celebrate the feast of the Ascension, a celebration that has been transferred in many Dioceses to the 7th Sunday of Easter. This is the day that the Lord gave his final “Goodbye” to his followers, although it was more like a “So Long.” This feast has special memories for me as a child, because of a painting that was in my childhood parish, dedicated to the Ascension of Jesus. It was painted by the Maltese artist Raffaele Caruana (1820-1886.) As a child and especially as an altar-boy I frequently reflected on this painting, even connecting the faces of the apostles to men in the parish, whom they resembled. The actual church was dedicated to Saint Julian, the old parish church until 1969, but was always known as the Lapsi Church (Ascension Church.) From 1643 people used to come to this church and follow the Mass on this holy day and then spend the rest of the day swimming and holidaying at the St Julian’s Bay. The feast of the Ascension opens officially the swimming/summer season, and the weather usually warms up steadily from now on. And as Jesus leaves us today, He is also empowering us to continue His work, as He did with the apostles 2 millennia ago. They have no let Him down, and neither did the many saints and holy people that have followed. Let us not let Him down, but continue this enticing relay race of Christianity, passing the proverbial baton to our children and children’s children, as our forefathers have done over the centuries.

The Best Companion

The counsellor was trying to help a man in finding a good wife. So the counsellor asked the man what qualities is he searching for in the woman of his dreams. The man replied by saying ‘Well, I would like her with great features, with a sense of humor, who likes sport, advanced in her schooling, likes to sing and dance, hangs out with me in my free time, talks to me about interesting stories, and stays quiet when I want to rest.’ The counsellor looked at him and without blinking an eye, told him: ‘Well, my suggestion is that you buy a TV set, as that will satisfy all your needs. That would definitely be better than marrying a woman. It will serve you very well as you can turn it on and off whenever you like.’ Some people claim that the perfect couple consist of a man who cannot hear properly, and a woman who is blind. This way, the deaf man cannot hear the complaints of his wife, and the woman cannot see the defects and weaknesses of her husband. Every successful partnership and marriage is the union of two people who can be patient with each other and are merciful when dealing with one another. We pray that all couples be patient, tolerant and respectful of one another, and it certainly helps when you make room for God in your lives.

The Tapestries - Part 3

Tapestry entitled 'Triumph of the Faith'

These tapestries will be on display until June 24, and after that they will be placed in a special exhibition viewing rooms, which are being built right now behind the Cathedral. They used to be hung every year in the Co-Cathedral from Corpus Christi to the feast of St. John the Baptist. The last time they were hung was during the visit of Pope St John Paul II in 1990, 33 years ago. The restoration treatment consisted of cleansing with a fine mist solution of solvents and water to remove the dust and dirt. They were then placed on looms so the damage could be examined, and eventually they were fitted with new linings to support and prevent future deterioration. 

Detail of 'Defenders of the Eucharist'

They are for sure some of the finest tapestries ever created, and it’s so edifying seeing so many people admire them, as throngs of tourists line up to behold something that is so unique and truly artistically magnificent. There were two other large tapestries that were supposed to be hung above the main altar, to complete the rectangular enclosure around the entire church, but these were not hung this time

Tapestry showing Grand Master Perellos

The Tapestries – part 2

The Palm Sunday entrance into Jerusalem

Continuing my overview of the Perellos tapestries, it’s interesting to note that back then (1700s), many people were illiterate, and so any visual image would be the best way of conveying a message. Similar to what was done in many churches with the altarpiece (ventaltar in Maltese), people who could not understand Latin and could not read, they would look at the images depicted and reflect and meditate on them. The main theme of these tapestries is the Eucharist and the triumph of good over evil. The Triumph of the Eucharist was a particularly powerful theme at the time of the counter-Reformation.

