Jesuits in Malta

Already in St. Ignatius' time, from 1553, the bishop of Malta, Dominic Cubelles, began repeatedly asking Ignatius Loyola to send some members to Malta so as to help reform the diocese and the ruling Hospitalier Order of St John (Knights of Malta), as well as to start a College.

Ignatius saw the possibility of using Malta as a base to send Jesuits to Girba, near Tripoli. Given Malta’s geographic position and the proximity of the Maltese language to Arabic, Malta seemed to Ignatius an ideal stepping stone to train missionaries for the Muslim world.

The first known Jesuit to come to Malta was Fr G. Carminata, a well known preacher. In 1577, he was invited by the Grandmaster to give Lenten sermons to the knights of St John. The newly appointed bishop of Malta, Thomas Gargallo, in 1578, asked Fr Carminata, then provincial of Sicily, to send Jesuits to Malta to open a College. Fr Carminata obliged by sending three: Fr Casati, Fr Paraninfo and Br Longo. However, due to disputes between the Maltese authorities, the college was not built, and the three Jesuits were recalled back to Sicily.

The Sicilian Jesuits returned to Malta in 1590, on the bishop’s insistence, and settled helping victims of the plague then ravishing the islands.

In March, 1592, Pope Clement VIII sent letters to the bishop and Grandmaster ordering them to settle any differences at once and provide funds for the establishment of a Jesuit college. The college was founded instead of a seminary, the setting up of which was ordered by the Council of Trent, and confirmed in a 1591 diocesan synod. Two Jesuits arrived to make the necessary preparations.

The College opened on 8th March 1593 in a house in Valletta which served both as the school and the residence for nine Jesuits. The construction of the “Collegium Melitense” (which until the 1970’s housed the Malta University) and the Jesuit Church in Valletta, started in 1595. Besides teaching within the college, the members of the Jesuit community distributed food to the poor, heard confessions, preached in the villages, taught Christian doctrine to children, worked for conversion of Turks, acted as intermediaries between rival families helping to resolve blood feuds, and established Marian congregations for different groups of people.

On two occasions the Jesuits were made scapegoats and had to leave Malta. The first occasion was in 1639 when tensions arose between the rigid and orthodox Grandmaster and a number of liberal knights. The second occasion was in 1768. After the Jesuits were expelled from different countries in Europe, it was the turn of Malta to expel the Jesuits. At the end of April, 1768, Grandmaster Pinto - who himself appreciated the work of the Jesuits in Malta - banished the Order from Malta, and consequently, against the Pope’s wish, confiscated all its property. The Jesuits were put on a French ship and taken to a port near Rome.

Following the Suppression and Restoration of the Society of Jesus, the first Jesuits returned to Malta in 1839 but stayed only for a few days while in transit to other countries. At this period, Malta was a British colony, and the Maltese started to put pressure on the authorities to set up a Jesuit college in Malta once more because they were worried about the strong Protestant influence brought about by the British presence. The Holy Father asked the Jesuit General, who in turn asked the Provincial in England, to open a College in Malta. The government yielded to the opening of a Jesuit college in Malta, provided it was run by British citizens. In 1845, English Jesuits founded St Paul’s College in Mdina. This closed down in 1852 and after a brief restart in Valletta, the college shut its doors permanently in 1858.

In 1848 and during the wars of Italian reunification (1860), the Jesuits in Naples and Sicily were threatened with expulsion, and many ended up in Malta. The Bishop welcomed the Jesuit refugees and gave them lodging in part of San Calcidonio in Floriana originally a Jesuit retreat house till the Jesuits’ expulsion when it fell into the hands of the Diocese of Malta. Now it is occupied by the Archbishop’s Curia.

In 1867 a noviciate was opened in Gozo. In 1872 a large house in Lija was acquired to accommodate Jesuits from the French, Neapolitan and Sicilian Provinces.

In 1877, the noviciate was transferred from Gozo to Santa Venera, and in 1879 from Santa Venera to Notabile. In 1881, the Palazzo Parisio in Naxxar was rented to house the increasing number of Sicilian and Maltese young Jesuit Students in the Juniorate, philosophate and theologate.

But the Jesuits were not content with the transfer of residences and the make-shift accommodation of their young students. They wanted to build a large college, suitable and comfortable, that would take in all Jesuit students under one roof. The site chosen was at Mriehel in Birkirkara. The new College, which opened in January 1897, was also called Collegio San Luigi.

