Fl-1877, Dun Bosco beda jippubblika “Il Bibliofilo Cattolico”. Wara sentejn , semmieh -
Bollettino Salesiano”. Kien jo˙or©u bi ˙sieb li jg˙aqqad lil dawk kollha li g˙andhom g˙al
qalbhom il-˙idma Salesjana fid-dinja kollha, billi jwasslilhom tag˙rif fuq il-˙ajja tal-
Kongregazzjoni Salesjana. Tag˙lim siewi g˙all-˙ajja Nisranija. Insibuh imxerred mad-dinja
kif iddur, mitbug˙ f’aktar minn g˙oxrin ilsien ewlieni … fosthom il-Malti wkoll fiç-çokon
tieg˙u. F’sena jitqassmu ‘l fuq minn g˙axar miljun kopja. Hawn Malta jo˙ro© ta˙t l-isem
‘˙ajja Salesjana’ u kull xahrejn, barra x-xhur tas-sajf – Lulju, u Awissu. Jitqassam b’xejn
lil kull min jitolbu. G˙alhekk wie˙ed jista’ jikteb lill-Editur:
Hajja Salesjana
c/o St. Patrick’s School, Triq San Gwann Bosco,
Sliema SLM 10, Malta.
Tel. 21 33 0238 e-mail: joecini@onvol.net
Jie˙u ˙sieb Fr. Joe Cini SDB
Bord Editorjali Fr. Victor Mangion SDB
Margaret Bu˙agiar
Andre’ Camilleri
Josie Grech
Jg˙inuh ukoll Fr. Charles Cini SDB
Eileen Alden
Joyce Scicluna
Juliana Kroeger
Joe M. Busuttil
Óajr minn qalbna lill-˙bieb tag˙na
li jibag˙tu xi ˙a©a tal-flus g˙an-nefqa biex
il-Óajja Salesjana jista’ jintbag˙at b’xejn
lil
• Dawk li mqar bit-talb tag˙hom jg˙inu
fil-˙idma Salesjana
• Dawk li jg˙inu l-vokazzjonijiet g˙all-
˙ajja Reli©juΩa Salesjana
Infakkru lill-qarrejja tag˙na li l-˙idma
Salesjana Maltija tinfirex ukoll fl-Afrika ta’
fuq, fit-TuneΩija.
Designed & Printed by Salesian Press
FUQIEX SE NAQRAW
Editorjal/Editorial...................................
Pedago©ija Salesjana
Ir-Rigal tal-Óajja 4.........................
Calendar of Salesian Events...............
A˙barijiet minn Tag˙na.................
Something to Think About
Even Though...Thank you Lord...........
Min Wasal u Min Dalwaqt..............
Fuq il-Passi ta’ Dun Bosco...............
Youth Point
Parenting On Your Own .....................
Id-disg˙in Anniversarju tal-
Volontarji ta’ Dun Bosco..................
Ghin il-hidma Salesjana.......................
Volunteering with Child
Labourers in India ............................
True Marriage-Love..........................
Anniversarju Saçerdotali....................
BorΩa ta’ Studju.................................
It-Triq ta’ l-Iljunfanti............................
A Salesian View of the World ...........
Islam’s Holy Book...............................
The Tunnel of Death...........................
03/04
05
07
08
12
13
14
16
19
20
21
23
24
25
26
28
31
33
if tafu sewwa, matul din is-sena l-
artiklu tag˙na ta’ “Pedago©ija
Salesjana” jitkellem fuq il-˙ajja u ˙afna mill-
aspetti tag˙ha. Dan l-artiklu huwa mnebba˙
mill-kummenti tar-Rettur Ma©©ur tas-
Salesjani dwar l-“istrenna” ta’ din is-sena
li hija, “In˙alluna nitmexxew minn Alla fl-
im˙abba lejn il-˙ajja”. Huwa impossibli li
a˙na mmissu kull aspett tas-su©©ett, u
çertament, xi çirkustanza tal-˙ajja ser
tit˙alla barra. G˙alhekk, din id-darba,
qieg˙ed niddedika dan l-editorjal qasir lill-
aspett tal-˙ajja tal-familja, g˙alkemm sejjer
nikkummenta fuq parti minnu biss.
Kif jafu sewwa dawk kollha li huma anzjani,
l-istruttura u l-istil tal-˙ajja tal-familja
nbiddlu ta’ ta˙t fuq matul dawn l-a˙˙ar 40
sena. Issa nsibu li n-nisa saru indipendenti
u akkwistaw drittijiet ugwali daqs l-ir©iel
Ωwie©hom. Fl-istess waqt, l-g˙oli u l-eΩi©enzi
tal-˙ajja po©©ew lill-miΩΩew©in fil-˙tie©a li
ja˙dmu t-tnejn li huma. Hekk ukoll, iç-
çirkustanzi tal-˙ajja moderna, aktar milli
l-g˙aΩla, ̇ olqu ̇ afna familji b’©enitur wie˙ed
jew wa˙da, fejn aktarx hija l-mara
li ©©orr il-piΩ tar-responsabbilta`.
L-istituzzjoni taΩ-Ωwie© ©iet imdg˙ajfa kull
fejn da˙al id-divorzju; imma wkoll mill-fatt
li s-soçjeta` moderna taççetta l-infedelta`
fiΩ-Ωwie© u s-separazzjonijiet legali, jew li
tnejn jg˙ixu flimkien. IΩ-Ωwie© iddg˙ajjef
ukoll min˙abba li bosta miΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙
jiddejqu jie˙du r-riskju ta’ impenn g˙al-
˙ajjithom. Dan kollu ©ab mieg˙u dwejjaq u
niket g˙al dawk kollha li ©ew imqarrqa jew
abbandunati mis-sie˙eb/sie˙ba tag˙hom, u
kwaΩi dejjem ikkawΩa ˙sara lit-tfal.
Il-Knisja kattolika, fidila lejn it-tag˙lim ta’
Kristu, temmen u tg˙allem li Ω-Ωwie© huwa
sagrament li jitwettaq bil-kunsens ˙ieles
ta’ koppja ta’ sessi differenti, u li jissarraf
f’g˙aqda bejniethom it-tnejn biss, sal-mewt.
Hija temmen li din l-istituzzjoni taΩ-Ωwie©
nisrani g˙adha l-a˙jar mod biex ikun hemm
(dik) stabbilta` u ftehim neçessarji li
jipprovdu l-iΩvilupp mist˙oqq g˙all-ulied.
Il-Knisja g˙adha temmen fil-familja, kif ukoll
li soçjeta` f’sa˙˙itha tista’ tinbena biss fuq
il-familja.
03
s you all know, this year, our leading
article in “Pedago©ija Salesjana”
talks about life in many of its aspects. It is
inspired by the comments of our Rector
Major who speaks on the “strenna” of this
year, which is “To let ourselves be guided
by God’s love for life”. It is impossible to
touch all the various aspects of this topic,
and certainly, one or another of the
different circumstances of life will be left
out. So, this time, I want to dedicate my
brief editorial to the aspect of family life,
touching it only in part.
As the elderly well know, the structure
and style of family life have changed
dramatically during these last 40 years.
We find that women have asserted their
independence and claimed equal status in
the marital relationship. At the same time,
economic necessity has led to an increase
in the number of two-career families,
whilst circumstance, rather than choice,
has led to a similar increase in the number
of single-parent families, in which it is
usually the woman who bears the burden
of responsibility.
The institution of marriage has been
weakened by the legalising of divorce, the
growing social acceptance of marital
infidelity and legal separations, cohabitation,
and most of all, by the reluctance of many
young people to take the risk of a life-
time commitment. All this has caused great
unhappiness for the partners who have
been betrayed or abandoned, and in many
cases it has inflicted lasting damage on
their children.
The Catholic Church, faithful to the
teaching of Christ, believes that marriage
is a sacrament of grace, which is constituted
by free consent of the couple of different
sex, to a permanent and monogamous
union, between two persons. It believes
that this institution is still the best way to
provide the stability and intimacy necessary
for the proper development of children.
The Church still believes in the family, and
that a healthy society can only be founded
on such a fact.
04
Il-Ktieb tal-Ìenesi juri kif Alla, li j˙obb
il-˙ajja, mill-konfuΩjoni jo˙loq id-dinja u
l-˙ajja. Kull ma jag˙mel huwa kapulavur.