The Last Supper tapestry

There are also episodes from the Life of Christ with special emphasis on the Nativity and Holy Week. The large tapestries measure approximately 6.5 meters in width (around 7 yards,) while 14 narrow ones depict the apostles, besides Jesus and the Virgin Mary. The predominant material used to craft them was silk, and most of the work done to restore them involved replacing some missing strands of thread, and cleaning the entire tapestry from dust accumulated over the years. (More tomorrow)

  
The vertical tapestries representing the apostles, including the coat of arms of Grand Master Perellos

The Tapestries – part 1

The Tapestry of the Resurrection at St. John's Co-Cathedral

Over the next 3 days I will share with you some of the most treasured artefacts we have in Malta, precisely the Tapestries created between 1699 and 1701, done on the order of the Grand Master Ramon Perellos. It was customary in those days that the ruler of the island of Malta would donate a special gift to the Order of St John, and he chose to donate these magnificent set of 29 tapestries to be hung in the conventual church built in the 1570s. 

The Tapestry of the Raising of the Cross

The designs were based on cartoons by Peter Paul Rubens and were considered to be one of the most costly forms of art, which indicated status and wealth, often commissioned by nobles and rulers. The main weaver who did most of the work was Judocus de Vos from Brussels. They were recently restored in the De Witt Laboratories also in Belgium, and it took them from 2006 until 2022 to finish restoring the whole set. More information tomorrow.

An overall view of the interior of the Cathedral

Sumatra Sanctuary

A modern and unique sanctuary was built on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia by an Indian Jesuit priest, Fr James Bharataputra. He has been working in Medan, the capital of Sumata for 50 years. When he arrived there, he found that the people had no education – so he built a school and children and adults were educated. In the year 2000 he decided to build a new church, which was built between 2000 and 2005, dedicated to Our Lady of Good Health, known as Velangkanni, the place where the Blessed Mother appeared twice. 

The generosity of the people helped build this church with  Indo-Mughal style, a design which makes the church appear as a temple, a mosque and as a church at the same time. The various quotations on the walls are written in 4 languages: Indonesian, English, Tamil and Chinese. The basement is often used as a community center, the middle part is used as a church, and the top part is used as an artistic and spiritual place for contemplation. The church attracts people of all faiths and cultures.

Make sure you come back tomorrow as I will share with you over the next few days some of the magnificent tapestries recently restored and displayed at St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta, which I just visited earlier today.

Pain passes – Beauty remains

The French artist Henri Matisse died in 1954 at the age of 86. Towards the end of his life he suffered a lot from arthritis, and he was in great pain to even pick up a brush to paint. When he was asked why he continued to paint when he was in such pain, he said ‘Pain passes, but Beauty remains.’ This was the same remark that the Blessed Mother told Bernardette Soubirous when she appeared to her: ‘My daughter,  you will have to suffer in this world, but I promise you an eternal reward in Heaven.’ This was evident also in the life of Jesus. He suffered much in his three years of public ministry, ending up being killed. But He won the ultimate victory, rising from the dead, the ultimate glory for Him and for us.

Thank you Mothers

A young college student was honored at Graduation, not only for being the best in class as valedictorian, but for excelling over and beyond his classmates. He was asked to receive a special medal from the College President just after the certificates were handed out to the hundreds of other graduates. After the President had placed the medal around his neck, the young man approached the audience, and specifically he approached a woman sitting by herself, in simple clothes. He took off the medal from around his neck and placed it around this woman’s neck, hugging her in the process.  The woman was his mother, who had become a widow when the student was still a baby, but sacrificed everything she had to raise him up and give him a good education. The entire audience erupted in a huge and prolonged applause. Like her there are many other parents who sacrifice everything they have to see their children progress academically and follow a good career, often as a professional, a doctor, a lawyer, an artist, attaining a doctorate, or even as a priest. Henry Ward Beecher once wrote ‘The Mother’s heart is the child’s classroom.’ It is true that the heart of any mother forms every child in the truth, and irrespective of how many classes he or she attends in primary, secondary or University classes, the basis of every human being is grounded at home, right in the mother’s heart. We owe it to them for giving us all that we ever needed in life. As Abraham Lincoln said once ‘All that I am, and all I like to be, I owe it to my angel mother.’ Thank you to our beloved mothers. We pray for those who have left us, and pray for those alive that they will continue to be great partners to their husbands and excellent role models to their children.

