In the run-up to World Mission Sunday, which is being celebrated today, Missio Malta assistant director Fr Victor Agius was invited by Martin Azzopardi, senior religion teacher at St Margaret College Secondary School Verdala, Cospicua, to share his missionary life experience with a group of Form 5 (Year 11) students at the school.

Fr Victor Agius served as a missionary in The Philippines for 30 years, besides also serving in China, Canada and Italy.

“Throughout my missionary life experience abroad I had the privilege to work not only with Christians but also with people from other faiths,” Fr Agius,  who is now 72, told the students at St Margaret College Secondary School Verdala, Cospicua, during a recent visit.

Prior to joining the priesthood he received Christian formation in the Society of Christian Doctrine (MUSEUM). Later, he felt a call to join the Seminary and become a priest and was very grateful to have Fr Victor Grech as his spiritual guide.

However, after entering the Seminary, he felt a bit disappointed as it did not fulfil his expectations. In fact, there was a time when he was reconsidering his vocation to the priesthood. “But after encountering Chiara Lubich, foundress of the Focolare Movement, I could clearly see that my call was the priesthood.”Two years after his ordination, Fr Victor was invited to serve as a missionary in The Philippines.

“While in The Philippines I remember a young man from the southern part of the country came to our house with a group of Muslim people to partake in our social project and that was a very beautiful experience for me. We prayed together with the Muslim group and we all felt we were all children of the same Father in heaven,” he recalled.

He said that although we may encounter people of different faiths, it is important for Christians to understand that everyone is in search of truth. “It is worth living together and sharing our experiences and beliefs. Diversity is not an obstacle but a blessing,” he stressed.

While serving in the Philippines, he and his companions went to live and work in an area where people were afraid of foreigners. “Though this was very challenging, it was a pleasure working with these people and their children. After two months we managed to win the heart and trust of these people. We just gave them full attention and listened to them with great love. Then we introduced them to the Word of God – the Bible.”

Years later, he met these children again after they had grown up and was delighted to learn that many had found a good job. “The joy of the missionary is to see others achieve good results,” he said.

The students listening to Fr Agius.

Asked whether there were also any dark moments in his missionary life, Fr Agius replied: “Yes of course, especially when you are serving in a country with a culture different from your native country. It was not easy to adapt to the hot climate and stuffy air of Manila and to get used to the daily traffic jams in the city’s main roads.

“Once I was so exhausted that someone heard me saying ‘I am fed up’, and this other person said to me: ‘Nobody obliged you to come here’. This was a great lesson for me and I understood that I was there of my own free will to serve these people and not to be served by them.”

In his concluding message, Fr Agius said: “Do your best to live for God and treat others as your brothers and sisters. Every little task in life can be a gift; it depends on how much love you carry in your heart.”

Treat others as your brothers and sisters- Missio Malta assistant director Fr Victor Agius

Reflecting on the encounter, senior religion teacher Martin Azzopardi commented: “Fr Agius’s witness was surely a unique experience for our students and an opportunity to reflect upon the missionary call of every Christian.”

This article was written by Form 5 students Anastasia Darmanin and Emily Cilia.