Twelve years after his death, Peter Serracino Inglott and his works will live on through a foundation bearing his name.
Inaugurated on Saturday, the Fondazzjoni Peter Serracino Inglott will preserve and propagate the reverend professor’s intellectual and cultural legacy, collect books, works and items that promote his legacy and encourage research in areas close to his interest.
The foundation will make its archive available to the public.
Its launch was held at the Robert Samut Hall in Floriana, after a Mass at Sarria Church led by Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna.
Architect Richard England, a lifelong friend of Seracino Inglott's, delivered the inaugural lecture.
He spoke of their various collaboration across a range of fields, from architecture to the arts, as well as about the esteem Fr Peter enjoyed in many countries and international organizations. Prof. England concluded on a personal note: how, at Fr Peter’s demise, he felt that part of him had also passed and that entire chapters of his life had been torn out.
Fr Peter was one of modern Malta’s most acute and creative minds. A lifelong researcher, he studied at Oxford, Paris and Milan and lectured in philosophy at the University of Malta for several decades.
He also served as rector of the university on two separate occasions, from 1987-88 and 1991-96. He taught at several universities abroad and received honours from several universities and states. He was chaplain to the Young Christian Workers movement in Malta for several years, a longstanding adviser to the Fenech Adami government and represented Malta at the Convention on the Future of Europe held in 2002 and 2003.
In 1962, he was ordained priest by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini, who would go on to be elected Pope Paul VI and canonised a saint.
In both his philosophical and socio-political activity, Fr Peter was particularly associated with developing the concept of the Common Heritage of humanity and the rights of future generations. In his work with youth and workers, he was keen to develop a meaningful Christian activism in favour of democracy, liberty, and social and environmental justice.
The Fondazzjoni Peter Serracino Inglott was founded by public deed on January 19 2024. Its founding Board of Administrators comprises Louis Galea, Petra Caruana Dingli, Ranier Fsadni and Mother Abbess Maria Adeodata Testaferrata de Noto OSB of St Peter’s Monastery. The official seat of the foundation is within St Peter’s Monastery, Mdina, where the archive, documents, writings and memorabilia of Peter Serracino Inglott have been gathered.
“The life and work of Fr Peter are witness to a man of firm conviction and values, faithful to them in his everyday life while seeking to keep them fresh and relevant,” the foundation said in a statement announcing its establishment.
Apart from conserving Fr Peter’s archive and making it available to researchers, the foundation will promote issues he held dear, including social and communitarian progress, environmental justice, human rights, conflict resolution, the development of a democratic environment, and culture, heritage and the arts.
The Foundation may be contacted at fondazzjonipsi@gmail.com.