Fr Valerjan (Alfred) Mercieca died on August 1, in Peru after contracting COVID-19 in the course of his work as a missionary. Fr Val was a remarkable priest – a man of great courage who had a profound and much-needed vision for the Church.

As a Carmelite Friar, he served various missions in South America since 1962. He worked mostly in Bolivia, however, he had stints and assignments in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Peru. He also spent some time in Malawi.

Once in Malta, he was itching to go back to his flock – to the poorest of the poor and the most marginalised who taught him so much. He was granted this wish, and he died with the poor and like the poor.

His life and his example are a model for the Church. In his ministry, he was both prophetic and contemplative; a missionary, and a priest of great discernment. He realised that God never stops speaking, nor does he stop calling.

His work in favour of empowering those who were most marginalised raised the ire of governing authorities and, at one time, was also placed under surveillance.

To speak truth to power through one’s example is one way in which the Church can fulfil its prophetic mission.

He encouraged the participation of the laity in the life of the Church and believed that the dignity of every human being was a precious gift which needed to be nurtured and protected.

He realised that renewal was only possible if laypersons embark on a more profound journey of faith. Sometimes, the boat needed to be rocked.

It is only through this process that we can reach the point where, like the disciples, we can turn to God and echo the words of the Gospel – “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

Fr Val’s very active missionary life was nurtured by a great spirit of contemplation and discernment. As a Carmelite, he took the Blessed Virgin Mary as a model of contemplation.

Fr Val believed there was no greater ‘grace’ and ‘privilege’ than to spend Christmas among the marginalised and the poorest of the poor

She “pondered all things in her heart” though she was by no means passive. Her contemplation led to action. At the wedding at Cana, she realised that others were in need. At the foot of the Cross, she stood there, contemplating the full meaning of what her original ‘yes’ to God meant.

It was something Fr Val practised in his own journey of faith. As I go through our correspondence, I am struck by his Christmas greeting sent from the Amazon Basin in South-Eastern Peru.

The community he served had no priest for 13 years, and the nearest mission station was seven hours away through winding mountain roads. His only way of communication was through weak Wi-Fi on his phone.

Yet he acknowledged that this is where God wanted him to be – among the most vulnerable. Fr Val believed there was no greater ‘grace’ and ‘privilege’ than to spend Christmas among the marginalised and the poorest of the poor.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Fr Val could not have a public funeral.

Bishop Giovanni Cefai, the Territorial Prelate of Santiago Apóstol de Huancané in Peru, celebrated a Requiem Mass from his chapel.

In his homily, he touched upon two very prevalent aspects of Fr Val’s life – his devotion to St Therese of the Child Jesus and his missionary work.

St Therese of the Child Jesus – patron of the missionaries – spent all of her religious life as a cloistered nun.

In her autobiography, she recalls her journey of discernment. She realised that the foundation of all vocations should be love:

“I knew that one love drove the members of the Church to action, that if this love were extinguished, the apostles would have proclaimed the Gospel no longer, the martyrs would have shed their blood no more.

“I saw and realised that love sets off the bounds of all vocations, that love is everything, that this same love embraces every time and every place. In a word, that love is everlasting.”

This is, perhaps, the main element which motivated Fr Val throughout his religious life – his love of God and the desire to transmit this love to others.

Mgr Cefai dwelt on Pope Francis’s call to priests to “be shepherds with the smell of sheep”.

This was something which Fr Val practised throughout his many years of tireless work and service among the most vulnerable.

In being with his flock, however, Fr Val also transmitted something of that fragrance of Christ. He was a blessing for the Church, and he will be missed.

André DeBattista, independent researcher in politics