Imma di©a`, mill-kapitlu 3 ‘l hemm, naraw
li l-pjan ori©inali ta’ Alla ji©i maqlub
min˙abba d-dnub li jiksi wiçç l-art, riΩultat
tal-vjolenza u ˙Ωunija li jre©©g˙u kollox
lura g˙all-konfuΩjoni.
Madankollu, il-˙aΩen, li minnu nnifsu j©ib
qerda u mewt, ma kienx ser ja˙kem hu:
wara t-‘tsunami’ ta’ l-g˙arg˙ar tad-dinja,
Alla jag˙mel patt mal-bniedem fejn
iwieg˙ed li qatt ma jer©a’ j˙alli ‘l din l-art
tinqered u ssir deΩert ta’ rabja u qtig˙ il-
qalb. Is-sinjal ta’ dan il-patt huwa l-qawsalla
li wara x-xita jidher j˙addan is-sema u
jfakkar lill-˙lejjaq fil-weg˙da tal-Óallieq.
Alla, il-˙abib tal-˙ajja, ma j˙obbx biss lill-
bnedmin imma lil kull ˙lejqa min˙abba li
l-˙olqien kollu huwa xog˙ol ta’ m˙abbtu.
Minbarra l-valur u d-dinjita` tal-˙ajja
umana, il-Bibbja turina l-g˙oΩΩa li Alla
g˙andu g˙an-natura, kif insibu miktub fil-
Ìenesi 1:31 “U ˙ares Alla lejn kull ma kien
g˙amel, u, ara, kollox kien tajjeb ˙afna”.
Bhejjem, xtieli, is-smewwiet, ix-xemx, l-
ib˙ra…kollox kien tajjeb, kollox ta’ valur,
kollox ifa˙˙ar ’l Alla: “Is-smewwiet ixandru
l-glorja ta’ Alla, g˙emil idejh t˙abbar il-firxa
tas-sema…” (Salm 18). Kull ˙lejqa, infatti,
hija msej˙a biex tfa˙˙ar ’l Mulej:
“G˙emejjel kollha tal-Mulej, fa˙˙ru l-
Mulej” (an©li, smewwiet, ilma, kwiekeb,
irjie˙ u rwiefen, nar u s˙ana, xita u nida,
kes˙a u borra, nhar u lejl, muntanji u
05
06
g˙oljiet, ˙xejjex kollha ta’ l-art, xmajjar
u ib˙ra, ˙lejjaq tal-ba˙ar, ulied il-
bnedmin). (Dan 3: 52-90)
Dan it-tag˙rif ikun veru jekk u meta l-
bniedem jirrikonoxxi d-dinjita` tal-post
fejn jg˙ix, jag˙Ωel li jirrispetta n-natura,
jaççetta ’l ˙lejjaq kollha u jistag˙na fil-
˙afna kwalitajiet tag˙hom. G˙ax il-
bniedem ©ie mqieg˙ed b˙ala gwardjan
tal-˙olqien mhux sabiex jista’ biss
jiggwadanja u jabbuΩa, imma pjuttost
sabiex i©ib Ωvilupp li jirrispetta l-ambjent
u fejn ti©i stabbilita armonija bejn il-
bniedem u l-˙lejjaq l-o˙ra kollha. Fi
Ωmienna l-industrija ©abet produzzjoni u
espansjoni tal-©id, imma xi drabi g˙akkset
lin-natura sabiex tie˙u r-riΩorsi naturali,
u hekk ©eg˙let ’l bniedem jiçça˙˙ad mill-
umanita` tieg˙u, u kwaΩi ming˙ajr ma
nduna, i l -bniedem sar semplic i
produttur/konsumatur.
Jekk nirrispettaw il-˙ajja, ikollna attitudni
ekolo©ika vera – im˙abba lejn il-bnedmin
kif ukoll lejn l-annimali u l-˙xejjex. Dan
ifisser im˙abba lejn il-˙olqien u difiΩa u
promozzjoni ta’ kull sinjal ta’ ˙ajja, kontra
kull att ta’ qerda u mewt.
Quddiem it-theddida ta’ sfruttament bla
raΩan, jew ta’ qerda tan-natura jew ta’
Ωvilupp mhux sostenibbli, li qeg˙din
jikkawΩaw ˙mie© fl-arja, s˙ana Ωejda,
nixfa ta’ foresti, deΩert dejjem jitwessa’
– kollha riΩultat ta’ rg˙iba kbira u nuqqas
ta’ responsabbilta` mhux biss lejn il-
˙olqien imma wkoll lejn il-bnedmin li
g˙ad jitwieldu - ikun sewwa li nΩommu
f’mo˙˙na l-kliem ta’ Kap ta’ l-Indjani
f’Seattle (Canada) li qal, “Dak li jferi ’l
Artna, iferi wkoll lill-Ulied Artna”. Alla
wieg˙ed li ma jeqridx in-natura…iΩda
mhux ming˙ajr l-g˙ajnuna tag˙na. Hu
g˙amilna kollaboraturi mieg˙u u tana
responsabbilta`. Il-qawsalla tfakkarna li
kull wie˙ed irid ja˙dem ma’ Alla sabiex
i˙ares il-˙olqien.
07
08
‘PRIZE DAY’ FL-ISKOLA TA’
ST. PATRICK’S - SLIEMA
Din saret nhar id-29 ta’ Marzu, u g˙al
din l-okkaΩjoni ttellg˙et il-verΩjoni
biblika ta’ ÌuΩeppi mibjug˙ minn ˙utu
b˙ala “musical”. G˙al din il-produzzjoni
l-g˙alliema ng˙aqdu ma’ l-istudenti u
kollox in˙adem flimkien - xenarju,
kostumi, muΩika u kliem. Dan l-isforz
irnexxa u l-produzzjoni ntlaqg˙et
b’entuΩjaΩmu kbir. Il-mistieden speçjali,
Dr. Alfred Mallia, Direttur ta’ l-
Operazzjonijiet fi ˙dan id-Dipartiment
ta’ l-Edukazzjoni, ippreΩenta l-“prizes”
lill-istudenti. Huwa qalilhom li kienu
©abulu memorji sbie˙ g˙aliex, meta
kien g˙alliem huwa, kien darba ˙ejja
verΩjoni o˙ra tal-“musical” li kien
jisimha “Joseph and His Technicolour
Dreamcoat”. Is-serata ng˙alqet mir-
Rettur, Fr. Alfred Sacco SDB, li
rringrazzja lil dawk kollha preΩenti,
imma fuq kollox fa˙˙ar lill-g˙alliema u
studenti li tant irsistew sabiex l-
okkaΩjoni tkun success.
L-IRTIR TAL-PAST PUPILS
Nhar Óadd il-Palm, l-1 t’April 2007, l-
“G˙aqda tal-Past Pupils u Óbieb ta’ Dun
Bosco” ta’ St. Patrick’s organiΩΩaw irtir ta’
©urnata bi t˙ejjija g˙all- Ìimg˙a Mqaddsa.
Madwar ̇ amsa u ̇ amsin persuna attendew
g˙al dan l-Irtir li sar fil-Coastline Hotel,
ta˙t it-tmexxija ta’ Dun Alfred Sacco SDB,
Rettur ta’ St. Patrick’s u Delegat ta’ l-
G˙aqda. L-irtir beda b’diskors li sar minn
Dun Jesmond Apap SDB. Il-programm
tkompla b’diskussjoni fuq dak li kien intqal,
09
u b’Quddiesa. Wara l-ikel Dun Jesmond
mexxa diskussjoni fuq is-sehem tal-Nisrani
fis-soçjeta` tal-lum. Meta spiçça l-Irtir, is-
St. Patrick’s Past Pupil’s Year Award 2006,
©ie ppreΩentata lis-Sur Charles Cassar. Is-
sinjura Mary Cachia, membru tal-Kumitat,
©iet ukoll mg˙otija rigal b˙ala sinjal ta’
apprezzament g˙all-g˙ajnuna li tat lill-
Assoçjazzjoni f’dawn l-a˙˙ar snin. Kienet
©urnata organiΩΩata tajjeb fejn kull min ©ie
˙a pjaçir, grazzi g˙all-˙idma tal-kumitat
mmexxi mill-President, is-Sur Saviour
Bianchi.
