André DeBattista remembers Anastasju Cuschieri, whose words remain as relevant today as they did years ago

On July 25, 1962, in his cell in the Carmelite Priory in Valletta, Fr Anastasju Cuschieri breathed his last. He requested that no monument should mark his place of burial. The trouble with such a request is that Cuschieri’s work became his legacy, and this legacy became a monument in itself to a life well lived.

It is challenging to sum up his life and work. He was a Carmelite friar, a poet, a philosopher, a lecturer, a renowned preacher, and a Senator in Malta’s short-lived Senate.

Paolo Cuschieri was born in Valletta on January 27, 1876. Upon joining the Carmelites in 1891, he was given the name Anastasio. He made his Solemn Profession within the same Order in 1892 and was ordained priest in 1898. He pursued his studies in Malta and Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

He was a contemporary of Eugenio Pacelli who was later elected Pope Pius XII – they were born just over a month apart. An anecdote from his student days says that, on one occasion, Cuschieri and Pacelli entered into a very lively philosophical discussion.

Another contemporary of Cuschieri was Titus Brandsma, who arrived in Rome as Cuschieri was completing his studies. Cuschieri was asked his opinion over whether Brandsma should be allowed to continue his philosophical studies. Eventually, Brandsma was to be elected Rector Magnificus of the first Catholic University in Nijmegen. He later paid with his life for his opposition to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1985.

Upon his return to Malta, Cuschieri held the Chair of Philosophy at the University of Malta. He never published a systematic work of philosophy. However, some talks on various themes, including intellectual work and human activity, truth and the relationship between the physical and metaphysical realities, were later published. The Archive of the Carmelite Province in Malta houses much of his writings, and his personal objects are at the Carmelite Priory in Valletta.

In his book on ‘Malta’s Philosophy and Philosophers’, Mark Montebello translates and reproduces an oration, authored and delivered by Cuschieri, which demonstrates his colloquial style and his technique as well as some of his ideas on ‘the Social Mission of Learning.’

Cuschieri writes: “The acquisition of knowledge is, of itself, always keen, goal-oriented and on the move... It would be absolutely improper to maintain that study and the acquisition of knowledge are some kind of fancies, upmarket ornaments, or things that exist for our own satisfaction. You must never forget that the value of knowledge is assessed by its usefulness, that is, by how much it is fruitful to society.”

One of the most fascinating, but under-explored public figures of the 20th century

He goes on to advise his students: “If thinking had to remain always thinking, and is not embodied in concrete deeds, then it will never become action... knowledge is useless if it does not light up its surroundings. Knowledge should always be life-giving and productive. It should combat any kind of suffering and misery. It should seek to improve, for evermore, human life in all its forms.”

His words remain as valid today as they were in 1910.

Like several other intellectuals of the period, he was attracted and attached to Malta’s Italian and Latin culture. This was reflected in his political work and his public life. Like many others, he also, naively, failed to make a distinction between cultural affiliation and politics (though both are often intertwined) and got a rude awakening when Mussolini bombarded Malta. His views were also widely and violently contested. Oreste Fernando Tencajoli, author of the book Poeti maltesi d’oggi recalls an episode where one man tried to attack Cuschieri for his political views.

Tencajoli’s book, which includes a selection of Cuschieri’s poems in Italian, also gives us a succinct description of the man. He is described as a “model priest, pious, austere and learned, of a reserved disposition, he is not only a philosopher and a valiant and profound orator, but also a versatile and lively poet”.

His poetry remains his calling card to this very day. He is primarily known for both his prolific writings in Maltese and his poems on various themes relating to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This is not surprising since his life was underpinned by his Carmelite religious vocation. He was very faithful to that injunction in the Rule of St Albert: “Each one of you is to stay in his own cell or nearby, pondering the Lord’s law day and night and keeping watch in prayer unless attending to some other lawful duty.”

His “other lawful duties” – his work as a poet, philosopher, orator and public servant – all drew inspiration from his religious faith. In their excellent introduction to his collected poems, Fr Charlò Camilleri and Toni Cortis, note that each of the aspects of Cuschieri’s life cannot be seen in isolation, but, instead, as one whole.

Collecting his poems was no easy task. Cuschieri often published his poems unsigned or under a pseudonym. These poems reveal a man who was both simple and profound. One gets a glimpse of his famed oratory and his great communicative skills. Like other famed communicators, his strength does not lie in how he delivered but, rather, in what he communicated.

One of his most famous poems, Ilsien Pajjiżi, was written during a tumultuous period when Malta was considering the proposal to integrate with the United Kingdom. As a patriot and a nationalist, Cuschieri could never accept this proposal. He feared that this would rob Malta of its cultural identity.

This poem is an ode to the Maltese language. Although not spoken by a great multitude, Cuschieri argues that there are untold treasures in its simplicity and smallness. It reminds him of his childhood days and Malta’s untold glories of the past. Cuschieri ends this poem by paying tribute to the Maltese flag, which symbolises and embodies Maltese roots.

Though such patriotism seems almost anachronistic, there are two strands of thought which remain relevant to this very day. The first is the human need for roots. Cuschieri identifies these roots in his faith and homeland. The second is the human need for knowledge and learning. Cuschieri lives these through his writings and his preaching.

Undoubtedly, Cuschieri was a complex character. However, these four main strands make him one of the most fascinating, but under-explored public figures of the 20th century; an authentic communicator who sought imaginative ways of communicating the things he held most dear in the most accessible of manners.

A Mass for the repose of his soul will be said tomorrow at 7pm at the crypt of the Carmelite Priory, Mdina. Mass will be followed by the blessing of a new tombstone.