Festival of lights

Among the many towns and villages that lit up, one of the most colorful is Naxxar, where I spend most of my time, serving at Hilltop Gardens and another nursing home, besides the parish. A big Christmas festival was held on this last weekend before Christmas, where music, singing, exhibitions and so much more were displayed. Not to mention of course food – Maltese love their food, especially Christmas delicacies, from mince pies to honey rings, and most families cook a turkey on Christmas. Smaller families go for a chicken. These are just a few scenes from some well-lit and colorful towns in Malta, Valletta, and Naxxar.

A Valletta Nativity

I hope you do not mind sharing another beautiful Nativity, this time with the backdrop of the capital city Valletta throughout history. It shows Castille Palace, one of the majestic palaces built by the Knights of Malta, Our Lady of Victory Church, the first ever built, and the first Maltese saint, George Preca, who now features in most nativities, because he encouraged children to build their own nativity, besides starting the Christmas Eve procession, a tradition that is still held in all parishes. 

The whole display (click to enlarge each photo)

One can see also various Maltese characters and the nativity displayed in a dilapidated house, the ruins resulted from the World War II bombings. Another destroyed building is the Malta Opera house, that was just recently restored but without a permanent roof.

Castille Palace and Our Lady of Victory Church

St George Preca with children, including the midnight sermon preacher.

The Maltese ‘Vatican’ Nativity

The Nativity at night (click to enlarge)

Two years ago, a Maltese artist was asked to create a nativity display in the Vatican square, which was displayed for an entire month, during the Christmas season. It features many Maltese characteristics, like a fishing boat, a sleeping farmer, the first Maltese saint, Fr George Preca with a few children, a typical Maltese balcony, a girna (a farmer’s hut), fishing and farming tools, besides the nativity characters. 

There are 17 life-size statues, all made from fiber-glass to protect them from inclement weather. The artist is Manwel Grech, originally from Gozo, our sister island, and it took over a week to set the whole nativity which was created over 10 months. Last year it was displayed in Bethlehem, Jesus’ birthplace, and this year it is displayed in the capital city, Valletta. The life-size figures are quite realistic, and I share with you these 5 photos to picture this precious nativity. 

Incredible lights displays

In my years in the USA, I’ve seen plenty of houses decorated as beautifully as they can be. But some families go over and beyond stringing a box of lights, and they turn their house into a masterpiece, part spectacle, part musical showpiece. Click on this link to see one such house, and enjoy the mesmerizing display. It’s the tune of Wizards in Winter by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, created 7 years ago, but still, one of the best ever produced. The second one is just as spectacular.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJrY3p9nzVY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h25F8BYdb54      

Oregon Christmas decorations

A house in Baker City, Oregon, nicely lit-up for everyone to see.

Sharing with you some scenes from my years in Oregon, with snow-covered streets, plenty of lights around houses, inflated characters, lit-up nativities and even billboards on highways encouraging people to Keep Christ in Christmas.

Christmas Flowers

Baby Jesus surrounded by poinsettias

Three Christmas Flowers are very popular at this time of the year, and this is a little information on each of them:
The Poinsettia - (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a culturally and commercially important plant species of the diverse family that is indigenous to Mexico and Central America. It is particularly well known for its red and green foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays. It derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister to Mexico, who introduced the plant into the United States in 1825.

The Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera)

The Christmas Cactus - (Schlumbergera) is a small genus of cacti with six species found in the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil. Plants grow on trees or rocks in habitats which are generally shady with high humidity and can be quite different in appearance from their desert-dwelling cousins. In Brazil, the genus is referred to as Flor de Maio (May flower), reflecting the period in which they flower in the Southern Hemisphere. This genus contains the popular houseplants known by a variety of names including Christmas Cactus, Thanksgiving Cactus, Crab Cactus, and Holiday Cactus. In Europe, these plants are largely produced for sale in the period before Christmas, and are called: Weihnachtskaktus in German, Cactus de Noël in French, and Cacto de Navidad in Spanish.

The Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum)

Star of Bethlehem - (Ornithogalum) is a genus of perennial plants mostly native to southern Europe and southern Africa belonging to the family Asparagaceae. There are some species native to other areas such as the Caucasus. Growing from a bulb, species have linear basal leaves and a slender stalk, up to 30 cm or more tall, bearing clusters of typically white star-shaped flowers, often striped with green. The common name of the genus, Star-of-Bethlehem, is based on its star-shaped flowers, after the Star of Bethlehem that appeared in the Biblical account of the birth of Jesus.

The Story of Silent Night

Franz Gruber, composer, Fr Joseph Mohr, lyricist of Silent Night

The story goes that one of the most popular Christmas carols was written in an emergency situation. In the town of Oberndorf, Austria, a mouse had been chewing on the leather of the bellows that makes the organ work. And so coming to the Christmas midnight Mass, the priest Fr Joseph Mohr, and the organist Franz Gruber, discovered that they could not use the organ at all. So quickly, they sat down and Mohr wrote the words of a carol that became popular all over the world “Stille Nacht – Silent Night.” Gruber wrote the melody, which he then played on his guitar. It was Christmas of 1818, 200 years ago.  

St Nicholas church, in Oberndorf, Austria.

Another story says that Mohr wrote the words in 1816, and then two years later Gruber set the words to the immortal music he composed. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. The official manuscript of the music was published in 1833. The song has been recorded by a large number of singers from every music genre, as well s instrumentalists and choirs. The version sung by Bing Crosby is the third best-selling single of all time.

Christmas Carols

What Child Is This 

This melody is the beautiful Greensleeves. It dates from an Elizabethan time, possibly even earlier. The song was first registered in 1850 to Richard Jones with lyrics that were neither religious nor respectable. Shakespeare mentions it by name in "The Merry Wives of Windsor" in which is it played while traitors are hanged. In 1865 William Chatterton Dix (English) wrote "The Manger Throne", three verses of which became "What Child Is This."
We Three Kings of Orient Are 
Frequently thought to be much older than it is, the words and music for this American carol were written in 1857 by John Henry Hopkins as part of a Christmas pageant for the General Theological Seminary in New York City.
Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night) 
This carol was written by Adolphe Charles Adam (1803-1856), the French composer best known for his ballet "Giselle." At the time, it was frowned upon by church authorities who denounced it for lack of musical taste and "total absence of the spirit of religion." The French text is by Cappeau de Roquemaure; the English by American clergyman John Sullivan Dwight (1812-1893).

Please enlarge, and find as many Carols as you possibly can.

God Rest You Merry Gentlemen 

When Scrooge, in Dickens’s "A Christmas Carol", heard this cheerful carol, he grabbed a ruler and the singer fled in terror. It is traditional English going back to the 16th or 17th century. The usual harmonization, like that of "The First Noel" is from Sir John Stainer (1840-1941).
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear 
The words for this American Carol are based on a poem written by Unitarian minister Dr. Edmund Sears in 1849. The following year, inspired by the poem, Richard Storrs Willis, a composer as well as editor and critic for the New York Tribune, wrote a melody called "Carol" to which the words were adapted.
The First Noel 
Sometimes given the English spelling, Nowell, it first appeared in print in England in a collection of William Sandys (1833). The words and music are traditional. Most think it is from the 16th or 17th century France; others claim it never had any French origins and is very English.

Tomorrow we'll discover the story behind Silent Night, written 200 years ago in 1818.

Handbell Recital

Back in 2012, I organized a Handbell recital by Phyllis Tincher at the Baker City Cathedral. It was a spectacular display by one single person playing all kinds of Christmas carols and melodies with a collection of handbells, displayed on a table in front of her. It is often that we see handbell choirs playing, with 10 to 15 performers playing a single bell at a specific time, all coordinated to create a haunting sound that is truly heavenly. But to see and hear just one person performing was truly mesmerizing.

I had heard Phyllis play in two other smaller churches, and was determined to finish my 8-year tenure at the Cathedral, by inviting her over to perform. The nice crowd that attended truly enjoyed the performance. To see and hear her perform one of the carols, entitled CarolFest, watch this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O-qAj4Cdkk

Phyllis Tincher setting up the bells before her recital.