ÛJARA MILL-AWSTRALJA
Ta’ kull sena xi emigranti Maltin ji©u
lura lejn art twelidom sabiex izuru lill-
familjari u l-˙bieb. Kien ta’ pjaçir g˙alina
niltaqg˙u mas-Sur Joseph Darmanin u
martu Annie. Dawn ©ew minn
Melbourne fejn ilhom jg˙ixu g˙al aktar
minn 50 sena. Ir-ra©unijiet g˙aliex ©ew
iΩuru l-uffiççju ta’ “˙ajja Salesjana”
huma diversi. L-ewwelnett Joseph u
Annie huma membri tal-“Past Pupils
and Friends of Don Bosco” f’Melbourne,
imbag˙ad g˙aliex is-Sur Darmanin kien
President jew Segretarju ta’ din l-
G˙aqda g˙al xi 13-il sena. Jer©a’, huma
jirçievu “˙ajja Salesjana”, imbag˙ad
jag˙mlu kopji ta’ xi partijiet minnha u
jqassmuhom fil-knejjes u sptarijiet. Waqt
li kienu hawn, Joe u Annie xtaqu jΩuru
l-istamperija fejn ti©i stampata “˙ajja
Salesjana” kif ukoll id-dar u l-iskola
ta’ St. Patrick’s. Ng˙idu grazzi lil Joe u
Annie talli gew iΩuruna, talli jie˙du
interess fil-“˙ajja Salesjana” u tax-
xog˙ol li jag˙mlu mal-Familja Salesjana
f’Melbourne.
IL-KNISJA FIT-TUNEÛIJA
Ta’ kull sena, l-Isqof ta’ Tunes, Mons.
Maroun Lahham, ilaqqa’ lill-Provinçjali
tar-Reli©juΩi li ja˙dmu fid-djoçesi tieg˙u.
Din is-sena l-laqg˙a saret nhar id-29 u
30 ta’ Marzu, u g˙aliha attendew 28 bejn
qassisin, sorijiet, Brothers u Lajçi
Kkonsagrati. Fr. Victor Mangion SDB u
Fr. Lawrence Essery rrappreΩentaw lis-
Salesjani li ja˙dmu f’La Manouba, fejn
g˙andna skola kbira. It-tema tal-laqg˙a
g˙al din is-sena kienet “Nilqg˙u u
Naççettaw lil O˙rajn”. Óafna qasmu l-
esperjenza tag˙hom fuq kif ˙assewhom
meta waslu fit-Tunisija, kif qeg˙din
i˙ossuhom issa u fuq ir-relazzjoni bejn
dawk li qeg˙din in-na˙a ta’ fuq tat-
TuneΩija u dawk tan-na˙a t’isfel. Xi
sitwazzjonijiet u diffikultajiet lokali ©ew
imqajma wkoll. Mument sabi˙ kien iç-
çelebrazzjoni tal-quddiesa madwar l-
Isqof, ©ewwa l-katidral. Fil-Knisja ta’
Tunes, preΩentament hemm 126 bejn
qassisin, reli©juΩi u Lajçi Kkonsagrati
mqassmin f’35 komunita` mxerrda mal-
pajjiΩ kollu. F’okkaΩjoni b˙alma kienet
10
din il-laqg˙a, wie˙ed japprezza t-tjubija
u l-©eneroΩita` ta’ dawk li jag˙tu
˙ajjithom g˙al Kristu u l-Knisja, xi drabi
f’çirkustanzi tassew diffiçli.
LAQGÓA TAL-FAMILJA SALESJANA
Nhar is-Sibt, 12 ta’ Mejju, il-ferg˙at kollha
tal-Familja Salesjana f’Malta kellhom Jum
ta’ Studju ©ewwa Savio College. Is-su©©ett
studjat kien il-motto ta’ Dun Bosco
“Ag˙tini l-erwie˙ u ˙udli l-bqija” li huwa
wkoll is-su©©ett mag˙Ωul mir-Rettur
Ma©©ur g˙all-Kapitlu Ìenerali li sejjer
jibda f’Ruma minn Frar ta’ l-2008. Ix-
xog˙ol beda b’mument ta’ talb u “power
point” bit-titlu “Lura Lejn Dun Bosco”.
Wara kien hemm introduzzjoni ta’
programm li kellu jsir mid-Delegat tal-
Provinçjal, Fr. Victor Mangion SDB.
Ûew© ta˙didiet qosra, imbag˙ad, iffokaw
l-attenzjoni fuq il-motto ta’ Dun Bosco
- l-ewwel wa˙da minn Fr. Sandro
Camilleri SDB (il-lat Bibliku) u t-tieni
wa˙da minn Fr. Antoine Farrugia SDB
(il-lat Salesjan). Wara kull wa˙da kien
hemm Ωmien qasir g˙al diskussjoni u
11
qsim ta’ viΩjonijiet. L-a˙˙ar sessjoni
kienet immexxija minn Fr. Fabio Attard
SDB u kienet tikkonsisti fi qsim ta’
esperjenzi fil-˙ajja tal-Familja Salesjana,
modi kif nistg˙u nersqu iΩjed lejn l-ispirtu
ta’ Dun Bosco, proposti u veduti g˙all-
©ejjieni. Kul˙add ˙a sehem attiv u
kul˙add ˙ass li l-Jum ta’ Studju kien
esperjenza poΩittiva li Ωidilna l-ispirtu
Salesjan b’mod qawwi. Çertament
okkaΩjonijiet b˙al din juruna kemm
xog˙ol siewi qieg˙ed isir mill-ferg˙at
diversi tal-Familja Salesjana.
IL-KAPITLU TAL-PROVINÇJA
Bejn l-1 u d-9 ta’ Ìunju, sar il-Kapitlu
Provinçjali tas-Salesjani ta’ l-Irlanda u
Malta flimkien. F’dan il-Kapitlu jie˙du
sehem id-Direttur u rappreΩentant
wie˙ed ta’ kull dar Salesjana, flimkien
mal-Kunsill tal-Provinçjal. Din il-laqg˙a
hija dejjem preçeduta mill-eΩerçizzi
spiritwali li jdumu 6 ijiem. Minn Malta
telg˙u l- Ir landa sitt Salesjani l i
jirrapreΩentaw lit-3 komunitajiet li
g˙andna hawn, u d-Direttur tad-dar
li hemm fit-TuneΩija. Dan kollu sar
f i l-“Hostel” tas-Salesjani ©ewwa
Milford (Limerick) kif ukoll fil-kappella
ta’ l-Universita` li hemm fil-qrib. Waqt
il-Kapitlu ©ew diskussi xi problemi u
xi pro©etti li g˙andha l-Provinçja
tag˙na. Imma saret ukoll t˙ejjija g˙all-
Kapitlu Ìenerali li se jsir is-sena d-
die˙la ©ewwa Ruma, u t lestew
proposti li jolqtu lill-Kongregazzjoni
Salesjana kollha. It-temp sabi˙ li kellna
matul dawk il-jiem flimkien mal-mod
©entili u ©eneruΩ li bih laqg˙una l-
konfratelli ta’ Milford, g˙amlu dawk
il-jiem mument ta’ mistrie˙ u ta’
xog˙ol seren.
12
13
Saçerdot Ìdid
B˙alma sena ilu konna fra˙na lil Fr. Manuel Camilleri meta
kien ©ie ordnat Djaknu, hekk issa, din id-darba, nifir˙ulu g˙all-
ordinazzjoni tieg˙u b˙ala Saçerdot. Din iç-çerimonja saret fil-
Konkatidral ta’ San Ìwann, Valletta, nhar il-Óadd, 1 ta’ Lulju,
u tmexxiet mill-Ecc. Mons. Pawlu Cremona, Arçisqof ta’ Malta.
Is-sitt kandidati, xi whud djoçesani u o˙rajn reli©juΩi, kienu
mdawrin minn g˙add kbir ta’ konçelebranti, waqt li folla kbira
ta’ qraba u ˙bieb honqot il-Konkatidral. L-g˙ada, it-Tnejn 2
ta’ Lulju, Fr. Manuel qaddes l-ewwel quddiesa solenni tieg˙u
fil-Kolle©©jata ta’ San Lawrenz, il-Birgu, fejn hu twieled u fejn joqog˙du l-familjari
tieg˙u. Wara din il-quddiesa sar festin g˙all-qraba, ˙bieb u l-kommunita` Salesjana.
