Interwoven with the events of every town and village, one always finds people contributing more than others. These people stand out and are evoked with respect. Among these people, in the history of the recent past, one must mention Victor Delicata, the third superior general of the Society of Christian Doctrine, popularly known as MUSEUM.

Delicata on the day of his First Holy Communion.

The son of John Delicata, a cloth merchant, and Maria née Vella, Victor was born in Senglea on May 27, 1927, into a large family of 18 children. Besides those who died in infancy, others who got married and raised a family, and a sister who stayed at home to look after her brothers, his siblings included a Jesuit priest, three members of the Congregation of Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, and two members of the Society of Christian Doctrine.

He received his first education at De La Salle College, Cottonera, and like all boys his age, he started attending the Senglea MUSEUM centre, inaugurated in November 1916 at St Ursola Street. The thorough Christian upbringing that he received ingrained in him a spiritual love towards the MUSEUM Society from an early age.

As a youngster, he spent Saturday mornings and summer holidays in his father’s shop, in St John’s Street, Valletta, just in front of the Franciscan church of St Mary of Jesus (Ta’ Ġieżu). With the outbreak of World War II, the Delicata family left Senglea and settled, as evacuees, in Mosta. Since the Mosta MUSEUM centre was not yet opened, Delicata attended the Birkirkara centre.

In June 1945, he was incorporated as a member of the Society of Christian Doctrine. On April 17, 1952, superior general Eugenio Borg nominated Delicata, then aged 25, superior for the Balzan centre. Borg himself performed the appointment ceremony on April 22.

As a young member of the Society, full of strength and enthusiasm, his dynamism immediately started being felt as he worked to renovate and modernise the MUSEUM centre in Three Churches Street, Balzan. The floors, which were still just limestone slabs, started being covered with tiles in September 1952. In May 1954, the centre’s old roofs were also replaced. Much of this work was done voluntarily by the members of the centre themselves.

In 1958, Delicata undertook a major project of building a new chapel for the centre, followed by the construction of a third floor between 1967 and 1971. These large projects were realised thanks to the generosity of the Balzan people and of the members themselves, led by Delicata himself. Only God knows the amount of money he forked out of his pocket!

Nonetheless, more than structural work, Delicata invested in the members. He strengthened them with his enthusiasm and supported them with radiant words. With his firm and beautiful voice, he kept everyone focused during his lessons. The practical examples he presented, taken from everyday life, were typical of a man who was tutored by the Society’s founder Dun Ġorġ Preca.

As a superior, Delicata embodied the dedicated catechist. On the spiritual level, he constantly stressed on the benefit of daily mass and communion, and on the regular visits to the Blessed Sacrament. His day always started with mass at St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta, which he himself served and animated with hymns.

For him, a beneficial opportunity was never to be missed. Many can testify to the extent of his support in times of sorrow and to the amount of assistance he offered to families facing difficulties and distress. Since, for him, every person was important, he gave valuable advice and comforted many broken hearts. He firmly believed that a person may not love God, not because he is bad in himself, but, as Dun Ġorġ Preca used to say, because he does not have the teaching of the Word. He dedicated his time, health, money and his heart for this holy purpose. Learning was very dear to him, and he enjoyed conveying spiritual messages through short stories.

He enjoyed conveying spiritual messages through short stories

After mass, he would proceed to the Firm J. Delicata & Sons, in St Paul’s Street, Valletta, of which he became director after his father retired from work. This was also a place whence he did a lot of good. He knew how to adjust himself to everyone’s level, and understood how to address everyone in the appropriate manner and language. He was respected and loved even by the deliverymen who used to pick up and transfer materials from the port to his shop.

He did not interpret the vocation of a catechist in its narrow sense. He made it a point to meet the parents of all the children who attended the MUSEUM centre as much as he got to know the children personally. Another innovative idea, later encouraged and adopted in all the Society’s centres, was the introduction of formation meetings for parents.

Delicata also introduced a monthly meeting for young people who did not attend the Balzan MUSEUM centre. These meetings were attended by youths of different ages and from various localities. He insisted on having a priest present for these meetings. Many youths kept this monthly appointment to make a confession.

