A full personal account of Fr General’s visit to St Aloysius College

Long post warning!!… It was a full day!

It was bright and early when I arrived at St Aloysius College Primary School in Balzan to find rows of little children all lined up, smart, bright and shiny, waiting for ‘Fr General’. They were excited, and some of their teachers were not just a little anxious – organising hundreds of little ones into an orderly morning of welcome, song and dance was no mean feat!

It went marvellously. Fr General arrived, all smiles, and the children welcomed him cheerfully and of course posed their questions to him: What were your hobbies when your were younger? What was your life like at school? How did you feel when you became Father General? – “Scared! But I soon became excited, as I got to know the role and the Society better.” What are your dreams for the future? This is how Fr Sosa’s visit to St Aloysius College in Malta began in the primary school.

Fr Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, hails from Venezuela and this was his first visit to Malta, the first stop on a familiarisation visit to the three other countries which make up the Euro-Mediterranean Province besides Italy – Romania and Albania and Malta of course. He was accompanied by the Provincial of the EUM Province Fr Roberto del Riccio SJ and by Fr General’s Regional Assistant for South Europe Fr Cipriano Díaz Marcos. A whole day from their four-day itinerary was dedicated to visiting St Aloysius College, with a visit to its sports complex in the afternoon and dinner with the Jesuit community living at the College in the evening.

Ms Daniela Camilleri Sacco, Head of SAC Primary school welcomed Fr Sosa, expressing her delight at his visit and explaining that “the primary school was previously run by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, and it was only in 2008 that it was handed over to the Society of Jesus.  From that day, just like St Ignatius had instructed – Go and set the world on fire! – it is exactly what we have been doing!

We have embraced the Ignatian philosophy. Together with our chaplains, educators and Jesuits, we have made it our mission to become more and more Ignatian.  Thanks to professional development days, special Ignatian days and a variety of workshops we are becoming more in tune with Ignatian teachings and Ignatian spirituality in our everyday lives, with each other, with parents and mostly with our students. We constantly keep our motto in mind – Being Men and Women for Others and With Others. Throughout the day it fills my heart with joy when visitors come to the school for the first time, and notice that the cura personalis spirit can be felt around the school. It is for this reason that, although limited, the Jesuit presence in our school is much appreciated.”

Read the full address of the Head of SAC Primary School

The Primary School is co-ed, and the school gymnasium was packed with hundreds of girls and boys organised and primed (this must have taken a lot of preparation!). They sang beautifully and danced to ‘Light of the World’, and once Selen Cole, Luca Sciberras, Sophie Caruana and Jayden Vassallo had asked Fr General their questions they all sang the school anthem. It went well, really well, and I’m sure that once we left the hall the sigh of relief and satisfaction from the grown-ups must have been audible! Well done to all the pupils!

After some photos with the School Management Team, Fr General and his companions were whisked off to the Sixth Form, where they were welcomed by the student council. It’s exam season, and the Upper Sixth Formers are currently sitting for their A levels, so the Sixth Form was far queter than usual. The Lower Sixth students were in their classes and there was a general hush until the bell rang, when students spilled into the corridors and preparations began almost immediately for a Mass with students and staff in the assembly hall which Ms Cristina Spiteri, the Sixth Form chaplain, had prepared beautifully to accommodate as many students and members of staff as possible.

Head of Sixth Form Ms Gabby Abela, welcomed Fr General at the start of the Mass.

“As you can see before you here in this hall, our sixth form is made up of many young people between the ages of 16 and 18, these are the two years before they go to on to university. Our mission in our school is to educate them first and foremost in the subjects they have chosen but we also work hard to educate them to eventually become responsible citizens who have the wellbeing of others and of society at heart.

At the centre of this is our invitation to them to enter into a deeper relationship with Christ. We are filled with hope when we see our young people here, working hard to obtain good results for their future as well as committing themselves to causes of justice such as ecology and migration, and giving compassionate service to people in need.”

Read the full address of the Head of Sixth Form

The music liturgy group was large, with students playing anything from paino and guitars to violins and cello. They’re a talented bunch!

During his homily adressing the young people, Fr Sosa said “You are at an important junction in your life where you are becoming young adults and making decisions about how to realise your dreams for your future.

You have a voice – do not be afraid to use it and use it well. You CAN make a difference to society today. Believe in this inner voice of yours and learn to cultivate it by striving to be competent in whatever you do. Be conscientious to distinguish between good and evil. Be committed to use your intelligence to promote what is good and what is beautiful. Strive for the greater common good. Be compassionate towards the weak, the poor and those who are suffering.

Jesus promises us joy, true joy that can never be extinguished. Never forget Jesus’ words: “no one will take your joy away from you”. And so, I invite you to reflect on this – what am I seeking? What do I wish to contribute to our world? How can I use what I have received gratuitously for the good of others?

I reiterate that you will experience true and lasting joy by allowing the Voice of Jesus to speak to your heart and by responding with your own voice to spread the true joy and peace of the Risen Christ.”

Read the full homily of Fr General at the Mass with Sixth Formers

During the offertory students brought up various symbols representing their life at the College, which offers a diverse and inclusive range of co-curricular activities from the dance, drama, music and song of the annual Soiree to the hours spent volunteering through each student’s participation in the Sixth Form’s social responsibility project.