Ad multos annos lil Fr. Manuel.
Lejn is-Saçerdozju
Lejn nofs ix-xahar ta’
Settembru, jitilqu lejn Torin,
fl-Italja, tnejn mill-Brothers
tag˙na. Dawn huma Bro.
Gerald Mangion SDB ta’ 27
sena u Bro. Jeremy Vella SDB
ta’ 26 sena. Huma sejrin fl-istudentat tat-
teologija li jissejjah “Crocetta” sabiex
isegwu l-kors li wara tliet snin iwassalhom
g˙ad-djakonat. Hekk huma jaslu fuq l-
g˙atba tas-sacerdozju, li jie˙du
s-sena ta’ wara. G˙al dawn l-
a˙˙ar sentejn il-Brothers
˙admu mat-tfal ©ewwa l-iskola
ta’ St. Patrick’s, f’Tas-Sliema.
Óa©a certa hija li sejjer jin˙ass
˙afna n-nuqqas tag˙hom,
kemm mill-komunita` Salesjana, mill-
˙addiema, kif mhux anqas, mit-tfal li
huma ˙admu mag˙hom. A˙na lkoll
nawgurawlhom u nitolbu g˙alihom.
Novizz Ie˙or
Robert Falzon, Ωag˙Ωug˙ ta’ 22 sena, dalwaqt ukoll jitlaq lejn
Pinerolo, qrib Torin, sabiex jag˙mel is-sena tan-Novizzjat
hemmhekk. Robert twieled il-Mosta, kien student f’Savio College,
g˙amel is-Sixth Form fil-Kulle©© ta’ San Alwi©i u issa g˙adu kemm
˙a “Degree in Educatio” mill-Universita` ta’ Malta. Robert ilu
involut mas-Salesjani g˙al diversi snin f’setturi differenti, l-aktar
f’dawk li nsej˙ulhom “live-in’s” waqt li kien imexxi wkoll il-
moviment “Hbieb Domenico Savio”. Fi tmiem il-©img˙a Robert
kien g˙in fit-tmexxija ta’ l-Oratorju ta’ Had-Dingli, u matul dan
is-sajf sejjer ikun jg˙in fl-Oratorju ta’ Tas-Sliema. Kien f’Ottubru tal-2005 li Robert
beda l-aspirantat ©ewwa Savio College, fejn f’Jannar li g˙adda kien aççettat b˙ala
Prenovizz bil-g˙an li f’dan ix-xahar ta’ Settembru jibda n-novizzjat li jwasslu g˙all-ewwel
professjoni fi ˙dan il-Kongregazzjoni Salesjana. Nawgurawlu u nitolbu g˙alih.
14
Min hu mid˙la sew tas-Salesjani dejjem
g˙andu ˙olma - li xi darba f’˙ajtu jΩur il-
postijiet sbie˙ u g˙eΩieΩ li g˙ex, ˙adem
u miet fihom Don Giovanni Bosco. Din
ma tkunx biss ˙olma iΩda anke xrara
t’entuΩjaΩmu u nostal©ija g˙al dak kollu
b’konnessjoni mas-Salesjani. Jien wie˙ed
minn dawn tal-˙olma, u g˙alhekk ma
domtx nomg˙odha mmurx jew le l-
Pellegrina©© Salesjan li sar f’Turin bejn
it-8 u l-14 t’ April 2007. Flimkien ma’
marti Josette, studenti u g˙alliema minn
Savio College, xi membri mill-Oratorju
ta’ Tas-Sliema, ta˙t it-tmexxija ta’ Fr.Eric
SDB u Fr.Sandro SDB, er˙ejnilha lejn
Turin. Dan kien il-bidu ta’ esperjenza
sabi˙a u importanti fil-˙ajja tag˙na.
Allo©©ajna ©ewwa Colle Don Bosco, ftit
minuti ’l bog˙od minn fejn trabba Dun
Bosco. Hemmhekk kul˙add ta daqqa t’id
fit-tqassim ta’ l-ikel, tindif u kull g˙ajnuna
li stajna nag˙tu. L-ispirtu ta’ ˙biberija u
fer˙ tipiku Salesjan kien jin˙ass mill-
bidunett. L-ewwel post li Ωorna fuq il-
Colle kien is-Santwarju çkejken ta’ Marija
G˙ajnuna ta’ l-Insara li qieg˙ed eΩatt
quddiem id-dar tat-tfajjel Dun Bosco, li
nbniet biex tikkomemora l-ewwel
çentinarju mit-twelid tal-Qaddis. Hemm
iççelebrajna quddiesa, tlabna ˙afna,
immeditajna u g˙al xi w˙ud kien ukoll
mument emozzjonali - ̇ assejna paçi kbira
u serenita`.
Ma kienx jonqos li nΩuru l-Casetta, dar
ckejna u fqira fejn g˙ex Dun Bosco, illum
ukoll muΩew. M’g˙andniex xi ng˙idu, li
t˙oss dak il-˙in huwa inspjegabbli.
Nistqarr li filg˙axija, meta l-post ikun bla
nies, fil-kwiet, bi ftit dwal, l-atmosfera
hija wa˙da spiritwali, speçjali u g˙alhekk
propju l-post ideali fejn konna ng˙idu r-
ruΩarju, nitolbu u naqsmu l-esperjenzi
tag˙na - il-post fejn min jaf kemm ©era
u lag˙ab iç-çkejken Dun Bosco. Ûorna
s-Santwarju ta’ Dun Bosco, santwarju
ta’ kobor u stil uniku. Il-Knisja ta’ fuq
15
hija miksija bl-injam f’forma ta’qafas
ta’vapur bi statwa kbira ta’ Kristu Rxoxt
- b˙al donnu qieg˙ed hemm biex meta
l-vapur ta’ ˙ajjitna jsib xi maltempata, Hu
j˙arisna minn kull g˙aw©. Fil-Knisja ta’
ta˙t rajna kopja ta’ l-urna relikwarju ta’
Dun Bosco. Kellna ç-çans ukoll inΩuru l-
MuΩew Etnolo©iku tal-Missjonijiet fejn
stajna nifhmu l-firxa tal-missjoni tas-
Salesjani fid-dinja. Mhux ’il bog˙od mill-
Colle, Ωorna Castelnuovo
Don Bosco, i l -knis ja
parrokkjali ta’ Sant Andrija,
f e j n Dun Bosco u
D o m e n i c o S a v i o
tg˙ammdu. F’temp mill-
isba˙ rajna wkoll Cascina
Moglia ©ewwa Moncucco,
razzett fqir fl-istat ori©inali
tieg˙u, fejn Dun Bosco g˙adda sentejn
minn ̇ ajtu jg˙ix hemm f’dik is-sempliçita`.
Il-jum ta’ l-g˙ada kien il-veru pellegrina©©!
Kienet il-©urnata fejn a˙na l-pellegrini
litteralment er˙ejnilha bil-pass lejn
Morialdo, Mondonio u Capriglio f’©urnata
s˙una u sabi˙a, f’kampanja tipika tal-lokal.
F’Morialdo smajna quddiesa
©ewwa l-kappella ta’ San
Pietru u Ωorna d-dar ta’ San
D o m e n i c o S a v i o .
F’Mondonio Ωorna d-dar
fejn Domenico miet ta’
˙ m i s t a x - i l s e n a u
f’Capriglio, fil-knisja fejn
Mamma Margerita ΩΩew©et.
Hawnhekk il-miΩΩew©in tal-
grupp ©eddew il-weg˙da ta’ l-im˙abba
lejn xulxin. Rajna wkoll fejn g˙al xi Ωmien
Ìiovannino attenda skola pubblika.
Ìurnata o˙ra morna Chieri fejn ukoll
hemm postijiet ta’ interess b˙as-
Seminarju, il-Knisja ta’ San Domenico
Savio u d-Duomo, iddedikat lill-Madonna
tal-Grazzja. F’dan ta’ l-a˙˙ar Dun Bosco
kien ta’ spiss jitlob - u a˙na hekk g˙amilna
wkoll. Ìewwa Valdocco (Torin) smajna
quddiesa ©ewwa l-Kappella Pinardi
ddedikata lil Kristu Rxoxt. Hawnhekk
Dun Bosco kien beda l-veru Oratorju u
g˙alhekk din kienet okkaΩjoni speçjali
g˙alina li nattendu l-Oratorju ta’ Tas-
Sliema. Hawnhekk is-saçerdoti ©eddew
il-weg˙da ta’ l-Ordni Sagri. Il-quççata
tal-©urnata u kwaΩi tal-pellegrina©© kollu
kien is-Santwarju-BaΩilka ddedikata lil
Marija AwΩiljatriçi. Mument
speçjali ˙afna kien meta
d˙alna wara l-artal ta’ Dun
Bosco u rajna statwa tal-
©isem tieg˙u f l-urna.
