1956 - 2016 1
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CONTENTS Visit Of Assistant Superior General Preserving the Collective Memory of the SDC Diamond Jubilee Joseph Abela Eugenio Borg
An Authentic Catholic Witness The Gift Of Members In The Monastic Tradition To Sow The Seed Archbishop Guilford Young
And His Links With The Society Of Christian Doctrine Cover - Sheaf of Australian foliage prepared for the 60th celebrations The MUSEUM is issued biannually for friends and associates of the Society of Christian Doctrine in Australia. M.U.S.E.U.M. represents the first letter of a prayer in Latin, Magister Untinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus translating Divine teacher, may the whole world follow the Gospel.
the MUSEUM
A Magazine of the Society of Christian Doctrine, founded by Saint George Preca No 20 | October 2016 Editor: Peter L Judge Contact: Society of Christian Doctrine - Preca Community Preca Centre - Forteviot 500 Sandy Bay Road Lower Sandy Bay 7005 ph 61 3 6225 1646 e-mail sdcpreca@optusnet.com.au This magazine is also available online at: www.precacommunity.org Design: Veritas Press, Ĺťabbar, Malta
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MUSEU Dinner with Fr Mark Hans MSC recently transferred to Hobart. Fr Mark worked closely with the Preca Community in Adelaide.
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Meeting with university students in Hobart.
VISIT OF ASSISTANT SUPERIOR GENERAL
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uring July, Roberto Zammit, Assistant Superior General together with Ivan Farrugia visited Australia participating in the 60th celebrations and journeying to each state.
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Meeting at St George Preca Primary School, Caroline Springs - John Micallef, Delegate in Australia, Justin Hilton, Deputy Principal, Grace Garreffa, Principal, Roberto, and Ivan.
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Ivan is tempted by the lure of the Tim Tam.
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Visiting Assistant Superior General, Roberto Zammit and John Micallef cutting the anniversary cake.
Symbols representing the Preca Community displayed for the weekend.
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John Micallef and Gaetan Callus. Gaetan is the oldest incorporated Member who has joined in Australia. Incorporated in Melbourne 28.12.1963 together with Joseph Cauchi from Sydney.
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Roberto Zammit addresses the assembly.
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Australian Delegate, John Micallef presents Fr Noel Connolly with the anniversary port.
Fr Noel Connolly, John Micallef prior to Mass .
MU Diamond Jubilee
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he Members of the Society of Christian Doctrine - Preca Community gathered at Holy Cross Retreat Centre, Templestowe over the weekend of 15-17 July to celebrate our diamond jubilee. This recognises the 60th year of foundation of the SDC in Australia.
The weekend began with symbols of our life in the SDC reminding us of our mission.
The Incorporation Vest, is a reminder of our life-long commitment to live as Members and of our apostolic goal. The ‘Watch’, our contemplative journal of prayer that links the spiritual dimension of our existence to the presence of God. The Badge of the SDC; our reminder of God present in the world. Cross of Resignation, reminding us that life has its challenges and should be accepted with joy. Rule of Life. We thank God for the gift of our vocation and through the Rule, we find direction in it. An image of St George Preca, whose vision and passion for evangelisation brought us to this place today. We also bring native foliage reminding us of our Australian dimension.
INPUT BY FR NOEL CONNOLLY SSC Fr Noel Connolly a Columban missionary, is Head of and Lecturer in Mission and Culture at The Broken Bay Institute and also lectures in mission at the Catholic Institute of Sydney. Besides mission, his major interest is in our growing multicultural Australian Church. Fr Noel led conferences during the weekend providing challenging and thought-provoking experiences. He spoke about our Multicultural Church which struck many chords with us. The leadership of Pope Francis and the Missionary Vision of Pope Francis and related documents were also covered in the seminars.
BLESSING During the concluding Mass, the Delegate, John Micallef, formed a cross with holy oil on the palms of each Member. This was a moment of personal and communal renewal, uniting us with the Members visiting from Malta.