The diocese of Gozo was established in 1864 and the following year the Bishop asked the Jesuits to open, take over the direction of and staff the Major Seminary and the secondary school which had to be opened. In August, 1909, after having run the Seminary and given their best to the Gozitan clergy and people for a span of 43 years, the Jesuits left following unsurmountable difficulties.

In 1876 St Ignatius College at St Julian’s opened in 1877 on the request of the Jesuit General to the British Provincial. The new College adopted the English system of education with English as its medium of instruction. A church adjoining the College was completed in 1881. The College flourished with good academic results and came to be recognised as one of the leading schools. The Jesuits also involved themselves in various pastoral ministries especially among the members of the English communities and the Military. The College closed down in July, 1907.

In the meantime, the political atmosphere in Sicily became sufficiently safe to justify the transfer in 1906 the Jesuit students to Acireale, and to Bagheria near Palermo, thus the building of the Collegio San Luigi in Birkirkara was left vacant and open for sale.

In the beginning of summer 1907, the Provincial appointed Fr Emmanuel Grima, then the Rector at the Gozo Seminary, to prepare in three months for the opening of a College in the existing building of Collegio San Luigi. Most of the furniture, including the statue of the College Madonna were brought over from St Ignatius’ College. The new College at Birkirkara under the protection of St Aloysius opened on 8th October, 1907.

At the turn of the 20th century there were three Jesuit communities in the Maltese islands, at the Seminary at Gozo (till 1909), and in Malta at  San Calcedonio (till 1918) and the College. These, together with Greece, formed part of the Sicilian Jesuit Province.  In 1924, a second community was opened at Floriana when the Jesuits were entrusted by the Government with the administration of Sarria church, Floriana, with the adjoining residence, both government properties.

This link with Sicily continued until 7th September, 1940, when, through a telegram, Fr J. Delia, the College Rector, was informed that he is appointed as Fr General’s “Delegate for the administration of the College, thus effectively separating the two Jesuit communities from the Sicilian Province and made them directly dependent on him.

At the end of the War the Jesuit Vicar General asked Fr Delia to prepare to open a Noviciate in Malta which was opened on 1st October, 1945.

Shortly after his election, the new Fr General informed Fr Delia about his decision to establish the Vice-Province of Malta. The Decree establishing the Maltese Vice Province was promulgated on 29th June, 1947. A few days later Fr Delia was appointed the first Vice Provincial. In 1983, the Vice-Province became a full-fledged Province.

The return of the Maltese Fathers, Scholastics and Brothers from Italy and the entrance of young men in the noviciate heralded a new bright future for the Jesuits in Malta. Existing apostolates and works were strengthened and new openings were being planned.

St. Aloysius’ College, Birkirkara

The College, inspired by Ignatian spirituality,  imparts a holistic education.  Through spiritual, cultural and social work experiences the College aims to enable the students to be persons for and with others.

Seven years after the opening of the College as a Secondary school, in 1914 a church was built and in 1928 a theatre hall was inaugurated. The Scouts at the College were established in 1916.

At the beginning of World War Two an attempt to confiscate the College was successfully overcome. Then during the War almost half the College was used as a hospital. For some time the Bishop’s Curia and other church and health department offices were located here. Medical students and seminarians had their classes here. After the establishment of the Vice-Province, the Provincial’s Offices were at the College till 1950 when they moved to Floriana.

The fields opposite the College were bought in 1947 for a new playground which was inaugurated in 1954. That same year the College badge and uniform were changed. The CYLO, a youth movement, was started in 1960. Then in 1962 the Sixth Form opened, only with an Arts section and suspended four years later. After four years it was reopened with the addition of two other sections: Languages and Maths. In 1972, girls were admitted in the Sixth Form. A new Complex for the Sixth Form was built and inaugurated in 1991.

The boarding system was abolished in 1963 and the day-boarding system finished in 1979. The College PTA and the College Newsletter were started in 1969.

The Church Schools problem caused by the government started in 1979 and dragged on for five years. First there was the issue of the pupil-worker scheme and the capitation fees were stopped. The next move was that the fees were frozen and then fees could not be charged. However, the parents voluntarily made donations. Big protest rallies were organised by the PTAs and Former Students. The Government withdrew the schools’ licence and classes were held in parents’ homes. At one time the Police placed chains on the College gates but the Parents and Old Aloysians stayed on to guard the College and the community. In November 1984, after an agreement between the Government and the Archbishop the Church Schools in Malta re-opened.