Mument l i j sa˙˙rek,
jemozzjonak u t˙ossok viçin
ferm ta’ bniedem tant kbir
g˙alina s-Salesjani. Bniedem
rivoluzzjonarju bis-semplicita` kollha
tieg˙u. Bniedem mistiku u qaddis li tant
˙abb lil Alla u liΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙. Tlabna, bkejna
u fra˙na.
L-g˙ada Ωorna l-Knisja ta’ San Fran©isk
ta’ Sales, fejn Domenico Savio nqata’ mill-
art f’estasi ta’ talb. Il-quddiesa saret viçin
il-kmamar ta’ Dun Bosco
fejn ˙adem u miet u fejn
illum hemm muΩew mill-
isba˙, bl-“Artal ta’ l-Estasi”
fost l-esebiti, fejn Dun
Bosco nqata’ mill-art waqt
li kien qed iqaddes fuqu.
Ìurnata o˙ra Ωorna
Pinerolo fuq il-Monte
Oliveto fejn hemm in-
Novizzjat Salesjan u ltqajna man-novizz
Malti Stefan Busuttil. Dan kien pellegrina©©
b’differenza. Stajt in˙oss mumenti speçjali
fejn Dun Bosco ˙assejtu ja˙dem fija u
stajt nirrifletti dwar il-˙idma li tajt s’issa
u li se nkompli nag˙ti mas-Salesjani. Jalla
kull min hu mid˙la tas-Salesjani jkollu
opportunita` li jΩur postijiet b˙al dawn
u jkollu esperjenza li ma tintesa qatt.
Contact SPYS Tel: 21454546, 21456251
info@spysmalta.org
www.spysmalta.org/spysint
A number of children born today will
live in a single-parent family before they
reach adulthood. Raising a child is the
most important and difficult job in the
world; it's also a job filled with joyful
possibilities. For the single parent the
daily struggles and triumphs are magnified.
We often hear single parents say: "I feel
lonely, isolated, outcast." "My child has
no role model of the opposite sex." "I
need adult feedback." "My children will
resent me because they don't have two
parents." "I wish my child could have
siblings." "I never have enough time with
my children or for myself". Life is a
balancing act. And for single parents, the
act is even trickier. Your child is both
your greatest joy and source of pride
and your greatest responsibility and
source of stress. The only way to keep
your balance is to keep your mental
health. Let me share some suggestions
that might help you.
17
Be realistic and think positive
The happiest single parents I've met are
those who've taken control of their lives.
To do this, they've developed a positive
attitude. I never hear "Poor me," or
"Society owes me" from them.There are
storms and sunshine in everyone's life.
You need clear eyes - to see the truth
about yourself, your children, and your
situation. Complaining and saying "This
has been the worst day of my life!" - is
useless. To survive, you must feed
yourself with the good you find. Focus
on your strengths and on the precious
beauty of your children. Make a list of
your strong points-and your children's.
Single parents are the original
"supermums" and "superdads." Place as
much importance on your own mental
and physical health as on that of your
children. You need and deserve
relaxation, exercise, and solitude. It may
take extreme creativity for you to get
these things, but the effort is worth it.
Becoming ill is the price you pay for
driving yourself too hard.
It's said that we need at least eight hugs
a day to remain healthy. Enjoy all the
hugs and the kisses you can get from
your children! And try to have a good
laugh with them every day.
Build self-esteem and relationships
Self-esteem is the key to happiness. It's
no accident that in the Bible we find the
words "Love your neighbor as yourself."
You must love yourself before you can
love anyone else. "Be careful when a
naked person offers you a shirt," is a
wise African saying.
Consider these pointers for building self-
esteem: (1) Give yourself responsibilities.
(2) Prove that you can control things.
Start small. (3) Keep up moral standards
that you believe in. (4) Surround yourself
with nurturers. Weed out negative "non-
friends." Be tough; it's a matter of survival.
Your family's well-being is closely tied
to the help that people in your social
network offer. A healthy social network
supports you in times of crisis and also
stands behind you when you want to
make life adjustments. It's difficult, but
not impossible, to change and improve
your network. Your children will learn
about relationships by watching how you
nurture your friends. Friendship happens
when you reach out to others in
willingness to share. A new love
relationship may even evolve, especially
if you're not frantically searching for a
new friend.
Build the family soul
I believe love is spelled T-I-M-E. You
may never have "quality time" -so grab
the available moment! Let your children
know you're all in this together. By
working, discussing, playing, and praying
together, you'll build a sense of unity.
The conviction that your family is "one"
will make your children feel secure. Here
are additional ways to provide a stable
home life:
Invest yourself in where you live.
Don't move unless you really have
to.
Children love belonging to a "clan."
Encourage them to keep close to
other caring adults and relatives.
I've never heard anyone say, "Too
many people love me."
Communication with your children
is the key to good relationships with
18
them. It is priceless you'll never
regret the time you spend learning
good communications skil ls.
Be honest. Like you, your children
need to live a life based on realities.
The truth, gently told, is best for
them.
"No" is a loving word. Children want
boundaries; consistency provides
them with an ordered world that
they can understand.
Hugs, "I love you," and time spent
together will counteract the
children's feeling cheated out of
growing up in a home with two
parents.
Sensible parenting
No one has time; we have to make time.
Decide with your children what's
important and then set goals together.
B e w a r e o f : p r o c r a s t i n a t i o n ,
perfectionism, fear of saying "no," and
preoccupation with the past. Plan a daily
list of things to do, but be flexible-there's
always tomorrow. Think about possible
ways to change or improve your
situation. If you are separated, refuse to
get into battles with your former spouse.
Design co-parenting based on your areas
of agreement. Custodial parents need
to share their children and let the other
parent play a real role in raising them.
Never use your child as a weapon against
the other parent. Let your children know
that the other parent has strengths and
limitations, too, just as we all do.
Worry not - have faith
Worry is a timewaster and ulcer-maker.
No matter what your concept is of the
Creator, your faith can give you strength
when you need it. The philosophy of
Alcoholics Anonymous puts it well: "Live
and let God [worry about things you
can't handle]." You can build a stable
home and a family soul. Your children
will grow in maturity and self-esteem
under your care. They'll remember you,
not for the material things you provided,
but for the feeling that you cherished
for them. And they'll grow into
understanding, responsible, and realistic
adults because they've faced the truth
and shared in the work and fun of living
with you.
19
Disg˙in sena ilu, proprju fl-20 ta’ Mejju
ta’ l-1917, ©ewwa Turin fl-Italja, tliet
tfajliet li j˙addnu valuri Kristjani u
bi spiritwalita` inkarnata, bdew
“rivoluzzjoni siekta”.
G. Maria Verzotti, assistenta f’˙anut,
Francesca Riccardi, skrivana, u Luigina
Carpanera, kaxxiera f’˙anut tal-kotba,
iggwidati mill-Beatu Filippu Rinaldi, kienu
qed ji©u ppreparati sabiex isiru “Ulied
Marija G˙ajnuna ta’ l-Insara fid-Dinja”.
Kien dan, il-bidu umli ta’ dak li aktar tard
kellu jissejja˙ l-Istitut Sekulari tal-
Volontarji ta’ Dun Bosco (VDBs).
Il-VDBs, grupp li jag˙mel parti mill-Familja
Salesjana, huma nisa li jikkonsagraw
˙ajjithom lil Alla, jipprofessaw il-kunsilli
evan©elici, filwaqt li jibqg˙u jg˙ixu fid-dinja.
Huma riΩorsa prezzjuΩa g˙all-missjoni
tal-Knisja g˙aliex jistg˙u jil˙qu postijiet
fejn tradizzjonalment il-Knisja sabet
diffikulta` li til˙aq. Huma g˙andhom ukoll
il-possibilta` li jiddedikaw ˙inhom u l-
ener©ija tag˙hom g˙as-sitwazzjonijiet
©odda li s-soçjeta` ©eneralment toffri u
jirrispondu g˙all-˙ti©ijiet ©odda skond il-
valuri nsara.