A Friendly Christmas Tree

                                       *

                                                                        This
                                                                       Xmas,
                                                                      I would
                                                                    like to put
                                                                up a tree in my 
                                                             heart, and instead
                                                           of hanging presents,
                                                         I would like to put the
                                                        names of all my friends.
                                                    Close friends and not so close
                                                 friends. The old friends, the new 
                                              friends. Those that I see every day
                                         and the ones that I rarely see. The ones
                                       that I always remember and the ones that
                                    I sometimes forget. The ones that are always
                                there and the ones that seldom are. The friends of
                               difficult times and the ones of happy times. Friends 
                         who, without meaning to, I have hurt, or without meaning
                     to, have hurt me. Those that I know well and those I only know
                   by name. Those that owe me little and those that I owe so much. 
               My humble friends and my important friends. The names of all those
              that have passed through my life no matter how fleetingly. A tree with 
                                                  very deep roots and very long
                                                    and strong branches so that
                                                     their names may never be
                                                     plucked from my heart. So
                                                       that new names from all 
                               over may join the existing ones. A tree with a very
                                pleasant shade so that our friendship may take a
                                moment of rest from the battles of life. "May the
                                  happy moments of Christmas brighten every
                                    day of 2019". These are my sincere wishes.

Centennial Christmas Tree

Adding the last minute touches to the Cathedral Centennial Tree.

10 years ago, the Baker City Cathedral, where I was the pastor for 8 years, celebrated 100 years since its construction. An annual event held during the Christmas Season is the Festival of Trees where various groups decorate trees with a specific theme and then auction them off. So I decided 10 years ago to create a tree with the Centennial theme, basically a collection of photos from the past 100 years, besides other appropriate ornaments. 

So, to celebrate 110 years, here are 3 photos from that historic event. I also created a little presepio to go along with the tree. When the auction was over, whoever won that tree gave it back to me, and I kept decorating it in the parish Rectory every year after 2008.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

The original painting at the Mexico City Cathedral.

All Mexicans rejoice today as they celebrate the feast close to their heart, the apparition of Our Lady to St. Juan Diego in 1531. The image of Mary was imprinted miraculously on Juan’s tilma (coat) and remains in the Cathedral at Mexico City admired, and respected by millions of Mexicans and Catholics everywhere. In 1977, the tilma was examined using infrared photography and digital enhancement techniques. Unlike any painting, the tilma shows no sketching or any sign of outline drawn to permit an artist to produce a painting. Further, the very method used to create the image is still unknown. The image is inexplicable in its longevity and method of production. It can be seen today in a large cathedral built to house up to ten thousand worshipers. It is, by far, the most popular religious pilgrimage site in the Western Hemisphere.

More from Christmas past

A few more flashbacks from my Christmas in past parishes in New York. The first one shows a marquee sign that I took care of for 6 years in Rocky Point, changing the message to keep it simple, yet appealing. It was the busy parish of St Anthony of Padua, with lots of children and youth, very much involved in so many activities going on there. This is the message I placed there on one Christmas, probably in 1994 or 1995. The most popular message that brought many people to stop and think, and hopefully act on it was: 'Love your enemies, and you'll drive them nuts!'

The second photo shows the Holy Family with baby Jesus in the foreground and the crucified Christ in the background, out of focus, as if to celebrate the beginning of Jesus and the predict the end of Jesus, dying for us on the cross. The Holy Family was part of the Neapolitan nativity display, set up around a huge Christmas tree.

The third photo was taken in New York City, in my early years there, when I started studying the flute on my own. It shows a statue of flutist serenading passers-by and enticing them to stop in and shop, at an age when shopping was popular, but not as crazy as it is today. The Christmas tree in the background, made from poinsettias adds a festive and seasonal touch.

A PowerPoint presentation on CHRISTMAS IN MALTA will be presented by Father Julian on Thursday, December 13 at Hilltop Gardens, (The Courtyard) at 10:30 AM and repeated at 7 PM.