Our Lady of Fatima

Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta

Along with Lourdes and Guadalupe, Fatima is the most visited country as far as religious pilgrimages are concerned. And as if to further accentuate its importance in history, May 13, 1917 was replicated in 1981 for a moment of importance, although in a negative way. On that day Pope John Paul II was shot inside the Vatican Square and almost died. But he recovered enough to make a pilgrimage a year later on May 13, 1982, to thank the Blessed Mother for her intervention in saving his life.
But very much like Lourdes and Guadalupe, the quietness of these small little villages was turned upside down when the Blessed Mother appeared to 3 young children, Francisco and his sister Jacinta Marto, and Lucia dos Santos. Nobody would believe them at first, and were almost imprisoned for fabricating lies. But eventually, religious leaders, priests and bishops in Fatima, Portugal investigated the whole story and found it to be true, with the Vatican officially proclaiming that the apparitions were believable. Francisco and Jacinta died shortly afterwards and were canonized a few years ago, but Lucia became a nun and lived into the third millennium in a monastery in Portugal, being visited by 2 Popes. A huge basilica was built on the spot where the Blessed Mother appeared to the children, encouraging them to pray the Rosary, and pray for the conversion of souls. She even gave the children some well-kept secrets, which were only shown to the reigning Popes, but we know now that they spoke about the conversion of Russia and other tragic events that took place over the years, and other historic events which were predicted, like the end of World War I. Thousands of pilgrims visit Fatima every year, and the devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Rosary spread far and wide.

Our Home....no more

The entrance to our home, decorated for Christmas

I share with you today some nostalgic photos of our home in St. Julian’s, where we all grew up since 1956, when our parents bought it. Actually it was rented and when my sister died a year ago, we lost our home too. It has many memories for us as we were growing up, playing church, being fed with plenty of great meals, Christmas cakes, Easter figolli, having a black and white TV since 1958, having a telephone, and seeing neighbors coming to call for doctors in emergencies. 

One of my fondest memories is playing soccer with a white ball of yarn in our parents’ bedroom. It was perfect set up because we had two doors which we used as goal posts. That poor ball of yarn turned grey after a few months, which bewildered my mother. However taking off a few layers of dusty yarn, it turned white again. My dad used to build a very pastoral presepio for Christmas, the entire town of Bethlehem. We never went to sleep without saying the Rosary, complete with the Litany in Latin, which my father knew by heart. 

It was sad parting from our home, and even seeing it being changed, as I heard through the grapevine into a hostel for youth. My mother especially took great pride in decorating it with curtains and nice furnishings, while my father painted the entire house every few years. Most importantly it was a home founded on love and respect for each other.

A photo in my room, probably around 1989.

Books

Keepers of Wisdom from the beginning of mankind.....

Works of Art made by gentle hands of monks.....

Burned alive in bonfire: martyrs of freedom.....

Information and Knowledge at the tips of your fingers....

Silent company that talk aloud only in your thoughts....

Best of friends that never betray you, but require only respect....

A Library...an abode of books....

A Joy to behold where one can taste all the ingredients of life in a few pages.....

Books....an element which no modern invention can ever destroy!

St Damien of Molokai

St Damien, (1840-1889) early and late in his life.

We honor today a saint who suffered much for his people, dying for them, with them, and like them. He was born in Tremelo, Belgium on January 3, 1840, and joined the friars of the Sacred Heart in 1860. His birth name was Joseph but changed it to Damien when he entered the monastery. In 1864 he was sent to Honolulu, in Hawaii where he became a priest and spent 9 years serving in the big island of Hawaii. People there got sick very often, through diseases brought in from Japan and China. Thousands died of syphilis, influenza and other illnesses. In 1873, Damien decided to go to the island of Molokai where a colony of lepers lived in isolation. Still he loved the people, especially the children with leprosy. By 1885 he contracted leprosy himself, but continued with the work of building schools, clinics, churches and over 600 coffins. Towards the end of his life an American sister came to help him, St Marianne Cope, who never got the disease but she was also canonized recently. St Damien died on April 1, 1889 at the age of 49. He was beatified in 1995 by Pope John Paul II, and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009, in the presence of the King and Queen of Belgium as well as the Prime Minister. St Damien was originally buried in Molokai, but in 1936, half of his remains were transported to Belgium.