In the College church, Masses for the public are celebrated daily and it is often a preferred venue for weddings. The College Sports Complex and Gym was opened in 1997. The Jesuit residence was completed in 2002. During the College Centenary Year in 2007 the weekly Wednesday holiday was shifted to Saturday. In October Fr General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach presided over the Centenary celebrations.

Another milestone in the College annals opened in June 2008 when the Jesuits took over Stella Maris School run by the nuns to serve as the Primary Section of the College.

The JRS (Malta) offices were housed in the College Gym building for many years until they recently moved into the refurbished Sarria House in Floriana.

Over the span of a century the College contributed in no small way to Maltese society and to the formation of many important Maltese personalities attended the college, including Presidents of the Republic, noteworthy politicians, priests, religious, artists, lawyers, journalists and scientists.

Sarria Residence, Floriana

This residence was opened in 1924 when the Government entrusted the Jesuits with the administration of the church, which was built in 1677 by Martino de Sarria, a knight of St John.

More than twenty different groups meet here every month. On weekdays, a Mass is celebrated for workers from the nearby various government offices. On Sunday a Mass in English is celebrated.

The “Teenagers Correspondence Club” was established here and was followed in 1964, by the “Teens and Twenties Trust” (4Ts) which started here. The “Friendship Groups” saw their beginnings here in 1972.

Between 1950 and 1962, the Provincial’s Offices were located here.

There is no longer a Jesuit community residing in Sarria House. It was recently refurbished to house the Jesuit Refugee Service.

Loyola House, Naxxar

The Jesuit Noviciate opened on 1st October, 1945, in a Villa belonging to Marquis John Scicluna who in 1950 then donated it to the Province, was, for many years, the cradle of the Province where young men who decided to follow Christ began their spiritual journey.

In 1952 the foundation stone for the new noviciate and juniorate building was laid. With the dwindling number of novices, it was decided, in 1971, to give part of the new building to the Little Sisters of the Poor for an Old People’s Home. Due to lack of vocations, the Sisters withdrew in 1992 and the Catholic Action began to run it.

The first floor of the old building was renovated in 1995 and called “Monserrat” to be used by the Vocations Team and other youth groups for meetings and live-ins and for vocations promotion.

The Province Infirmary is also housed here.

From 1975, the Provincial’s Office were in a section of the House.

The Sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of the Way forms part of the House. Every day a number of Masses are celebrated and throughout the day many persons come here to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Various Fathers of the community give pastoral service in the parish and elsewhere.

Manresa Retreat House, Victoria, Gozo

After 43 years’ service at the Bishop’s Seminary in Gozo, the Jesuits left the Island. After a lapse of 44 years, at the request of the Bishop of Gozo, the Society was entrusted with the administration of the Retreat House for the retreat apostolate and spiritual help to the faithful of the neighbourhood. It opened on 21st October, 1953.

The House was extensively refurbished in 1995 and it is very much sought after by priests, religious and lay persons from Gozo, Malta and abroad, for directed, preached or private retreats, meetings, seminars and for some rest in quiet surroundings.

St Philip’s Residence, Senglea

This was opened on 1st November, 1957. The Archdiocese and the Collegiate Chapter of the city entrusted the Church and Residence to the Jesuits.

During their stay at Senglea, the Jesuits carried their pastoral ministry in the church, assisted the Archpriest and helped in the nearby parishes. Many people always found some priest available to help them in their spiritual and material needs.

At the end of 1997, Fr General issued a Decree which “suppressed and dissolved” the community. At the end of March, 2008, the Jesuits handed the keys to the Archdiocese who passed them on to the Salesians.

Xavier House, Valletta

In the 19th century this building was a hotel and later leased out to various families. A benefactor of the Province donated this vacant building to the Province. In September, 1962, the community moved in. At the same time the Provincial’s Offices were also shifted here from Floriana.

This Residence who just opposite the building of the University of Malta (initially the Jesuit’s Collegium Melitense) which some years later shifted to Msida. In 1965, during the time of Vatican II, John XXIII Library was started  here. Many students, priests, male and female religious and other lay persons availed themselves of the services it offered.

The office of the Benefactors Association was located here. For a number of years the editorial office of the magazine Problemi ta’ llum and Regina et Mater were also in this House. 

Everyday, some members of the community celebrated Mass in the Jesuits church (now government property). The Fathers were also available for confessions and spiritual direction.