After Mass there was a quick scramble in the lobby for photos with Fr General by members of EYM and members of the music liturgy team, and then we moved on across the road to the Secondary School, the original vast building constructed at the beginning of the last century to house and educate thousands of alumni in the inimitable Jesuit way.

Members of the St Aloysius Scouts troop were there on point to salute Fr General on entry. If my memory serves me well, this was one of the first Scout groups to be established on the island. They did a swell job and brought a smile to Fr General’s face as he made his way towards the famous SAC theatre where the whole secondary school student population were gathered, ‘Ad Maiorem Dei’ playing in the background – quite grand!

Fourth form student Thomas Grima welcomed Fr General and introduced a video which captured the spirit and mission of the college, and Mr Edwin Ungaro, Head of Secondary School, addressed Fr Sosa, explaining “there is one aspect in the formation we offer our students that remains central, if not unique to our school and College. The theme that we chose for this scholastic year, ‘Being with and for others’ encompasses this perfectly. It is very clear that it is based on Fr Arrupe’s famous words that ‘Only by being a man or woman for others does one become fully human.’

All the experiences that we offer to our students are set while keeping these important words in our minds. We try to achieve this by setting an example while promoting a sense of collegiality among our students as well as our educational community in general while supporting everyone with the goal of reaching their own Magis.”

Read the full address of Head of Secondary School

‘Only by being a man or woman for others does one become fully human.’ – A shadow puppet production by students followed portraying parts of the life of Fr Pedro Arrupe SJ, showing how on a daily basis, Fr Arrupe set an example for us all to follow.

Of course no event of this kind at College will be complete without a number or two by one of the students’ bands, and this time it was a couple of jazzy numbers, renditions of ‘Come together’ and ‘Feeling Good’.

Fr General took to the podium, and addressed the student body decked in their iconic blue college blazers.

“Being ‘a man for others’ is a phrase that is 50 years old, but brand new, coined in 1973 by Fr. Pedro Arrupe to the graduating students in Valencia, Spain,” Fr. Sosa pointed out. “To be with and for others means to be people who cannot love God without loving their neighbour. This is the portrait of a student in a Jesuit school.” He gave two examples related to Fr. Arrupe: “When Hiroshima was bombed, Fr. Arrupe, who was novice master in Japan at the time, took in the wounded in the novitiate. In that desolation he went down on his knees and prayed. This experience marked his whole life. He founded JRS in 1980 when he saw so many Vietnamese refugees being killed or drowned by pirates as they fled their war-torn homeland. He asked the Jesuits to help “at least bring some relief”. JRS has grown throughout the world and is present in Malta. Each of us can contribute to a better world.

You have many opportunities to become men and women for and with others. Pope Francis reminds us to “stay awake and don’t sleep, don’t lie on the sofa”, don’t waste time on social media, but use it well, listen carefully and pray. We need love, we need courage, we need constant commitment, we need each other”.

Read the full address by Fr General to the Secondary School students

Lior Schembri sang his heart out with ‘Inti r-raguni’ before Fr Sosa left the theatre for a coffee break where he signed the College’s visitors’ book.

With the good taste of the beautiful welcome at St Aloysius College still in my mouth, I wholeheartedly desire that the seed that was sown constantly and with love for teachers, administration and workers may leave its abundant fruit in each student for the good of all. May God our Father fill you with his blessings. – Arturo Sosa SJ, 10^th May 2024

Back to the theatre (it’s a packed programme, giving everybody the opportunity to meet Fr General!) to the sound of Ira Losco singing on stage, and this time the theatre is filled with all members of staff. The College has 353 employees and a student body of just over 1500.

It is Fr Sosa’s final official address of the day, where he highlighted some of the basic characteristics of the Ignatian educator: To be magnanimous, that is, to have a big heart and a big mind. Desiring great things and therefore doing well even the small things of daily life with a heart open to God and to others, educating young people in generosity, a very important task today considering the crisis of the family.

He encouraged the facilitators of faith journeys to help each one to have a deep and personal encounter with Jesus, starting with the Spiritual Exercises, to help them encounter God in the classroom, not only to transmit information, but to promote active learning for the intellectual and spiritual growth of the students, to develop critical thinking, empathy, understanding of different perspectives, amazement, wonder, and the release of desires.

He also encouraged to prepare citizens of the world, fostering appreciation of different cultures, languages and traditions, promoting reconciliation and justice, through practical experience, sustainability and care of creation and to work together in the one mission of the Society, experiencing community discernment and sharing our charisms. “Together, we walk the paths of light and love in the darkest corners of the world”.

Read the full address of Fr General to College staff

After the national anthem led a capella by Ira Losco, Fr General proceeded to a lovely lunch in the Sixth Form Assembly Hall with the Senior Leadership Team members and other guests, all of whom play a key role in the work and mission of St Aloysius College.

After all the weeks of meticulous preparation, it was over – St Aloysius College had welcomed Fr Sosa in its entirity, and had been enriched with his warmth and presence, his listening and interest, his wise words, his quips and the way he brought the global Society within the College’s walls.

It is easy for much to be lost in the business of the moment, but once the flurry has settled and when the time is right, we can go back to the words and messages that have been left behind, and let them settle deeply to nourish what is already there. AMDG.

Account by Alison Vella, from behind the lens

Photos from visit to SAC Primary:

Visit to SAC Sixth Form:

Visit to SAC Secondary School: