An ode to the preachers of the Word

Xandara tal-Kelma

by Fr Paul Gatt, OP

Pubblikazzjonijiet Dumnikani

In times of great crisis and trouble for the Church, the Lord has remained constant in His promise that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it. Such times were the times St Dominic of Guzman lived in. 

Through the founding of the Order of Preachers, St Dominic gave the Church a new spiritual spring, a blossom that has endured for over eight centuries and continues to blossom to this very day.  The Order has been enriched by the holiness of its sons and daughters who exalted it through their lives of sanctity and total consecration.

Foremost among them are St Thomas Aquinas, St Catherine of Siena, St Rose of Lima and St Pius V − benefactor of Valletta and granter of the matrix parish of Our Lady of Fair Havens and St Dominic in Valletta.

In Malta, the Order has been present since the 15th century, firstly in Rabat and today in five communities across the island. Yet as we know, memory is not the strongest human faculty and, moreover, one cannot remember what one has never seen or experienced.

Now, Fr Paul Gatt, OP, former provincial and prior of the Dominican Valletta convent, has gifted all those interested in the Order or in Church history ‒ including members of the Dominican laity like me ‒ with the opportunity to learn about the Dominicans who lived and preached the Word from the official establishment of the province in 1838 up until 2024.

Xandara tal-Kelma, published by Pubblikazzjonijiet Dumnikani, includes biographical information, together with photographs, of 254 Dominican priests and cooperator brothers. These men are now given a renewed presence in the memory of those who read this work.

Gatt does not mystify or dramatise their lives − often simple and humble − but presents them faithfully as brothers who consecrated their lives to priesthood and preaching within the Dominican Order.

They proudly wore the black and white habit until their burial and their final journey to meet the Risen Lord whom they served throughout their lives.

Among these biographies, one finds those of some notable figures, such as Auxiliary Bishop Angelo Portelli, OP and Rev. Seraphim Zarb, OP, former provincial.

These two distinguished sons of St Dominic have given greatly to the Order, the Church and their country. Both were born in the city of Valletta − a city inseparable from the Dominican Order. This bond is evident throughout Valletta’s rich history, in which the strong presence of the Dominican matrix parish can be seen in every phase of its development.

Gatt does not mystify or dramatise their lives

I say this with some bias, as I am myself a son of this parish and city. Yet the historical record confirms this deep connection, reflected also in the remarkable number of Dominican brethren who have come from the Valletta Dominican parish over the centuries.

This city houses the first Dominican parish on the island, the first parish entrusted to a religious order in our country, and also the first basilica on the island adorned with special privileges granted to it by the pope. An attentive reader must also recognise how Valletta has given the Order a remarkable number of Dominican vocations.

Although the number of profiles is above 200, Gatt does not differentiate in importance between them. He gives equal consideration both to cooperator brothers about whom little information survives and to those who left a more visible imprint. This reflects the true Dominican spirit, where all brothers are equal and united in the shared charisma of proclaiming the Word of the Lord.

Such a publication is a rare piece of literature locally, mainly due to the immense amount of research required to compile the profiles and photographs of such a large number of priests and brothers.

This book will surely serve as a foundational research source for anyone interested in the lives of departed Dominicans. It must also be read within the proper context: these religious brothers consecrated their lives to the Lord through convent life and pastoral ministry. Therefore, even the simplest details preserved by Gatt are relevant and of importance.

This publication stands as a tribute to all the Dominican brothers who gave their lives − often unnoticed − but who are now restored to us with both name and image.

Credit is also due to the invaluable archival work of the Maltese Dominican Province, which for decades preserved the records that made this compilation possible.

In our country too, the Order has never faltered in proclaiming the Word and spreading devotion. It has also made its presence felt in our society through its publications and preaching − a true fulfilment of St Dominic’s mandate to those who choose to join his Order.

The lives mentioned in this book and the whole Order of Preachers can be summed up in the words of the angelic doctor St Thomas Aquinas: ‘Non nisi te, Domine.’

This book may be purchased from all the Dominican priories in Malta.

Gabriel Zarouk is a lay Dominican and law student at the University of Malta.