There is a story that still has to be written about the Maltese and Gozitan priests in Brazil. The first spark came from Brazilian bishops who, during Vatican Council II, were in Rome for long periods of time and could easily think of dropping for a weekend in Malta.
The 1960s saw a number of priests and seminarians following the attraction which became a vocation to offer their priestly service in Brazil.
Fr John Caruana, who died earlier this month, was not one of the first ‘fruits’ of the mission to Brazil. But the thought of the missions grew with him in his first years of priesthood in Malta.
Fr Caruana’s contribution towards vocations, and to the Archbishop’s Seminary in particular, was considerable even if without too much noise. For some time he was in charge of fostering vocations to the priesthood. He made use of the premises next to St James church in Valletta. When the Archbishop’s Seminary moved from Floriana (where at present there is the Archbishop’s Curia) to Tal-Virtù, Rabat, Fr Caruana was assigned the office of bursar. He took the office, but the book-keeping required to handle the day-to-day financial burden of the Seminary Fr Caruana automatically relegated to the accountant.
The challenge that the Seminary had to face in migrating from the closure of the magnificent old retreat house of Floriana to the modern open country ex-Teachers Training College on the outskirts of Rabat required thought and consideration. At the same time it was a unique opportunity. Fr Caruana had the qualities that made of him a great asset for the Seminary. Being the young sociable priest well known in the St Julian’s area and having the natural flexibility which is a must in a changing situation, he provided a smart ready reckoner so that the best could be made of the rich plate that was being offered in Rabat.
Lent was approaching. The seminarians would be visiting all the parishes for what had become the traditional Lenten collection that was financially vital to keep the Seminary run smoothly. The catch for the collection was the people who attended the Lenten sermons. What if the collection were to switch to the Sunday Masses in all the churches? It was Fr Caruana who thought of switching the collection where the congregation was the largest possible. The old bursar would have hesitated, but Fr Caruana pressed on with his conviction. It was given a try and the Seminary Lenten collection tripled. He also had the knack for finding the right helpers to make out of the project a reality.
He also had the knack for finding the right helpers to make the project a reality
It was round about that time, in the early 80s, that Fr Caruana decided to take the plunge and start a new pastoral experience in Brazil. With the cheerful style of a born optimist he said: “I shall stop half way. If you think that there is need, I shall come back. But the call for Brazil is urgent.”