A pre-Christmas Prayer

Dear God, deliver me from the phony Christmas; the one that reaches out its materialistic tentacles to capture me and rob me of the real thing.  Deliver me from the mania and madness of hurried schedules, from frantic shopping... the acquiring of goods for people who don't need them, don't want them, won't wear them and can't use them. Save me from the folly of mood changes brought on by holly, mistletoe, wreaths, tinsel and blinking lights. For once, O God, clear my ears of the ringing of coins in my pockets, cash registers and the clanging of bells and in their place let me hear the Angel's song.  For once let me fill my soul with the reading of the Christ-child, the wise men, the angels, and the star, instead of feeding my body on fruitcakes and cakes and mince pies (even though I really love them).  O Lord, don't let me fall prey again to all the trappings of the season to the point that I miss the real event.  Lord, deliver me from over-fondness of food, from overeating and drinking too much, from the yearning to party. Deliver me o God from the urge to spend with those plastic cards, the temptation to spend hundreds of euros in online spending, and then feel frustrated and shocked when the final bill arrives. Remind me Lord to dedicate at least one-tenth of the time I spend on my mobile and cellphone – in prayer and thanksgiving for all that You give me. And Lord, in the giving and exchanging of myriads of gifts, let me not forget to give a worthy gift to Him whose birthday it really is. Amen.

Christmas at home

My parents with our home Nativity

Recalling today another milestone from Christmas past - the beautiful decorations my parents used to set up at our home in St. Julian's. It consisted of a blue canopy, which my mother had sewn, and the display of baby Jesus surrounded by two angels and a bed of gulbiena, vetch planted a few weeks earlier. This was a family tradition that my parents always looked forward to, and took exceptional pride in displaying for everyone to see. 

The town of Bethlehem my father used to create since we were children until the 1990s.

When we were younger, my father used to create an elaborate nativity, the entire town of Bethlehem with figures spread around the neighborhood. I happen to have an old slide of that creation, which I share with you today, with nostalgic memories.

Immaculate Conception

Esteban Murillo "Immaculate Conception'

The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a treasured feast among Catholics. Incidentally, it is the patronal feast of the United States, and her image is one of the most popular paintings done by Esteban Bartolome Murillo, a Spanish artist who painted no less than 12 different versions of the Immaculate Conception. The reason he painted so many was because of a controversy between the Franciscans and Dominicans. The Franciscans claimed that Mary was conceived without the stain of sin, while the Dominicans claimed that Mary was born with original sin, and during St. Anne's pregnancy, her fetus was purified, and eventually sanctified inside her womb. Pope Alexander VII in 1661 declared that the Franciscans were correct. 

The restored statue of the Cospicua parish

But the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was not proclaimed until 1854 by Pope Pius IX. 4 years later Mary appeared to a young country girl Bernadette Soubirous, and proclaimed to her 'I am the Immaculate Conception.' Two parishes in Malta are dedicated to her, including the one in Cospicua, with a beautiful statue which was restored this year.

Remembering my brother Paul who died 8 years ago today.

9 Don’ts after eating

Many of the things we do after eating actually affect our health in a negative way. So here are a few things you should not do after you eat. Number 5 really disappointed me as I love fruit after a meal. But here we go:
1. Don’t smoke. One cigarette after eating is worth 10 of them, increasing 10 fold the risk of cancer.
2. Don’t sleep right away. You will feel very uncomfortable, and upsets your rhythm of sleep.
3. Don’t drink tea or coffee. Wait one hour before tea or coffee.
4. Don’t shower. Because blood is circulating through your entire body, not just your stomach. Wait at least 30 minutes before showering.
5. Don’t eat fruit. Because fruit needs more time to be fully digested, and so you’ll end up with heartburn.
6. Don’t drink cold water. Because food will not be allowed to be fully digested, leading to constipation.
7. Don’t walk until half an hour after finishing eating. Otherwise you’ll experience indigestion and acid reflux.
8. Don’t go to the gym. Don’t exert yourself with physical exercises.
9. Don’t brush your teeth just after eating. Wait 30 minutes.

