Ursuline sisters mark centenary of Guardamangia house

Over 120 years ago, a group of young women started looking after children of desperate mothers who had no choice but to work in order to earn a living for their family.

The carers eventually became the first nuns within the Ursuline Sisters of Malta who, today, look after about 130 children of various ages.

"There's always a lot of work to do around here. We do need more nuns. I encourage any young women, who feel they may have a vocation, to come forward," Mother Superior Judith Busuttil says in a soft voice.

The order has about 96 nuns spread in nine houses, four of which are residential homes for children.

The term Ursuline crêche often conjures up an image of orphans or unwanted children left on the home's doorstep as babies. But, Sr Busuttil explains, most of the children are there because they come from families with social problems.

"The last time we found a baby outside our doorstep was about 12 years ago. He was a baby boy and has since been adopted," she recalls, adding that adoption cases were handled by the government's support agency, Appoġġ.

Nuns in the residential homes start their day at 5.30 a.m. and operate like any household with children, except for the bigger number of little ones running around.

Each day, babies have to be bottle-fed and have their nappies changed, toddlers entertained and older children sent to school, among so many other chores. Then, two nuns are on "night shift" to see to any needs of the children.

Apart from looking after the children in the homes, the nuns also help run the other houses, such as Loreto House in Guardamangia, which yesterday celebrated 100 years since its establishment. The house, situated near the Madonna of Loreto church, includes a catechism centre and a kindergarten.

To mark the anniversary, a statue of the founder of Malta's Ursuline Sisters, Mgr Isidore Formosa, was inaugurated in the nearby square. Mgr Formosa was born into a noble and wealthy family that initially resisted his religious calling. Despite this he became a priest and, in 1887, he founded the Ursuline Sisters of Malta.

The nuns can be contacted on 2133 8615/2133 1302.