ANNIVERSARY MASS
The Anniversary Mass for the 60th was held during this weekend where friends of the SDC were invited to join us. The Mass was presided by Fr Noel supported by the choir from Queen of Peace church, Altona Meadows. A dinner followed with Franco Zardo acting as Master of Ceremonies.
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Choir from Queen of Peace, Altona Meadows add to the occasion.
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Fr Noel Connolly makes a point during his conferences.
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Preserving the Collective Memory
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omen Members participating in a procession at Paola, Malta marking the 50th anniversary of the SDC in 1957. At that time women Members wore black and the Maltese faldetta. On special occasions, as clearly visible in the photo, they also wore a white and yellow pendant indicating the link of the SDC with the Church.
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1960s picture of Maurice Mifsud, Charles Caruana, Joseph Abela in Hobart. Source: The Standard, Hobart.
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JOSEPH ABELA
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n this diamond jubilee year of the establishment of the SDC in Australia, a tribute to Joseph Abela is appropriate.
Joseph Abela was born in Zabbar, Malta in 1931 and emigrated to Australia in 1952 with his family, where he began the Society of Christian Doctrine. He remained as Delegate of the Superior General for seventeen years. In 1960, he was ordained a priest at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne after studying at Corpus Christi Seminary in Werribee, Victoria. After leaving the priesthood he proceeded to Louvain, Belgium where he obtained his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Louvain University. Joseph was a contemporary of George Preca. While Delegate of the Superior General he worked tirelessly to see the Society grow. One of his projects was the dairy farm at Dixon’s Creek, Victoria near Yarra Glen which was opened in 1966. The farm consisted of 169 acres and was staffed by Internal Members of the SDC. Eventually the vision was for the SDC to establish dwellings that would provide conference and retreat facilities. The community at Dixon’s Creek established contact with the Cistercian monks at Tarrawarra who helped considerably in the day-to-day running of the dairy farm. The farm created much interest and during the time it was established, from 1966 - 1975, eight Members joined the community. Joseph initiated the establishment of the SDC in New South Wales, Tasmania, and Victoria. In 1962 only less than ten years after establishment, there were seven houses in Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne, and Sydney. There were 54 Members and over 35 Candidates. (Bulletin 28 October 1962). Under Joseph’s leadership at the AGM held in 1962 at Boy’s Town Sydney, there were 120 participants, Candidates and a smattering of young men. At this AGM it was determined that the abbreviation for the Society should be SDC and the word MUSEUM is to be avoided. 1 He was keen that the SDC should always be presented well and made connections with Church prelates for this to occur. He insisted that at each AGM of the SDC held at the end of each year, we meet with the local Bishop. It soon became a regular occurrence programmed into the AGM. Joe Abela worked tirelessly to bring the Maltese language and culture forward in Australia. He established the teaching of the Maltese language at secondary level. In 1981 he managed to elevate the teaching of the Maltese to tertiary level at Philip Institute in Melbourne as a subject for attaining Bachelor of Arts degree in multi-culturalism. Joseph was a writer of the Maltese language dedicating much of his writing to the poetry genre. In 1988 Joe Abela was honoured by a citation from the Maltese Government for his work in promoting the Maltese language and culture in Australia. Joseph died on the 15 March 1991. (Endnotes) 1 In the early years of the Society, the first Members agreed on ‘MUSEUM’ as the name for their Society. Fr Preca changed this name into the Latin prayer M.U.S.E.U.M., Magister Utinam Sequator Evangelium Universus Mundus - “Divine teacher, may the whole world follow the Gospel!” The term, MUSEUM is widely used in Malta and travelled with those who immigrated to other countries. It has become an anomaly for us, especially in English speaking countries where the SDC is present.
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Eugenio Borg An Authentic Catholic Witness
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n this 130th anniversary of the birth of Eugenio Borg a further insight is given here on the first Superior General of the Society of Christian Doctrine.