During Delicata’s term of office as superior, a significant number of vocations for priestly or religious life emerged from the Balzan area. Among these it is worth mentioning Mgr Joseph Angelo Grech (1948-2010) who, on April 27, 2001, was installed Bishop of Sandhurst, Australia. Vocations for membership within the Society of Christian Doctrine also abounded.

Like a missionary, Delicata was also a pioneer in the use of means of transport. Using a blue-grey Opel saloon, he travelled around the outskirts of the village to pick up children for catechism lessons, taking them back home afterwards. Later, he invested in a bigger Volkswagen van to be able to carry more children. Even this idea was taken up by other areas.

A ceremony for new MUSEUM members at the Blata l-Bajda motherhouse in June 1987 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Dun Ġorġ Preca’s death. Delicata is seen in the centre, with Mgr Lawrence Gatt, the Society’s ecclesiastical assistant, to his right

In 1979, Francis Saliba, superior general of the MUSEUM, chose Delicata to be his assistant. After Saliba’s death in June 1983, Delicata was elected on July 17 as the new superior general. He was the last to be elected ad vitam (for life) according to the old rule of the Society.

Until the 1980s, the Society, apart from Malta and Gozo, was only present in Australia. Delicata’s universal vision led him to realise Dun Ġorġ’s desire to convey the ‘Voice of the Beloved’ to the world – as per the Society’s motto – MUSEUM – Magister Utinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus (Divine Teacher may the whole world follow the Gospel).

In fact, thanks to Delicata’s courage and sense of initiative, the Society rooted itself in El Obeid and Khartoum, Sudan, in 1983; in Brixton, England in 1988; in Ruiru and Mpeketoni, Kenya, in 1989; in Korce, Albania, in 1993, and in Lurin, Peru, in 2003.

Delicata visiting the MUSEUM centre in Brixton, UK.

Delicata during a visit to a MUSEUM centre in Sudan.

During his term, new MUSEUM centres were also opened both in Malta and in Gozo: in San Ġwann, where Delicata remained active until his death, and in Mellieħa, Burmarrad, the Birkirkara oratory, St Andrew’s and Mġarr.

Delicata was very close to Dun Ġorġ Preca. The two dates most dear to him were May 9, 2001, when he welcomed Pope John Paul II at the MUSEUM’s motherhouse in Blata l-Bajda, shortly after the same pope had beatified Dun Ġorġ during a mass at the Granaries, Floriana, and June 3, 2007, when Blessed George Preca was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.

Delicata presenting the offerings to Pope Benedict XVI, during the canonisation Mass of Blessed George Preca, at the Vatican on June 3, 2007.

Even before he retired from the post of superior general in April 2009, signs of his advanced age had become evident. His memory started to fail him and his legs were getting heavy. The man who loved discipline, inspired altruism and who did everything “to make Jesus known and loved”, died on December 2, 2012, and was buried at the Addolorata Cemetery. His name is engraved on the walls of the chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and still talked about in the corridors of the motherhouse.

He was a humble person, a charismatic man, an authentic catechist, firm in his words as well as in his principles, and an orator with a lively word on his lips who always kept the crowd enthralled with his wit.

MUSEUM Superior Victor Delicata (1927-2012)

Delicata carried peace with him to spread it in schools and homes, on the streets and in workplaces. I am convinced that, 10 years ago, at the gates of Heaven, he was welcomed by Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, who he profoundly venerated, by St George Preca, who so enthused and motivated him, and by the Senglea-born Servant of God Eugenio Borg, the first superior general of the Society. These three led him to the throne of the Beloved to enrol him with the chosen ones.

Delicata formed his life on the Great Book. Unfortunately, such people are becoming rare. Like other dedicated members of the Society of Christian Doctrine, he was truly a benefactor for the Society. The Maltese nation should feel indebted to such noble citizens. With their silent and dedicated work, they were the first who, besides handing to us the message of the Son of God, shaped our characters. May the Lord bless this Society and enrich it with more vocations.