A few years ago a decision was taken for the Jesuit community to move out of Xavier House.

Mount St Joseph Retreat House, Mosta

In 1753 the Jesuits had built the Retreat House at Floriana which after their expulsion became diocesan property. When the Jesuits left San Calcidonio in 1918 there was no retreat house in Malta. The need for a Jesuit retreat house in Malta was keenly felt by the Province and the Archbishop.

In 1961, on the outskirts of Mosta town, a property was bought in an area known as San Ġużepp tat-Tarġa (because of St Joseph’s statue on steps leading to the plain below). Construction work started in early 1961 and inaugurated in December, 1964. Our Jesuit Brothers played a big part in procuring the materials for the construction and in other works.

The House was extensively refurbished in December 2005. The huge concrete statute of St Joseph on the façade of the House developed cracks. It was replaced by another exact replica in fibreglass.

The Retreat House is located in spacious and quiet surroundings with an enchanting wide view of the plain below and the blue sea in the distance. This is one of the reasons why many individuals and groups throughout the year seek this place for encountering the Lord. Others come here to participate in some course, seminar or live-in.

The Fathers in the community are always available to welcome and assist those who come for some spiritual nourishment and refreshment. The priests also assist in various parishes.

The mission of the retreat house came under threat in 2015 with the proposal for an extensive shooting range complex to be developed next door. A strong national campaign was led by our Provincial together with a lay team to counter the proposal. Thankfully this proposal was eventually rejected for financial reasons.

Villa Pacis, Bugibba

In 1962 construction work started in a quiet area at Bugibba, St Paul’s Bay for a summer residence and for retreats during the other months. It was inaugurated in the summer of 1963. However, after a few years it was surrounded by a cluster of buildings which mushroomed in a short time. Thus the Province was forced to sell the house in 1969.

Dar Manwel Magri SJ, Msida

The Collegium Melitense, later the University of Malta, started at Valletta in 1592. Then in 1968, the University shifted to Msida. At the end of 1968, the Province acquired a small plot of land near the main gate of the new university for a new Jesuit residence. In December, 1992, the first community settled in the new Residence named after Fr Manwel Magri, SJ, a Maltese ethnographer, archaeologist and writer.

Close to the Residence is the University Chapel. In 1971 a Jesuit was officially appointed the first full time Chaplain at the University. But when the University was still at Valletta Jesuit Fathers used to attend to the needs of the students.

The Jesuit Chaplain, assisted by other Jesuits, lay staff and volunteers, cater for a population of over 10,000 comprising Professors, other staff and students. The Chaplaincy organises various religious and cultural activities. During the summer months the Chaplaincy organises voluntary work in Malta and in other countries. Long term voluntary service abroad has also been organised.

The ground floor of the house was recently refurbished to be used as a student hub, where young adults can meet, study, socialise and receive formation. It is a well-used venue for various meetings organised by the Jesuits and groups such as CLC for their meetings. The house also occasionally hosts meetings and sessions organised by university faculties.

Fekruna Rest House

Two adjoining houses at St Paul’s Bay were acquired in 1980 to serve as a rest house for Jesuits. It is also used for meetings of apostolic sectors of the Province and by youth and CLC groups for live-ins.

Marina Road, Pietà

In 1973, due to shortage of accommodation at the College, some Fathers took up Residence in a rented house on Birkirkara Hill, St. Julians. Then in 1975, it was closed and the community moved for a while to another rented house at Marina Road, Pietà.

Dar Pedro Arrupe, Zejtun

This is the last House that was opened in the Province. The presence of the Church and of the Jesuits in the south of Malta was lacking. So in 1989, this Residence was started which housed the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice.

The mission of the Centre was to link the service of the Christian faith with the promotion of social justice, to disseminate Gospel values and the social teachings of the Church, to train and form influential agents towards Christian social commitment, and to ensure presence, insertion and involvement among the grassroots. It also worked to support activities aimed at promoting social justice, to reflect on, raise consciousness and seek solutions to social problems and injustice in the light of the Christian faith.

The Formation/Reflection branch, made up mostly of non-Jesuits, organised and ran courses, focus groups, spiritual exercises with a social theme, public lectures, contributions to the media and at times action on a specific issue involving social justice. It reflected on current issues and receives ongoing formation.

The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice was dissolved in 2015.

The community at Zejtun was suspended since July 2015, with Jesuits redistributed to strengthen other existing communities.