Eugenio lived his entire life (1886-1967) in the pre-Vatican II atmosphere in Malta, but happily he became a truly Catholic witness in the spirit of the Council (1962-65). One may see him in fact as a living example of what John Henry Newman (1801-91), had prophetically written about the laity in the 1850’s: “I want a laity …. who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold, and what they do not, who know their creed so well, that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it. I want an intelligent, wellinstructed laity...”. Eugenio’s faith formation and practice during his first eighteen years were to say the least superficial and even shallow to the point of not knowing elementary doctrine and devotions. On the positive side, he had a good family upbringing and good schooling, which was not widespread in colonial Malta in those late years of the 19th century, and though jovial and sportive he was naturally inclined to piety. Like many in those days, he was a chain smoker, always with a supply of hand-rolled cigarettes in his pocket.
Then, at the turn of the 20th century, Eugenio had a providential and unexpected encounter which changed him radically. Born in Senglea in 1886, his family moved to Ħamrun when he was about eight years. In hindsight, one can conclude that this move may also be seen as providential for it was here that he came in contact with George Preca, a close neighbour, at that time still a young teenager. George was born in February 1880, so six years his senior. George was to be God’s messenger to transform Eugenio into a dynamic apostle. Sometime during 1904/05, Eugenio was with his usual group of lads smoking and enjoying each other’s company in a field near the Ħamrun parish church when a tall young man in priestly cassock approached them. He was deacon George Preca – ordained a priest in December 1906. This young priest befriended them and eventually started explaining the Passion of Jesus to those carefree youths. Preca’s convincing words made a deep impression on them, and especially on Eugenio. So, regularly, after working hours, they continued to meet for games and also for Preca’s spiritual reflections. Sometimes Eugenio also narrated to the group tales from Arabian Nights which he must have been reading. After some weeks, Fr Preca asked Eugenio to accompany him the next Sunday afternoon for a walk in the nearby countryside. He told him to take a snack with him and a Bible! In preparation for that Sunday encounter, Eugenio bought his first Bible, in English of course, since none existed then in Maltese. 13
Those Sunday afternoon reflection outings were to prove decisive. Fr Preca and Eugenio spent more than an hour in Bible study and prayer, especially on St John’s Gospel. Fr Preca was very persuasive in his manner. He was slowly tempering the mind and heart of Eugenio to make of him a seasoned lay apostle. God was nurturing in him the first seeds which had yet to grow and blossom. Later on, Eugenio was rightly to claim that those meetings were the beginning of the Society of Christian Doctrine of which he was to become a zealous promoter. In 1911 Fr Preca himself appointed Eugenio as the first Superior General of his sprouting Society, later confirmed by an election in 1926. Eugenio offered that determination and initiative necessary for the running and expansion of the new Society, and the spirituality required for the spreading of the Word of God in Malta and Gozo. He was tall and had a very slow stately walk. His humility and meekness endeared him to everybody, children and adults alike. Once he had decided to follow Fr Preca’s ideals, Eugenio immediately and decisively quit smoking and embraced all the ideals that Fr Preca presented to the SDC members, including celibacy. From then onwards, under the leadership of the founder Fr Preca, and motivated by Eugenio’s dynamism and drive, the Society opened Centres in almost every town and village in Malta, where religious and catechetical formation could be given to adults and children alike. Eugenio, a man of prayer and zeal for the apostolate, excelled also as an admirable model of a Catholic worker at the naval Dockyard ‘till his retirement. In spite of the turbulent political situation, he was esteemed by all, including his English inspectors, and he was referred to as “the saint”. In 1958, the Archbishop of Malta, Sir Michael Gonzi, with the Holy See’s approval, presented Eugenio with the title Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice in recognition of his apostolate and Catholic witness. Eugenio died on 12 March 1967, five years after the sad loss of his closest mentor St George Preca in 1962. Through a life dedicated to holiness and evangelisation, Eugenio Borg exemplified what the Second Vatican Council had just promulgated on the active role of the laity within the Church. Blessing of the site of the SDC Generalate at Blata l-Bajda. Blessed by George Preca on 15 August 1954. Eugenio who was appointed as Superior General in 1911 was instrumental in the building of the Generalate. The stairs in the middle are the base of a cross that was on site, originally a cemetery.