Saint Nicholas

St. Nicholas was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man, and became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors.
Perhaps the best-known story about Nicholas concerns his charity toward a poor man who was unable to provide dowries for his three daughters of marriageable age. Rather than see them forced into prostitution, Nicholas secretly tossed a bag of gold through the poor man’s window on three separate occasions, thus enabling the daughters to be married. Over the centuries, this particular legend evolved into the custom of gift-giving on the saint’s feast. And so in the English-speaking countries, St. Nicholas became, by a twist of the tongue, Santa Claus.
Under the ruthless Emperor Diocletian, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, the same Council that devised the Nicene Creed we recite during Sunday Mass. He died December 6, 343 in Myra and was buried in his Cathedral church.
In the spring of 1087, sailors from Bari, afraid of the Muslim invasion, succeeded in spiriting away the relics from that Cathedral, bringing them to Bari, a seaport on the southeast coast of Italy. An impressive church was built over St. Nicholas' crypt and many faithful journeyed to honor the saint who had rescued children, prisoners, sailors, famine victims, and many others through his compassion, generosity, and the countless miracles. To this day pilgrims and tourists visit Bari's great Basilica di San Nicola. Both the Eastern and Western Churches honor him, and it is claimed that, after the Blessed Virgin, he is the saint most pictured by Christian artists.

Origami Christmas Tree

Over the next few weeks, I will be going back in time to visit various nativities and decorations I did in past parishes as well as some interesting and unusual festive details which I hope you will find interesting. This first one takes me back to 1984 when I did an origami nativity for the parish office in my first US parish of Holy Spirit in New Hyde Park. Besides the main characters which you can see, I also added some colorful boxes, a deer, a polygon star, and did a Christmas tree with cranes, the Japanese symbol of peace.

A detail of the Japan Airlines Christmas tree.

And speaking of Japan, here is a photo I took of the Japan Airlines tree on Fifth Avenue in New York City, which was quite an attraction, with different items made from origami, done by Japanese children. Origami is the art of making objects just by folding paper, no glue, no staples, no tape allowed.

Inspirational thoughts

Marriages may be made in heaven, but a lot of the details have to be worked out here on Earth.
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. (Winston Churchill)
A Winner is big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.
Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.
Our words reveal our thoughts; manners mirror our self-esteem; our actions reflect our character; our habits predict the future.
God never consults your past to determine your future.
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not: Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Many things will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart….pursue those.
Success is not measured by what a person accomplishes, but by the opposition they have encountered, and the courage with which they have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.
Friendship is the only cement that will hold the world together.
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

St. Francis Xavier

'Miracles of St Francis Xavier' by Peter Paul Rubens

Francis was born in the family castle of Xavier, near Pamplona in the Basque area of Spanish Navarre on April 7, 1506. He was sent to the University of Paris in 1525, secured his licentiate in 1528.  There he met Ignatius Loyola and became one of the seven who in 1534, at Montmartre, founded the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. In 1536 he left Paris to join Ignatius in Venice, from where they all intended to go as missionaries to Palestine (a trip which never materialized.)

He was ordained a priest there in 1537, went to Rome in 1538, and in 1540, when the Pope formally recognized the Society, Francis was ordered, with Fr. Simon Rodriguez, to the Far East as the first Jesuit missionaries. King John III kept Fr. Simon in Lisbon, but Francis, after a year's voyage, six months of which were spent at Mozambique where he preached and gave aid to the sick. Eventually, he arrived in Goa, India in 1542 with Fr. Paul of Camerino an Italian, and Francis Mansihas, a Portuguese. There he began preaching to the natives and attempted to reform his fellow Europeans, living among the natives and adopting their customs on his travels. During the next decade, he converted tens of thousands to Christianity.

He visited a large part of India, New Guinea, and the Philippines as well as Japan. In 1551, India and the East were set up as a separate province and Ignatius made Francis its first provincial. In 1552 he set out for China, landed on the island of Sancian within sight of his goal, but died before he reached the mainland. Working against great difficulties, language problems, inadequate funds, and lack of cooperation, often actual resistance from European officials, he left the mark of his missionary zeal and energy on areas which clung to Christianity for centuries. He was canonized in 1622 and proclaimed patron of all foreign missions by Pope Pius X.

Happy New Year !