As part of the Centre, in January, 2001, the Paulo Freire Institute was opened at Zejtun for the promotion of literacy and community development. It aims to encourage children to improve their reading and writing skills. It is also vital to empower their parents with important skills. Thus the main activities presently carried out at the Institute are: Non-Formal Educational Activities for children; Literacy Project for children; Literacy for Employment Project; Parental skills programmes; Female empowerment courses; Community Social Work and Energy-conservation educational programme.

International Apostolates

The mission of the Society of Jesus is indeed a universal one, without any kind of frontiers.

The major missionary enterprise in the history of our Province is surely the beginning of the mission in India among the Santal tribals. The seed sown there in 1925 has grown into a sturdy tree and given fruit. The Santal Mission has developed. Today the territory has been divided into three dioceses which are co-extensive with Dumka-Raiganj Province, one of the many Jesuit Provinces in India, with its own noviciate, colleges and other centres.

Maltese Jesuits also served in Vatican Dicasteries in Rome, as well as in the Jesuit headquarters, as Directors of the Centre for Ignatian Spirituality, in the office of the General Treasurer, in the Christian Life Community office and in the Historical Institute. Maltese Jesuits also serve in the international ecclesiastical Jesuit institutions. With dedication and zeal they also rendered apostolic service in China, the Philippines, Japan, Australia, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Uganda, Kenya, Libya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Israel, Italy, Albania, Romania, France, United Kingdom, Chile,  Brazil, Canada and the United States.

National

At some time some Maltese Jesuits served the Holy Father in the Apostolic Nunciature in the Archbishop’s Curia as the Archbishop’s Delegate for Religious, in the Workers’ Secretariat, for Youth in the Secretariat for Education, Ecclesiastical Assistant for the Catholic Action Movement, National Chaplain for the German-speaking community, as Public Relations Officer, as President of the Historical Commission for Causes of Saints and as Judges in the Metropolitan and Regional Ecclesiastical Tribunals. Worth mentioning is that in 1940, the Archbishop appointed one Maltese Jesuit as the Superior of the Missionary Society of St Paul until in 1948 one of the members was elected Superior General.

Spiritual

From the time of its foundation, the main spiritual ministries have always been preaching the Word of God, administering the sacraments, giving the Spiritual Exercises to individuals or groups, and spiritual direction. Other means  of their spiritual apostolates were the founding and animating the Sodalities of Our Lady (today known as Christian Life Community), the Eucharistic Crusade and the Apostleship of Prayer.  During Lent the Fathers preach Lenten Sermons in different parishes and groups.

Regularly the Fathers help in various parishes where they celebrate Masses and in hearing confessions. Some Fathers carried our pastoral work in the Dockyard and in Industrial Estates. For 33 years one Father served as the Chaplain of the German-speaking community in Malta. A number of Fathers are involved in Prayer Groups and youth groups. Jesuit Fathers also serve as Chaplains in State and Church schools.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus had entrusted to the Jesuit Fathers to promote and spread the devotion to his heart. The Society accepted this “sweet mandate”. Accordingly, through the Apostleship of Prayer with the monthly intentions proposed by the Holy Father, through the Consecration of Families and Groups to the Sacred Heart and through the periodical Il-Messaġġier tal-Qalb ta’ Ġesú as well as through radio programmes it continues to fulfil its mandate.

In October, 1927, the Director of the Apostleship of Prayer began to organise the corege in honour of Christ the King.

In the Maltese Province, the Centre for Ignatian Spirituality was established. It organises annual programmes of retreats and spiritual seminars as well as three-year courses to train lay persons to direct the Spiritual Exercises and be qualified as spiritual guides. An offshoot of this Course has been the establishing of the “Parish Ignatian Ministry”.

Diocesan Clergy Formation

The Maltese Jesuits have made a significant contribution to the formation of the diocesan clergy. In Malta, in the Archbishop’s Seminary, except for two years, from 1934 to 1988, the Spiritual Father was a Jesuit. Afterwards there were Assistant Spiritual Fathers. Other Jesuits were involved in lecturing in the Faculty of Theology at the University.

When, between 1978 to 1988, the Faculty of Theology at the University of Malta was suppressed, and the Holy See established a Pontifical Faculty at the Seminary, a Jesuit Father was elected President of the Faculty.  

