Fr John Caruana, Sarandi-Parana, Brazil writes:

Some time ago, I had the satisfaction to invite Oliver Friggieri, a close friend of mine, to write a message to my readers in a book that one can come across on the internet. The book is entitled The Maltese Missionary Experience and has the subtitle Go and Teach all Nations. 

I’ll try to give a short account of Oliver’s thoughts on the Maltese Church. 

After discussing the strong relationship between history and faith in Malta; affirming the importance of the clergy in our islands; stating that religion in Malta predates the arrival of St Paul; that faith and culture flourished together as the complex essence of one simple community; and affirming that two of Malta’s national heroes, Mikiel Xerri, and Carmelo Psaila, were both priests; he passes on to discuss the importance of the priest in Malta.

I quote: “The importance of the Maltese clergy in the international field can be immediately explained and understood. Numerous diocesan priests, friars and nuns have long decided that they could give their share to the spread of the Gospel even outside the restricted territory of the island. Their contribution to the universal Church is old, uninterrupted, wide and consistent. These people have literally invaded the Church worldwide, which came to prove that Malta was strong enough to insert itself in numerous countries. The main motive behind such a massive presence of Maltese missionaries is, of course, religious. But it cannot be ignored that they all tended to somehow retain their Maltese identity wherever they settled. If such an interpretation is correct, then it follows that the historical relationship of the Maltese Church with the Maltese reality itself was never ignored or bypassed.

“As the influence of Vatican II started to be felt at all levels within the Church, numerous lay persons, both male and female, became aware  that, given the new approach of the Church as well as their own nature in the field of evangelisation, they themselves could now give their share. Their presence within such a movement further shows that the sense of the universal Church was always felt within the local one.”

The book

“Such a book on such an accomplishment was long overdue. The author, himself a missionary who has spent so many years in Brazil, has compiled such an exhaustive account not simply out of an obvious deep sense of respect towards his colleagues, but also with the aim of further putting the Catholic Church of Malta in its proper universal perspective. His research into the matter is a work of love, indeed an expression of his desire to see such people duly recognised and appreciated for what they have done on such a wide scale as both Catholic and Maltese. Again, this dual character of such a compendium cannot be ignored or underestimated. 

“ As one goes through this detailed account, equally impressive and fascinating in terms of words and photos, one cannot fail to feel a profound sense of appreciation and gratitude towards so many religious members of the Maltese people. They have given so much to so many for such a long time. Such a phenomenon demands to be known by more people in Malta and eventually, by the Catholic Church at large. The book is providing another example of how such a tiny nation has been, and hopefully goes on being, a document of Christian conviction as well as a commitment towards the construction of a better world”