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The Gift Of Members
In The Monastic Tradition
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n a circular to all Members in Australia, dated 27 April 1966, the leader of the SDC in Australia, Joseph Abela announced that a community of Internal Members was formed and they would be running a dairy farm at Dixon’s Creek in the Yarra Glen district of Victoria. Much interest was created with Members and the Maltese community making visits to the farm during its tenure.
The Members at Dixon’s Creek worked hard. Their knowledge of dairy farming was supplemented by the monks at the nearby Cistercian Monastery of Tarrawarra where the Members attended Mass each day. The Internal Members at Dixon’s Creek were the first such community of live-in lay Members with a common purpose in Australia. Other attempts were ignited in Hobart and Sydney but these did not eventuate. The farm closed in 1975 due to the fiscal situation of the dairy industry in the Yarra Glen district of Victoria at the time. The SDC does cater for shared living in various locations but the concept of Internal Members likens the residents to a monastic community. Joseph Abela’s idea of forming a community also had an additional purpose in mind. His wish was for Members to spend up to 18 months with the Internal Members in a novitiate type of process with guided formation, then become external Members when ready for mission.
Fr Joseph Abela blesses infrastructure at Dixon’s Creek.
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Paola Community of women Members.
The concept of “Internal Members” was not in the Founder’s mind in the first years of the SDC. In the first draft of the Constitutions (c. 1912), George Preca did not record anything about this section, i.e. Members in a live-in community. But by 1916, Fr Preca started to write about the Internal Members in Chapter Twelve of the Constitutions. This document is of great importance to the SDC because it shows the Founder’s desire to have a live-in community. Even though at that time, Fr Preca’s project was not realised, yet the idea of a live-in community was his wish. Internal Members were to earn their living “by the work of their hands”. Any kind of useful work was permitted. Fr Preca proposes some trades such as carpentry, wine-pressing, printing and bookbinding among others. He insisted that work had to finish half an hour before catechism teaching in the centres (in Malta). In time, two communities were established - one at Zebbuġ for men Members and another at Paola for women Members.
Żebbug Community
Fr Preca’s wish for a live-in community in 1917, did became a reality, when a number of Members decided to embrace this community. It began in Żebbuġ and was inaugurated on the 10 February 1918.There were five Members, all from Żebbuġ. The majority worked in the fields. But, in a short time, as Members increased, some of the Internal Members started to work as book-binders, gilders and printers. In October 1927, they moved into a larger premises in Żebbuġ. A printing press was established, still operating known as Veritas Press. The first Superior General, Eugenio Borg, spent his last years as an Internal Member with the Żebbuġ community. During the war years, 1943-45, Fr George Preca also lived with them in Żebbuġ. The community closed in the 1990s when no Members volunteered to join.
Paola Community
An internal community of women Members was established in Paola in 1918. Paola is the birthplace of the women Members founded in 1910. The Members have a chapel of Adoration which in 2016 celebrates sixty years of worship. Groups come to the chapel to spend time in adoration. The Members until recently made Eucharistic bread for parishes and church communities.
Present Situation
Today, the notion of Internal Members is still very much on the SDC’s agenda. Written into the Rule of the SDC is an express wish for us to have communities of Internal Members. (2013 Rule, C.180). There is also a statement from the General Chapter document of 2014 stating that: ‘The Society encourages Members who are called to community and contemplative life to form an internal community in accordance with the Rule. This community should be a prophetic witness to the same Society and contemporary culture.’ (5.3 - An Oasis that Quenches Thirst - General Chapter 2014). 16
TO SOW THE SEED OF GOD'S WORD
The joy of working for others – Daniel, Anthony, and Gaetan on duty at the 60th weekend.
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During May three school principals of primary schools in Victoria Australia, visited Malta and the SDC. The principals are Ms Grace Gareffa, St George Preca Primary School, Caroline Springs, Ms Margaret MacKay, Christ the Priest Primary School Caroline Springs, and Mr Jim Sheedy, St Mary’s Primary School, Williamstown. During their visit they visited St Michael School and the SDC Centre at Paola. The Principals attended evening Mass at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and afterwards met the Superior General, Natalino Camilleri at the SDC General House. Principal, Raymond D’Amato, Ruben Pace, Secretary General with Margaret, Grace, and Jim at St Michael school, Malta.