L-Istituti Sekulari ©ew rikonoxxuti
uffiçjalment fil-Knisja fl-1947 permezz
tal-Kostituzzjoni Apostolika “Provida
Mater” li mbag˙ad ©iet Ωviluppata f’aktar
dettal sena wara, permezz tal-Motu
Proprio “Primo Feliciter” fl-1948. Allura
l-VDBs, li bdew fl-1917, nistg˙u ng˙idu
li ©ew “qabel iΩ-Ωmien!”
“Huwa b’fer˙ kbir g˙alija li qed nikteb
dan il-messa©©,” Dun Pascal Chavez,
Rettur Ma©©ur tas-Salesjani kiteb lill-
VDBs f’din l-okkaΩjoni speçjali, “u
permezz ta’ dan il-messa©© nixtieq
nesprimi l-preΩenza tieg˙i waqt iç-
çelebrazzjonijiet f’g˙eluq id-disg˙in sena
ta’ ‘passjoni g˙ad-dinja’, il-motto li inthom
g˙aΩiltu sabiex fi ftit kliem ti©bru l-istorja
tag˙kom, u fl-istess ˙in t˙arsu lejn il-
futur.”
L-Istitut Sekulari tal-VDBs jg˙odd
madwar 1300 persuna mxerrdin f’wie˙ed
u ˙amsin pajjiΩ u lkoll iwettqu appostolat
differenti skond il-possibiltajiet tag˙hom.
20
Imagine yourself as parents who get into
some kind of debt with a landowner for
a few hundred Maltese liri. The
landowner tells you, “No problem, there
is no need to pay me. Just give me your
children to work for me for the next 2
years”. You accept because you think
you have no other choice - but instead
you don’t see your children for the next
12 years. Yes, 12 years.
This is the reality for over 40 million
children in India.
These children, boys and girls aged
between 4 and 16 are forcefully made
to work in agriculture, prostitution, rag
picking, begging, building, herding and
working in factories.
Their conditions are miserable. Their
daily work starts from 5am and ends at
10pm, and if they are lucky they are given
some food. In fact these children suffer
from severe malnutrition. Many of them
are abused; others suffer physical pain
through burns and animal bites. They lack
the love of their parents and an education,
but worse still, their childhood is taken
away in a blink and they are robbed of
the possibility of having a brighter future.
These children have names. These children
have faces. This is a reality.
The Salesians of Don Bosco in India are
doing something to react to this bleak
reality. They are establishing boarding
and emergency shelters, orphanages,
housing programmes, colleges and
industrial training institutes, vocational
and professional training centres, as well
as other community development
programmes. In particular they opened
tens of re-orientation schools where
children picked up from the streets and
work places are given shelter, food,
This article is about an experience that has filled my heart and changed my life
21
22
education and more importantly, affection
and a chance for a brighter future.
Children finally become children again.
It was summer 2005 when I decided that
I had to face this reality. I count myself
lucky to have been welcomed in a Salesian
project in Davangere about 300km north
of Bangalore, in south India. Here the
Salesians have 2 boarding schools where
they welcome about 80 child labourers
- boys and girls, - every year. There I
volunteered to work for 6 weeks. I finally
had the chance of looking into the eyes
of tens of these children who a few days
before were suffering because of the
injustices of mankind.
It’s easy for us to take for granted our
children, our education, our work, and
our standards of living. It is easy not to
appreciate all the simple things we have
- the daily dinner, hot water, water itself,
the washing machine, our parents, our
friends. My volunteer work in India made
me face the daily experience of the lack
of all of these and made me reflect on
the more important things in life.
All the children I met - all of them - have
nothing. Yet, they have something that
many of us wish we could have. They
have peace. I can remember them well,
smiling all the time. You could look at
them and see their big black eyes with
long eyelashes, smiling back at you. They
were happy because finally they had
found the most important thing - love.
They did not want much from me. All
they wanted was for me to hold their
hands, my hugs, and my time with them.
Many did not even understand English
and my Indian local language skills were
still rudimentary. Yet children are
children, and the language of love is
universal and so they were grateful for
the time I spent with them.
This is all about volunteering. Volunteering
is something which one gives, but receives
a million times more in return. I once
read a quote which really struck me as
true "it is much easier to receive than to
give" and Mother Theresa had once said
"they [the poor] give us much more then
we give them". It is true, positively true.
I went to India to volunteer myself but
found out that I was receiving much
more... beautiful lessons of life.
This India is a land which really gave me
much more than I gave her - a land
where I found generosity in poverty;
simplicity in a complicated world;
innocence even in children who have
had to grow up; smiles in those who had
experienced enough to cry. A land of
contrasts‚ a land of colours, blending
with the darkness of plagues of social
injustice; a land of respectful gestures,
and yet lack of respect for children; a
land of hi-tech and poverty.
The children: I am sure that I will never,
ever forget them, and this is a promise
I made to them‚ that they will always be
my little brothers.
SPYS encourages volunteering both
locally, and in Europe and other
countries. SPYS believes that volunteering
opens the mind of young people. It has
also included in its objectives the
empowering of young people through
international involvement, encouraging
them to take charge of what is happening
in the global environment. SPYS is
recently developing this objective and
has created an arm within SPYS to work
exclusively on this objective - SPYS.int.
For more information on child labour:
Email me: ryanpisani@yahoo.com
Visit: www.breadsbangalore.org and
www.unicef.org/india
23
24
Id-direttur spiritwali ta’ l-G˙aqda tal-
“Past Pupils and Friends of Don Bosco”
(NSW- Australia), ir- Rev. Dun John
Briffa sdb, fl-ewwel Sibt ta’ Lulju, fil-
g˙axi ja , iççelebra quddiesa ta ’
ringrazzjament fil-parroçça Salesjana ta’
Engadine biex ji©u mfakkra l-˙amsin sena
ta’ l-ordinazzjoni saçerdotali tieg˙u.
Jikkonçelebraw mieg˙u l-quddiesa, kien
hemm preΩenti l-Isqof AwΩiljarju Cremin,
˙abib kbir ta’ Fr. Briffa, kif ukoll saçerdoti
Salesjani tal-komunita` ta’ Engadine.
Il-Past Pupils ta’ Dun Bosco Maltin
f’Sydney, kienu mistiedna g˙al din l-
okkaΩjoni tassew unika. Bi ˙©arhom,
immexxija mill-President ˙abrieki Joseph
Fabri, minkejja kesha li xxoqq l-g˙adam,
˙allew djarhom biex huma wkoll
jing˙aqdu mal-parruççani lokali ta’
Engadine. Kienet tassew çelebrazzjoni
˙erqana, fejn l-ispirtu tipikament Salesjan,
spikka fost dawk preΩenti. L-omelija f’©ie˙
Fr. Briffa kienet minsu©a mill-Eçç. Tieg˙u
l-isqof Cremin, fi stil tassew pjaçevoli,
kif hu biss jaf kif. B’aççent notevoli irlandiΩ,
l-isqof tana deskrizzjoni fil-fond tal-˙ajja
ta’ Fr. Briffa b˙ala Ωag˙Ωug˙ sliemiΩ,
mid˙la ta’ l-Oratorju Salesjan, b˙ala
student fil-bidu ta’ ˙ajtu Salesjana,
sakemm ©ie ordnat saçerdot l-Ingilterra,
u wara fix-xog˙ol tieg˙u saçerdotali siewi
©ewwa l-Awstralja, speçjalment fis-
subborg ta’ Engadine, fejn qatta’ 37 sena
ja˙dem qalb iΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙.
Fr. Briffa kien dam 24 sena s˙a˙ kappillan
tal-parroçça Salesjana ta’ Engadine. Kien
ha l-pussess b˙ala kappillan minn Salesjan
Malti ta’ fama kbira, li kien ˙adem bi s˙i˙
- hawn qieg˙ed nalludi g˙all- wisq ma˙bub
Rev. Fr. Joseph Ciantar sdb.
