Former drug addicts who passed through Caritas programmes led by the late Mgr Victor Grech have spoken of the profound effect he had on their lives.
Dun Victor, as he was widely known, pioneered the fight against drug abuse and devoted his life to counselling and charitable work. He died this week aged 95 and was buried on Saturday following a state-organised funeral.
Times of Malta spoke to various former drug addicts who crossed paths with Grech. All were effusive in their affection for the late priest.
Miguel Mifsud, who now regularly runs long distances in aid of Caritas, first entered rehab 25 years ago when he was 19. Now celebrating six years sober, he says Dun Victor had a special aura around him.
“He had a big and sincere smile that immediately made you feel welcome,” Mifsud says. “He brought out the best in people through love. He had a knack for being able to relate to people on their level.”
Mifsud says the most important lesson he learned from Dun Victor was that relapse does not happen in the moment one returns to the habit they had previously kicked.
“You can’t stay clean unless you distance yourself from the people, places and things that started you off in the first place,” he says.
“I’m now reaping the fruits of Dun Victor’s work while also giving something back too. Society benefits from welcoming back recovered addicts.”
Another former drug user, Andrew Pisani, now works for Caritas as the head of Dar Charles Miceli, a halfway house where recovered addicts can learn to reintegrate into society.
“Whether you were a client or a staff member, he treated you in the same way. He had an excellent memory so he would know everything about you,” Pisani said, adding that a visit to the home by the priest was considered a special occasion.
Pisani also described a mindfulness exercise that Grech used to recommend.
“He’d tell us to spend five minutes every evening reflecting on that day – what went well, what went less well, whether there was someone we should apologise to, and so on.
“But the thing he used to say that will stick with me is, ‘Don’t let yourself be a prisoner of your past.’”
Justin Meli, another former Caritas client who entered rehab when he was 20, said Dun Victor had a kind of magical aura around him.
“Even with just his softly spoken words, he would draw you in and make you feel like you were being embraced.
“From being in a dark place, he made me realise there was good in the world,” he said.