After the Diocese of Gozo was established, in 1866 the Jesuits were invited to take over the direction and staffing of Bishop’s Seminary. This continued till 1908. Then in 1970, the Bishop of Gozo invited the Jesuits to provide a  Rector for the Seminary. In 1997 this responsibility was passed on to the diocesan clergy.

Other Maltese Jesuits worked in Seminaries in Kenya and Sudan.

Chaplaincy at the University

When the University of Malta was still at Valletta, various Jesuits used to attend to the spiritual needs of the students. After the University in 1968, moved to Msida, in January, 1971, a Jesuit was officially appointed the first full time Chaplain.

The Archbishop of Malta donated funds for the building of St Thomas More chapel where there are the offices of the Chaplain and the team.

The Chaplain and the Chaplaincy team are a constant presence, accompanying many on an individual basis as well as organising countless events which bring people together, offering formation, friendship and a sense of community on campus.

Various social activities, silent retreats, opportunities for accompaniment, guided prayer and Spiritual Exercises are offered, as well as long-term Ignatian formation opportunities (through collaboration with CLC).

Presence at the Junior College Sixth Form, Msida: After teaching Religion at the Junior College for some years, a Jesuit was appointed as Spiritual Father there in 1984, but the following year the government stopped the ministry he had been rendering for the past seven years. After a petition by more than a hundred staff members and by over one thousand students, the Education Minister of the time refused to re-consider his decision. He was re-appointed in 1988 and continued till 1998. He was succeeded by another Jesuit till 2004.

Intellectual apostolate

In 1961, for the first time since the Society lost the University during the Suppression, a Jesuit was appointed Lecturer in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University, and continued till 1964. Then in 1965 Fr Maurice Eminyan was appointed part-time Lecturer of Dogmatic Theology and Ecumenical Theology at the University and in 1968 he was elected Dean of the Faculty of Theology.

When the Foundation for Theological Studies was founded in 1990, Fr M. Eminyan was appointed its first Director.  In subsequent years other Jesuit Fathers were appointed Lecturers in the Departments of Biology, of Psychology, of Spiritual Theology, of Moral Theology, of Church History, of Law, of Spirituality and Pastoral Psychology, of Philosophy and of Latin and Greek.

Other Maltese Jesuits also fulfilled or still fulfill their intellectual apostolate abroad. One Father lectured at Nairobi University, another at the Oriental Institute in Rome. At the Gregorian University they lectured in the Departments of Theology, Philosophy and Church History. Another Father lectured in the Theological Faculty at Naples. One Father was Professor of Theology at the University of Detroit. Two others lectured at Heythrop College of the University of London. One Father lectured in Philosophy at the Pontifical Athenaeum in Pune, India.

In 1968 the Province established the Institute of Religious Studies to provide course in theology.

Besides lecturing some the Fathers in the Intellectual Apostolate also published books and articles related to their specialisation.

Social Apostolate

Two Maltese Jesuits were involved in the Young Christian Workers movement. Fr Michael Galea founded the Żgħażagħ Ħaddiema Nsara in Malta 1948. Another established a branch in the Archdiocese of Calcutta in India. In 1959, the ŻĦN began to publish the Il-Ħaddiem newspaper.

Already in 1955, the Province founded the “Catholic Social Guild” and in 1970 the Istitut Edukazzjoni Soċjali.

In April 1967, the Province accepted the Maltese Government’s invitation to provide a Principal, a Deputy Principal and two teachers for St Philip Neri’s School, a correctional home for boys at Santa Venera. This continued till December, 1972, when our services were terminated by mutual accord.

Another major step by the Province was taken in 1989 when it opened a Residence at Żejtun together with the Centre for Faith and Justice mentioned earlier. An offshoot of this Centre was the establishment of Paulo Freire Institute in the town.

Some Jesuits did some work experience at the Malta Drydocks.

Due to the arrival of asylum seekers and refugees arriving in Malta from Bosnia, Iraq and Sudan, the Province established the Jesuit Refugee Service in the Island, which had done and is still doing invaluable work in favour of asylum seekers and refugees. Migration, and its darker dimensions of racism and xenophobia, is one of the priority areas of the whole Society of Jesus.

Over the years The Jesuit Refugee Service (Malta) has been rendering service in assisting refugees in their needs, especially through legal assistance by qualified lawyers to legalise their situation especially in applying for refugee status. Social workers also see to their other needs.

JRS Malta organises school outreach programmes and several educational and training projects in the field.