Il-kor ferm professjonali tal-parroçça ta’
Engadine kien tassew strumentali biex
˙oloq atmosfera ferrie˙a Salesjana, waqt
iç-çelebrazzjoni. Il-funzjoni reli©juza ©iet
mag˙luqa bil-kant imqanqal ta’ innu mill-
isba˙ f’©ie˙ Dun Bosco, innu li g˙alina l-
Past Pupils prezenti, qatt ma’ konna
smajnieh qabel... innu li ©abilna f’g˙ajnejna
dmug˙ ta’ ferh u ta’ solidarjeta` Salesjana.
Hekk kif spiççat il-parti reli©juΩa, kul˙add
kien mistieden g˙all-ikla, fis-sala biswit
il-knisja, fejn saru wkoll diskorsi ta’ turija
ta’ apprezzament tax-xog˙ol spiritwali
li Fr. Briffa nissel fl-im˙u˙ u fil-qlub ta’
˙afna, fosthom tag˙na l-Past Pupils.
Kemm il- President Joseph Fabri, kif ukoll
l-eks President Joseph Ûerafa, wara kliem
ta’ ringrazzjament, flimkien g˙amlu
preΩentazzjoni lil Fr. Briffa f’isem l-G˙aqda
kollha.
Kienet okkaΩjoni memorabbli li Ωgur
dejjem tibqa’ fil- mo˙˙ u fil-qalb ta’ dawk
kollha li ˙adu parti. Grazzi Fr. Briffa...
AD MULTOS ANNOS.
(Rev. Fr. John R.Briffa sdb kien ukoll
Malta fix-xhur ta’ Lulju-Awwissu biex
jiççelebra l-50 sena tas-saçerdozju tieg˙u,
u qaddes quddiesa solenni fil-knisja ta’
St. Patrick’s nhar is-Sibt, 14 ta’ Lulju
2007. Nota ta’ l-editur).
25
Fost il-memorji tieg˙i hemm okkaΩjoni
li forsi qatt ma rrakuntajt. Huwa episodju
li ©rali waqt vja©© mal-fruntiera bejn il-
Manipur u Myanmar. Din kienet Ωona
muntanjuΩa, miksija b’foresti, fejn
jg˙ammru f’liberta` s˙i˙a familji kbar ta’
ljunfanti.
G˙al xi ©ranet jien kont f’dawk in-na˙at
inΩur il-villa©©i kattoliçi. Kien fadalli ra˙al
ie˙or fejn immur. Fil-g˙odu, wara l-
quddiesa, g˙idt lil katekista tieg˙i : “Ejja
mmorru. Illum g˙al dak ir-ra˙al t’hemm
fuq il-muntanji quddiemna.” Imma l-
katekista qalli: “Le, Fadar. Ma nil˙qux
naslu f’©urnata.”
“G˙aliex? Mhux kemm ninΩlu ‘l isfel sal-
wied u nitilg˙u ‘l fuq in-na˙a l-o˙ra?”
“Ara Fadar, fejn ninsabu m’hawn ebda
triq mnejn ninΩlu u l-foresta hi tant
selva©©a li impossibli ng˙addu minnha,”
issokta jg˙idli l-katekista.
“Biex nil˙qu r-ra˙al ikollna nimxu l-jum
kollu dawra tond ma’ din il-muntanja. Il-
lejla naslu f’post biex norqdu u g˙ada fil-
g˙odu nkomplu nimxu biex forsi naslu
f’dak ir-ra˙al fil-g˙axija qabel jidlam.”
26
27
“Hekk se ntawlu wisq. Isma’ minni, mur
saqsi u tara kif xi ˙add jurik triq iqsar.”
Il-katekista mar, avolja fuq qalbu, u ©ie
lura allegru u mbissem. “Fadar,” qalli.
“Imxi warajja, hawn triq kbira!”
“Qed tara?” g˙idtlu jien. “U int g˙idtli li
m’hawnx”.
“Iva, imma din it-triq saret il-lejl l-ie˙or!
G˙addew minn hawn l-iljunfanti. Kienu
aktar minn mija u erbg˙in u fet˙u triq
min-nofs il-foresta biex jinΩlu mill-wied
˙alli jixorbu. Kissru u g˙aff©u kull ma
sabu quddiemhom. Issa nistg˙u ng˙addu
a˙na wkoll.”
Tlaqna. Xi Ωg˙aΩag˙ imxew mag˙na
j©orrulna l-bagalja, l-artal çkejken, il-kaxxa
tal-mediçini u o©©etti o˙ra. It-triq miftu˙a
mill-iljunfanti kienet tassew wiesg˙a.
Meddew ma’ l-art si©ar twal, ˙arbtu u
kielu ˙afna banana. Kullimkien ˙allew il-
passi tag˙hom u anki affarijiet o˙ra!
Qabel nofsinhar ©a konna fil-wied.
Xarrabna saqajna, qsamna l-kurrent u
malajr qbadna l-mog˙dija li tie˙u ‘l fuq
sal-quççata.
Erba’ sieg˙at wara, wasalna. F’qalbi berikt
lill-iljunfanti li kienu ffrankawli tant triq
u Ωmien.
Malli d˙alna fil-post, it-tfal ©rew lejna
jsellmulna u jifir˙u bina. Il-katekista tal-
post qal l i , “Fadar, ma konniex
nistennewk daqshekk kmieni. Imma
g˙amilt sewwa li ©ejt malajr g˙ax
g˙andna xi˙a li g˙ad mhux nisranija u
hija marida ˙afna. Minn mument g˙all-
ie˙or tistenna t-tmiem.”
“Jekk hija marida ˙afna,” g˙idtlu jien,
“missek g˙ammidtha inti stess.”
“Fadar, ma riditnix. Semg˙et li inti g˙andek
tasal u riedet tistenna lilek biex tirçievi l-
mag˙mudija minn idejk.” Morna l-g˙arix
tag˙ha flimkien mal-folla u d˙alna g˙andha.
“Oh Fadar,” bdiet tg˙id malli ratni,
“Kemm ili nistennik. Naf li kellek ti©i.
Issa nitolbok tg˙ammidni malajr.”
“G˙andek tirringrazzja lill-iljunfanti li
rnexxieli nasal issa,” g˙idtilha. Minn
kliemha jiena fhimt li hi kienet taf it-talb
sewwa. “Allura inti trid l-ilma li jnaddaf
ir-ru˙, hux tassew?”
“Iva Fadar, nixtieq li r-ru˙ tieg˙i ssir
sabi˙a b˙ax-xemx.” Billi rajt li kienet
waslet fl-a˙˙ar u tbati biex tie˙u n-nifs
˙assejt li ma kellix intawwal iΩjed.
Wara ç-cerimonja ˙assitha wisq fil-paçi.
G˙olliet idejha u bil-ftit sa˙˙a li kien
fadlilha g˙ajtet. “Bantung, Bantung!” (Il-
©enna, il-©enna).
Imbag˙ad morna fil-kappella tal-post.
G˙idna xi talb flimkien, kantajna l-innijiet,
g˙amiltilhom ukoll daqsxejn ta’ priedka,
tawna nieklu u n©barna norqdu.
Minn ̇ in g˙all-ie˙or tal-lejl beda jinstema’
l-g˙ajat tat-tigra fil-bog˙od.
Fil-g˙odu hekk kif qomna, ©ie l-katekista
javΩani li x-xi˙a kienet mietet mal-lejl.
G˙alhekk organiΩΩajna funeral bil-
quddiesa, it-talb u d-difna quddiem in-
nies tar-ra˙al kollu.
Meta lestejna minn kollox, jien qbadt it-
triq lura, na˙seb kif il-Providenza kienet
fet˙itilna dik it-triq wiesg˙a u twila
permezz ta’ l-iljunfanti.
SRI LANKA - THE PEOPLE
Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon) is a
tropical island-nation, some 31 km. south-
east of India. The island has a history
that goes back a very long way; scholars
testi fy that there were human
settlements on the island at least 130,000
years ago. A very high percentage of the
more than 20 million population is of
Indian origin. The majority (the Sinhalese
group) traces its origin from thousands
of years back, and is considered to be
the native people of the country. The
Sinhalese form 73,8% of the population,
while a smaller group of Tamils from
Southern India forms the second biggest
group (over 8,5%), living mainly in the
northern part of the island. Of the total
population, Buddhists account for 69.1%,
Muslims 7.6%, Hindus 7.1%, Christians
8% and unspecified groups about 10%.
