It is with a deep sense of Christian hope that we bid farewell to Mary Vella, who passed away on January 30.

I have had the good fortune and the honour to work very closely with Ms Vella at the Education Division when she was director of Curriculum Development and chairperson of the National Curriculum Council.

She was an inspirational leader on various counts, who led from the front and much beyond the call of duty.

In the years when clamour and publicity were among the principal implements of leadership, Ms Vella practised in everyday life the unique attribute of silence: silence in bowing to the voice of conscience, which is humility; silence in regard to others, which is charity; silence according to time, sense and circumstance, which is prudence; silence in going against her own will, which is penitence; and silence in carrying the cross of life to the very end, which is heroism.

This sui generis style of leadership was a source of admiration and respect for Mary Vella by all those who knew her.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.