The Paulo Freire Institute in Zejtun :

Thirty years ago, back in 1989 the Maltese Province opened a small community in Ir-Raħal t’Isfel, Żejtun. They formed part of the newly formed Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. One aim was to live close to the people and to understand them. At the same time the community was given the task to reflect on social justice issues in Malta and to help to promote justice in Malta. The Jesuits then had no idea that illiteracy was an important issue in Malta. It was through living close to the people that this was discovered. The formal setting up of the Paulo Freire Institute Foundation was the result of several years of listening to the needs of the community.

The Paulo Freire Institute in Zejtun was set up by the Maltese Jesuits to promote literacy and community development. The aim of the Paulo Freire Institute is to empower, and promote the self-development, self-confidence and the talents (including functional literacy) of each and every individual, especially the vulnerable in society.

For this reason our Institute applies three interrelated approaches: community development, formal and non-formal education and community social work.

 

The first periodical in Maltese was Il-Messaġġier Malti tal-Qalb ta’ Ġesú which started publication in 1912 and wound up in 1973. After the War, before the opening of the Noviciate and the establishment of the Province, the periodical Lil Ħbiebna saw the light of day in 1945. Three years later, the Communities of Christian Life began to publish Regina et Mater for is members. In 2005 these the latter magazine were merged, but in recent years were once again been published separately.

In keeping with the times, the Province started a social reflection magazine Problemi ta’ llum which ceased publication in 2000 to be replaced two years later by Orbis which for various reasons was also discontinued in 2007.

St Aloysius’ College till recently used to publish its illustrated annual magazine to record the year’s events in the life of the College.

In 1948, The Maltese Jesuit, an in house monthly newsletter started publication.

A 74-page booklet Books by Maltese Jesuits: a Bibliography was published in 2002. It contains the titles of books and articles in the original language and translations.

Over the years, various Jesuits took part in Radio Programmes and when Television was introduced in Malta some Jesuits were invited to take part in regular programmes. 

With the formation of the new EUM Province, the local Jesuit newsletter and the magazine Lil Hbiebna were ceased, and much of the online presence has been centralised to Rome. However there is still activity in local media, and online emphasis is placed on the 'Jesuits in Malta - Euro Mediterranean Province' Facebook page. 

Whereas all works by Jesuits in Malta used to be gathered together on one website while the Maltese Jesuit Province was still in existence, new sites for individual Jesuit works were then developed according to the guidelines issued by the communications office in Rome once the EUM Province was established. The main website for Jesuits is now https://jesuits-eum.org/

Through its educational apostolate and its Catholic movements, the Jesuits in Malta and Gozo have always played a very important and influential role in the holistic formation  of youth. The contact and apostolate with youth increased considerably through the work of the University Chaplaincy.

At the College, the Catholic Young Leaders Organisation (CYLO) was founded in 1960.

Other organisations established for youth were the Teenagers Correspondence Club established in 1963 and then theTeens and Twenties Talent Trust (4Ts) started in 1969.

Then in 2004, the Ignatian Youth Network, inYgo was established as a part of inYgo International. inYgo brought together young people, ages 16-26, who were in touch with Jesuits and Ignatian spirituality through St Aloysius’ College, the University Chaplaincy, Paulo Freire Institute, the Christian Life Communities and the Saturday evening Mass in Sarria Church.

inYgo sought to accompany young people in their relationship with God, in building community and in their preferential option for the poor.

During the summer holidays inYgo organised voluntary work in Malta and overseas. Long-term volunteer work abroad was also organised.

InYgo was renamed Ignition Youth Network a number of years ago, and the set-up is being reviewed.

The volunteering opportunities are still organised by the University Chaplaincy.

Work with Youth is one of the Society's Universal Preferences, and it is certainly the focus of much energy, creativity and investment by the Jesuits in Malta, particularly at the University Chaplaincy, Dar Manwel Magri Students' Hub, and of course at our College and schools.

Collaboration with the laity is a strong characteristic of Jesuit apostolates in Malta. Over the past three decades this Jesuit-Lay and Lay-Jesuit collaboration was stressed and became one of the aims of our mission as Jesuits.

In 2001 a Jesuit Father was appointed to oversee the formation of our Lay Collaborators. Then once a year, Jesuits and their collaborators came together to pray, reflect and celebrate their collaboration in the one mission of Christ.

Ever since the formation of the EUM Province however, the overseeing of the Jesuit-lay collaboration in Malta as a whole has no longer been assigned to any Jesuit.