The civil war between the Sinhalese and
the Tamil people has caused more than
100,000 deaths in the last two decades;
and displaced more than 200,000 Tamils
who sought refuge in the West. The
island was very severely affected by the
tsunami of 26 December 2004, which
caused more than 10,000 deaths and
enormous damage. The Salesians speedily
mobilized resources to bring solace and
comfort to the bereaved, and provided
food, shelter and other amenities for
the people.
EVANGELISATION
Already in 1505 Portuguese priests had
arrived on the Island, but the real
organised work of evangelisation in Sri
Lanka began in 1543 and made great
progress in the first half of the 17th
century, with the arrival of various groups
of missionaries. Among them was Bl.
Joseph Vaz, a priest from Goa. But, during
the second half of the same century,
when the Island nation came under Dutch
rule (1650-1795), evangelisation suffered
a serious setback. Later, with the arrival
of the British, the situation improved,
though various factors continued to be
an obstruction to Church activities till
the independence of the country in 1948.
The Catholic hierarchy was established
in 1886. In 1893 a Pontifical Seminary
was opened in Kandy to provide for the
priestly training of the clergy from India
28
and Sri Lanka. In 1955, the Pontifical
Seminary of Kandy was transferred to
Pune in India, and in its place the National
Seminary of Our Lady of Sri Lanka was
opened in Ampitiva to serve the dioceses
of Sri Lanka. Today, the Catholic
population stands at 1,365,000 (6.8% of
the total); with 11 dioceses, 1,080 priests
(683 diocesan and 397 religious) and a
total number of 3,038 consecrated
religious, 577 men and 2,461 women.
The greatest challenges faced by the Sri
Lankan Church are work for
reconciliation between the Tamils and
the Sinhalese, the resolution of the ethnic
problem, and the achievement of greater
dialogue with the Buddhists.
MYANMAR - PEOPLE AND
POLITICS
Myanmar (formerly Burma) lies in
southeast Asia. Neighbouring countries
are China, Laos, Bangladesh and Thailand,
and it is bordered by the Andaman Sea
and the Bay of Bengal. The population
of Myanmar is about 48,000,000, of which
Buddhists account for 89%, Christians
4%, and Muslims 4%.
Since 1988, a ruthless mil itary
government has ruled the country. It
does not allow the citizens their human
rights: freedom of political self-
determination, freedom of the press and
freedom of expression. The ethnic
groups in the States of Shan, Mon, Karen
and Karenni (on the borders of Thailand)
are repressed by the Government for
military reasons with a systematic plan
of “ethnic purification”, as it is called.
THE CHURCH
The origin of the Church in Myanmar
can be traced to the middle of the
29
to be continued …
sixteenth century, specifically in an
attempt at evangelisation in 1544 by a
French Franciscan. Almost a hundred
years later the Capuchins came, followed
by the Barnabites. During the first half
of the 19th century, as an aftermath to
the war between the British and the
Burmese, the Church underwent almost
total extermination, so much so that in
1866 there were only two Catholic
priests remaining. However, the situation
gradually improved and the Catholic
hierarchy was established in 1995.
Today, Myanmar has a Catholic
population of over 620,000 (1.16%); with
13 dioceses, 574 priests (540 diocesan
and 34 religious), and 1,627 consecrated
religious, of whom 139 are men and
1,488 women.
In 1965/6 the Government nationalised
all the ecclesiastical institutions. But
despite these obstacles arising from the
political situation, the Church is still
vibrant and dynamic. From 1995, the
Myanmar Catholic Bishops’ Conference
has been pressing for freedom of religion
on the basis of the National Constitution.
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31
The Qur’an and the Bible
Nasr’s words make clear how important
it is to have some grasp of the Qur’an
if we are to gain any real understanding
of Islam. Initially, this may not seem too
daunting a task; the Qur’an isn’t too long
- slightly shorter than the New
Testament - and it’s available in English
translation. But most first-time readers
find it extremely difficult to get into. Part
of the problem is that readers with some
familiarity with the Bible tend to have
misguided assumptions as to how the
Qur’an works. We expect it to have a
different message from the Bible, but we
are probably less aware of how different
the Qur’an is in terms of structure and
genre. The Bible begins with the creation
of heaven and earth and ends with the
creation of a new heaven and earth; in
between a story unfolds in (broadly
speaking) chronological order.
In contrast, the Qur’an doesn’t set out
to give us a clear linear narrative. It’s
more like a collection of sermons,
delivered by one man - and all of it of
course, believed by Muslims to have
been dictated by God.
slam, arising 600 years after Jesus, presents itself as the true fulfilment of
the message that Jesus preached. Muslims see the Qur’an as the final
and definitive word of God, superseding the Bible. Muslims view Muhammad
as the greatest of all prophets, and they believe that the Qur’an is God’s
final revelation. The Muslim scholar S.H. Nasr writes that the Qur’an is “the
central reality in the life of Islam... the world in which a Muslim lives... the
tissue out of which the life of the Muslim is woven.”
32
Furthermore the passages of the Qur’an
are not organised in chronological order.
Most of the late material is toward the
beginning, and most of the earliest
material is towards the end. If you try
to read the Qur’an from cover to cover,
you won’t get a clear sense of a
developing message.
Another difficulty is that the Qur’an
rarely gives us any help about
understanding the context of the
passages. It’s rather as if the Gospels
consisted only of the words Jesus
speaks, with none of the surrounding
narrative.
This makes an initial reading rather
difficult, because the Qur’an consistently
refers to unspecified events and people.
Muhammad obviously knew what he was
talking about, and presumably his listeners
usually did, but we don’t necessarily. So
to understand the Qur’an we need to
learn something about the human drama
of Muhammad’s life from Islamic sources
other than the Qur’an.
Fortunately there are many books on
Muhammad in English, and it’s really with
one of these that we should start.
Similarities and Differences
If we persevere beyond the Qur’an’s
initial difficulties, the Christian should
find much that is reminiscent of the
Bible. At the simplest level, many of the
characters appear in both scriptures,
most obviously Adam, Noah, Abraham,
Moses and Jesus. However, this should
be carefully interpreted. The same
characters, and to some degree the
same stories may crop up, but the
overall pattern of Christ’s dealing with
the world is quite different.
Moving beyond characters to themes,
many lyrical Qur’anic passages celebrate
God’s abundant generosity in creation;
these are not hard to parallel in the
Bible especially in the Psalms. The
Qur’anic diagnosis of the human
condition will at times strike the
Christian as very apt; as for example,
the frequent denunciation of those who
call on God in dire need, but otherwise
never give him a second thought; or
the Qur’anic picture of the man who
thinks wealth will make him immortal,
calling to mind the parable of the rich
fool. The Qur’anic concern with justice
for the vulnerable in society will also
ring familiar bells.
Elsewhere the Christian will be aware
of a sense of confrontation as the
Qur’an specially “corrects” Christian
doctrines such as the Incarnation and
the Trinity. As the Christian becomes
familiar with the Qur’an, one crucial
contrast emerges. The Bible tells the
story of God’s loving purposes for the
world - involving many divine initiatives,
including the sending of the prophets,
but culminating in the person of Jesus,
in whom God is joined to created
matter, taking flesh to draw creation
33
back to himself at a great cost. The
Qur’an also tells a story of divine mercy,
but culminating not with a human person
as the embodiment of God’s purposes,
but with the Book, the Qur’an. So the
proper comparison to make is not really
between the Qur’an and the Bible but
between the Qur’an and Christ: Word
made book, and Word made flesh.
Understanding and Faith
Muhammad Hamidullah, a well-known
Indian Muslim scholar, brings the
contrast into focus when he writes:
“There are several ways of establishing
contact or communication between
man and God. The best would have
been incarnation, but Islam has rejected
it. It would be too degrading for a
transcendent God to become man, to
eat, drink, be tortured by his own
creatures, and even put to death.”
There are many good reasons for
Christians to seek to understand Islam,
but the pursuit of understanding should
never gloss over the distinctiveness of
each faith. The Christian who engages
with Islam to any degree will in the end
run up against a theological impasse.
That is not a bad place to be: it keeps
dialogue honest. It may also jolt the
Christian into deeper reflection on the
heart of our faith, the mysterious claim
that the glory of God our Creator is
most fully recognised in the crucified
and risen Jesus.
(Newsletter for the Parish for English
Speaking Catholics No.144 April 2007
p22-23)
Boys at the
Qur’an School
34
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