Handing out fishing rods
Book traces 120 years of Salesian presence in Malta, Gozo
Philanthropist Alfons Maria Galea (1861-1941) had wanted to set up a charitable and industrial institution catering for the education of the young in difficulty and which would eventually be handed over to the Salesians of Don Bosco. The idea had been germinating in his mind since January 1893, but more than four years had to pass before he set the ball rolling.
In April 1897, he wrote to the governor making a formal proposal. He informed Sir Arthur Lyon Fremantle he was offering a plot of land in Sliema together with £1,000 (sterling) – which would exceed €120,000 today – for the project he had in mind.
There could have been some confusion. The government was thinking more in terms of some form of reformatory run on less severe lines than an institute where young delinquents were sent by the court.
Though not necessarily excluding such function, what the generous benefactor also had in mind was a place where children of the poorer families could be trained in various trades “to acquire an honest and useful means of livelihood”.
So, apart from food and education to keep them away from vice, such children would also be given a fishing rod and trained how to use it. The rest is history, masterfully traced in the latest book by Mgr Joseph Bezzina entitled A History of the Salesians of Don Bosco in Malta and Gozo, printed at the Salesian Press, in Sliema, and which I edited.
As the superior of the Salesians of Don Bosco – Malta, Fr Paul Formosa, SDB says in the foreword to the publication that history is not just about recording the past but it helps us understand our roots, make sense of the present and shape our future.
“History,” the father provincial writes, “is a legacy which needs to be preserved for future generations, explaining our shared experiences. Without history, the future will have no grounding from where to operate. I augur that this publication, so rich in history, will reach its aims by cherishing the true value that history plays in each one of us.”
It is also history that the author stresses in his introduction to the book that took him three years to complete.
He quotes what Cicero wrote in his De Oratore: “History indeed is the evidence of the times, the light of truth, the life of memory, the teacher of life, messenger of antiquity: with what voice, unless the voice of the orator, can it be passed on into immortality?”
To the eminent historian, such aphorism summarises the contents of his work and the philosophy behind its conception and completion.
It was in early 2017 that I approached the author with the idea of chronicling the history of the Salesians of Don Bosco in Malta and Gozo. It had been my dream ever since I was provincial delegate of the Salesians in Malta between 1982 and 1985.
In the summer of 2017, the former head of department of Church history at the University of Malta was already doing the spadework on the publication, which has nine chapters.
It starts with an outline of the history of Malta and, particularly, of Sliema and the early connections of Don Bosco with Malta. In its final chapter, the author records the Malta Salesians’ achievements to the present times.
The publication records the history, dedication and love for the education of youth, especially the poor, those in difficulty and those who badly need care, love and shelter. It is meant to serve three main purposes.
First, to show our appreciation for what the first Salesians did in the past, overcoming enormous challenges, bequeathing us the patrimony we enjoy today.
Second, to learn from them and to emulate their courage, inventiveness, creativity and their resolve to follow Don Bosco.
Third, to document in the Salesian history the various stages they lived to build the future we are living today.
Today, we boast of a glorious history built on enormous sacrifices and enthusiasm. The courage of the first Salesians led by ‘is-Sur Fons’ and Fr Patrick O’Grady, who understood the local situation and foresaw the urgent future needs of the young people of Malta, must remain the mirror and the path we have to follow and continue to pursue today. However, we must realise we live in different times and, therefore, with courage and creativity, we have to read and adapt to the needs of today’s youth.
The Salesian Family in Malta must treasure the past, look towards the future and build for the years ahead. Because education is like sowing the seeds of the future: the fruit is never guaranteed, it is not immediate but if we do not sow, there will surely be no harvest.