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Blessing of statue of Mary by Fr Brian Nichols overlooking the River Derwent, Hobart on the Feast of St George Preca.
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An image of St George Preca, originally painted by Paul Newton has been placed in the church of Queen of Peace, Altona Meadows. The Preca Community has been present in the Parish of Laverton since 1993. George is certainly in good company, surrounded by images of Mary MacKillop as a young lady, and as a Sister of St Joseph. The image was installed prior to St George Preca feast, 9 May.
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Over the weekend of 8-10 July, families together with the Members of Preca Community in Adelaide organised a family weekend at Shiloh Hills Christian Retreat in the Adelaide hills. The weekend was an enriching experience of friendship, prayer, faith sharing, and joy.
In this our 60th year, we remember our pioneer Members, Vincent Xerri and John Micallef travelling to Adelaide by train for an AGM.
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Archbishop Sir Guilford Young in Malta with SDC leaders, Paul Cutajar, Gerard Micallef, and Francis Saliba.
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ARCHBISHOP GUILFORD YOUNG
AND HIS LINKS WITH THE SOCIETY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
This year, 2016, is the centenary of the birth of Archbishop Sir Guilford Young 1916-1988.
VISIT TO SDC GENERALATE Archbishop Young, champion of lay initiatives, remained a mentor and avid supporter of the SDC in Hobart visited the SDC Generalate in Malta in October 1962. This occurred during a recess in Vatican Council II. There he met the first Superior General, Eugenio Borg, and prayed at the tomb of the Founder, now St George Preca. He addressed the Members who had gathered at the Mdina Diocesan Seminary. During his address he said: “Always remember you have been commissioned not only to impart knowledge, but to nourish the life of faith of the children you teach. This brings with it a heavy responsibility of living closer to God.�
HOBART RECONNAISSANCE Archbishop Guilford Young, when visiting Melbourne often stayed at the Sacred Heart presbytery in Carlton. There he met Fr Joseph Abela, who was the leader of the SDC at the time. Maurice Mifsud also visited Fr Abela at the presbytery. This led to an invitation from the Archbishop to begin a foundation in Hobart. In September 1961, Fr Joseph Abela accompanied by four SDC Members, including Maurice, came to Hobart to look into the possibility of beginning a mission of the SDC in Tasmania. The Archbishop had requested a copy of the SDC Constitutions and wanted to discuss the matter further before his decision was made. Guilford with Members at Sandy Bay.
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THE VOW OF FORGIVENESS Maurice recalled that they met Archbishop Young over two consecutive days. They went for a drive with him around Hobart where he showed them aspects of the Hobart Church. Whilst taking a keen interest in the mission and work of the SDC, his questions were direct, particularly with regard to the spiritual life of the Members. Whilst driving along Strickland Avenue which is named after Sir Gerald Strickland, former Prime Minister of Malta, and once Governor of Tasmania; the Vow of Forgiveness which Members make was referred to. On hearing this, the Archbishop was convinced that the SDC should make a home in Tasmania and said: “Please come to Tasmania. If Members sincerely live this way of life, they are welcome here.” Following this visit our Centre in Tasmania was founded on 11 November, 1961. Archbishop Young offered a church residence at 500 Sandy Bay Road, the property was acquired and in time a community was formed.
LIVING WORD INSTITUTE In 1969, the Archbishop requested that the house be made available for courses that would acquaint the laity and religious to current Church teachings and scripture following Vatican II. Thus the ‘Living Word Institute’ was formed and based there. It was coordinated by the Tasmania-founded, Sisters of Service. This proved to be an enriching time for the Church in Hobart. The Members too attended the courses.
ANNIVERSARY During a Mass in 1986 to celebrate 25 years in Hobart, the Archbishop said that the work of the Members was impossible to measure in a quantitative kind of way for they came quietly, asked for nothing and sustained his hope through their example in bringing others closer to Christ.
Recent replacement of slate roof at Preca Centre - Forteviot. 22
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