We start today a new liturgical year. A tradition that has spread world-wide is the blessing and lighting of 4 candles during the celebration of Mass. The custom of the Advent candles goes back to the Scandinavian countries who have very long winters, with very little sunshine. So farmers bring in their farm carts, and some of them started to decorate them with bows and greens, and eventually candles. The church took the idea and developed the Advent Wreath with 4 candles with a particular theme for each Sunday: Watch, Stay Awake, on the first Sunday, Prepare the way of the Lord next week, Rejoice on the third Sunday, using the rose-colored vestments, and Behold for the Sunday before Christmas. Some churches even add a white one for Christmas and the theme Celebrate.
This year, let’s make it a point to really try hard to MAKE ROOM FOR JESUS in our hearts. To make room for Him, we have to get rid of all the stuff that’s been taking his place. This requires a little bit of an inventory of our hearts and lives.
So may we look at enemies and see the possibility of friendship . . .
May we look at fevered buying and see hope for simple generosity . . . . .
May we look at family tensions and see opportunities for reconciliation . . . . .
May we look at pessimism towards the future and see positive optimism . . . .
May we look at stumbling blocks and see instead stepping stones . . . . .
May we look at alleys and valleys of darkness and see instead Highways and byways of bright possibilities . . .
May we look at tragedy and misfortune and see the hope of change, growth and a new beginning . . ..
May we look at discouragement and see a determined and courageous approach to a hopeful future . .
Happy New Year!

George Bush – a friend of Malta

President George Bush in Malta with Malta President Vincent Tabone

As we bid ‘so long’ to ex-President George H. W. Bush, known as Number 41, I recall the friendship he developed with the Maltese people when the Malta Summit took place 29 years ago, between December 2 and 3, 1989. Both George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev met in Malta just one month after the fall of the Berlin Wall and signaled the end of Communism.
The leaders discussed the multiple changes taking place across Eastern Europe, Mr. Gorbachev’s perestroika plans and the lifting of the Iron Curtain, which had bitterly separated eastern and western Europe for the four decades following World War II.
At the close of talks, Mr. Gorbachev had remarked during a memorable press conference at the Malta Mediterranean Conference Centre, “The world is leaving one epoch and entering another. We are at the beginning of a long road to a lasting, peaceful era. The threat of force, mistrust, psychological and ideological struggle should all be things of the past.”
Replying, Mr.Bush had remarked from his podium placed alongside that of Mr.Gorbachev, “We can realize a lasting peace and transform the East-West relationship to one of enduring cooperation. That is the future that Chairman Gorbachev and I began right here in Malta.”

Malta stamp issued for the occasion

Unfortunately, a severe storm battered the island during that weekend, and the actual meeting took place on a ship, berthed in Marsaxlokk harbor. Both leaders were afraid of leaving their respective ships. The Soviet delegation used the missile cruiser Slava while the US delegation had their sleeping quarters aboard USS Belknap. Stormy weather and choppy seas resulted in some meetings being canceled or rescheduled and gave rise to the moniker the "Seasick Summit" among international media. The meetings ultimately took place aboard Maksim Gorkiy, another Soviet ship. A lavish dinner was also canceled, which was later enjoyed by the US sailors. The choice of Malta as a venue was the subject of considerable pre-summit haggling between the two superpowers. According to Condoleeza Rice, an unknown diplomat at the time:
"... it took a long time to get it arranged, finding a place, a place that would not be ceremonial, a place where you didn't have to do a lot of other bilaterals. And fortunately - or unfortunately - they chose Malta, which turned out to be a really horrible place to be in December. Although the Maltese were wonderful, the weather was really bad."

Malta coin minted for the 25th anniversary of the Malta Summit.

The choice of venue was also highly symbolic. The Maltese islands are strategically located at the geographic center of the Mediterranean Sea, where east meets west and north meets south. Consequently, Malta has a long history of domination by foreign powers. It served as a British naval base during the 19th and early 20th centuries and suffered massive destruction during World War II. Neutrality is entrenched in the Constitution of Malta, which provides as follows, at section 1(3): "Malta is a neutral state actively pursuing peace, security and social progress among all nations by adhering to a policy of non-alignment and refusing to participate in any military alliance."
Incidentally, on February 2, 1945, as the War in Europe drew to a close, Malta was the venue for the Malta Conference, an equally significant meeting between US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill prior to their Yalta meeting with Joseph Stalin. The Malta Summit of 1989 signaled a reversal of many of the decisions taken at the 1945 Yalta Conference.
My condolence to the Bush family. George Bush's wife Barbara died 8 months ago.