San Gejtanu and the Ħamruniżi
As many of you are aware, Ħamrun is in a festive mood this week. This weekend, the Ħamruniżi will join forces and with enthusiasm and zeal, particularly on Sunday, they will pay tribute to San Gejtanu, patron saint of the unemployed, the job seekers, the
info@peopleatwork.com.mt an Gejtanu was born to an aristocratic family in Vicenza, Northern Italy, He studied civil and canon law. He soon felt that Rome had lost its Christian spirit and launched a Church reform, first renouncing his title, and then founding the Theatines and working with the poor and the incurable. When the saint was on his deathbed, his fellow Theatine brothers wished to move him from the floor where he habitually slept to a proper bed to make him more comfortable. However, San Gejtanu, resigned to the Will of God, was happy to suffer in offering a last act of penance for himself and the world. He protested and said: “If hard wood is good enough for my Saviour to die on, then it is good enough for me.”
The remains of San Gejtanu are in the church of San Paulo Maggiore in Naples, Italy.
San Gejtanu was introduced to the Ħamruniżi by Gaetano Pace Forno, Bishop of Malta with the titular title of Archbishop of Rhodes. When a new parish church was being built in Ħamrun in the 1870s, he expressed his wish to have the church dedicated to his namesake, San Gejtanu. The Ħamruniżi of the time obliged with open arms. We owe it to them.
But from the spiritual to the revelry!
Like most of the Ħamruniżi, this week I will put aside almost everything on my To-Do list and focus on the events which for the Ħamruniżi take precedence. Among these, meeting with old friends and colleagues to share the festive spirit is obligatory. San Gejtanu is a unifying personage for the Ħamruniżi, this notwithstanding the rivalry and healthy competition that exists between the Għaqda tal-Mużika San Gejtanu and the Soċjetà Mużikali San Ġużepp. Both band clubs are situated on the main road, and both attract a large number of supporters, are well organised, and have an army of volunteers. The Soċjetà Mużikali San Ġużepp was founded in 1889 and later, in 1906, the Għaqda tal-Mużika San Gejtanu was set up. Supporters of the former fly blue flags, the latter red.
On Sunday, many Ħamruniżi will strive to split their day into two. In the morning, despite the scorching sun, the Ħamruniżi will garner the required energy and take to the streets to actively participate and support one of the two band clubs. In the evening, despite the fatigue, many will join in the solemn procession with the statue of San Gejtanu. The highlight will be the statue of San Gejtanu being carried into the parish church, with the traditional running up the steps of the church parvis.
I know that I am biased, being a Ħamruniż born and bred, but I dare say that the feast of San Gejtanu is one of a kind. On Sunday morning, on the day of the feast, the streets of Ħamrun are a sea of blue and red. The festivity of the morning band marches, which attract thousands, is unrivalled. And although some may speak of excesses, I have to say that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. And it’s not me saying this. This is according to King Solomon, the tenth son of David and the third King of Israel. Tradition tells us that this was written toward the end of King Solomon’s reign. He earned a reputation for having great wisdom, his wealth and his writings, though he also earned other less favourable references.
“There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens,” cited in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, deals with the balanced, cyclical nature of life and illustrates that there is a proper time for everything and for every matter in life. For the Ħamruniżi, old and young, the feast of San Gejtanu is a case in point. The passage mentions there is a time a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to be silent and a time to speak. I dare add there is time to be spiritual, but there is also a time for celebrations. Thus the traditional colourful Sunday morning manifestations with which the Ħamruniżi celebrate the feast of San Gejtanu compliment the spiritual.
It is pertinent to note that Pope Francis is an eminent devotee of San Gejtanu. For many years before he was elected to lead the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis used to lead pilgrims to the main sanctuary of San Gejtanu in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a country of which San Gejtanu is the patron saint.
To all the Ħamruniżi friends, I take this opportunity to wish them a happy feast.