St George Preca

Today happens to be the liturgical feast of Saint George Preca, the first Saint from Malta who has been canonized back in 2007 on June 3rd. We are all proud of his presence in our lives and even more special is the fact that many people who are still in their 60s and over remember him alive. St George was born on February 12, 1880, and he founded in the early years of the 20th century the Society of Christian Doctrine, a society of lay catechists. In Malta, he is affectionately known as "Dun Ġorġ" and is popularly referred to as the "Second Apostle of Malta", after St Paul, who brought the Christian faith to the shores of Malta when he was shipwrecked in 60 AD. Preca first came to the attention of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints which examined the scientifically unexplainable healing of Charles Zammit Endrich in 1964. Zammit Endrich had suffered from a detached retina of the left eye. The healing was declared as miraculous and was attributed to the intercession of Dun Gorg Preca after Zammit Endrich prayed to him and placed one of the priest's belongings under his pillow. The healing took place outside of a hospital, overseen by the personal doctor of Zammit Endrich, the ophthalmologist Censu Tabone, who was later to be appointed President of Malta. On 24 June 1975, Archbishop Michael Gonzi issued a decree initiating the process of Preca's canonization. He was declared "venerable" on 28 June 1999, and on January 27, 2000, Pope John Paul II signed the decree which officially confirmed the Zammit Endrich healing. In a ceremony in Floriana, Malta on 9 May 2001, Dun Gorg was beatified by the same Pope along with two other Maltese blesseds, Nazju Falzon, a cleric, and Adeodata Pisani, a nun. He became a saint on June 3, 2007, a day with heavy rain.

The canonization of St George at the Vatican, June 3, 2007.

In its early years, the Society of Christian Doctrine was silenced for a while, but its identity was recognized as Dun Gorg continued to teach students and form young unmarried men (and eventually women) so that they will eventually teach others. Today, almost every parish in Malta has a group of dedicated young men teaching catechism to the children, in preparation for their First Holy Communion, Confirmation and beyond. The Society of Christian Doctrine is commonly referred to by the acronym "MUSEUM", which stands for the Latin "Magister Utinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus!", translating to "Master, that the whole world would follow the Gospel!” St. George died on July 26, 1962, and thousands attended his funeral. His body was recently exhumed and re-buried in the headquarters of the MUSEUM society. The work he started continues on, even in foreign countries like London, Kenya, Peru, Poland, Albania, Cuba, and Australia.

The Union Jack

Immersing myself into royalty trivia this past week, I came across an interesting analysis of how the Union Jack came to be. For all those living in Europe, everyone knows that the Union Jack refers to the British flag, although most Americans may not be aware of this nickname. This flag brings together Ireland, Scotland, and England and is used officially in the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. However, besides uniting countries under one ruler, it also shows how some pretty impressive saints were central to these countries centuries ago. The flag today is a slightly more elaborate design than the first Union Flag in 1606, which had been ordered by King James VI — the Scottish king who inherited the English and Irish thrones in 1603, becoming King James I of those lands.  The first Union Flag brought together England and Scotland. Central to the design was the red cross of St. George, England’s patron saint, which was superimposed onto the Saltire of St. Andrew — Scotland’s patron saint, represented by a blue flag with the white X-shaped cross. This flag was used on ships to show the unity and force of the two countries and two powerful saints. St. George, according to legend, was the 3rd-century saint who boldly slayed a dragon — saving a king’s daughter and many more — but nevertheless was martyred for his faith not long after. The red cross was used by the Knights Templar centuries later, and is therefore symbolic of this warrior saint. St. Andrew, along with his brother and fellow fisherman, Simon Peter, became a disciple of Jesus. Andrew was baptized by John the Baptist, and was known as Jesus’ first disciple. The white cross of Scotland’s flag echoes the more unusual crucifixion of Andrew, who died on an X-shaped cross. 

A couple of centuries later, the Union Jack of today was designed when Great Britain and Ireland were unified in 1801. This new flag incorporated the red Saltire of St. Patrick — Ireland’s much-loved patron saint, who helped bring Christianity to Ireland and is therefore boldly represented with the bright red X-shaped cross. So when the crowds are busy waving or hoisting their Union Jacks, they won’t just be celebrating a historic moment in regal history, they’ll also be highlighting three very important saints in the history of the Church.