The Museum Issue 18 October 2015

CONTENTS Life at The Abbey Interview With Sr Agnes Wolko osb John Bosco Memoirs of the Oratory Liturgy and Art A Dream Unfolds The Foundation of the SDC To Sow the Seed of God’s Word Preca Community in Action Society of Christian Doctrine Quiet Achievers in the Community Preca Community Website Cover: Statue of the Sacred Heart of Christ at Sacred Heart Monastery, Croydon, Victoria.

Location of Retreat held by Australian Members in July 2015.

Back Page: Cloister of Benedictine Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, Cologne, Germany

the MUSEUM

A Magazine of the Society of Christian Doctrine, founded by Saint George Preca No 18 | October 2015 Editor: Peter L Judge Contact: Society of Christian Doctrine - Preca Community Preca Centre - Forteviot 500 Sandy Bay Road Lower Sandy Bay 7005 ph 61 3 6225 1646 e-mail sdcpreca@optusnet.com.au This magazine is also available online at: www.precacommunity.org Design: Veritas Press, Żabbar, Malta

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"Sometimes children come to our gateway and ask to visit the animals.

Then they often ask questions about our life and about God."

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INTERVIEW With Sr Agnes Wolko osb A Benedictine Sister of the Blessed Sacrament 1. Sr Agnes, what were your early inspirations that drew you to the contemplative life?

Before I entered the monastery I worked as a kindergarten teacher. My wish in following my vocation was to join and serve in an apostolic community.

I had the chance to meet and observe different sisters and communities. Mother Teresa’s work with the poor impressed me very much. There was also an occasion for me to meet the Missionary Sisters of Charity and to help them in their work. But even though I was touched and impressed; I felt deep inside that God would like me to be in another place.

When I first visited the Benedictine sisters in Cologne I didn’t think about entering this monastery. I only went there to spend a few days of silence and prayer. But here I felt, that this is the place God would like me to be. Being here I recalled a previous experience I had encountered: that prayer has more power than all our good deeds.

2. At what stage in religious life are you presently at?

I joined the monastery nine years ago in July 2006.

My final vows were on the 2 February 2012. In our monastery this ends formation in the novitiate. But as Benedict calls his monasteries schools for God’s service, I will continue to learn until the end of my life. Every day there is something more I can learn about God, about my sisters in the community, about the world and about myself. On some days the way is narrow and it is very hard. Then it is good to know, that this way will lead to God. 3. Your lifestyle is based on the well tried formula of St Benedict. Do you believe that the ideals of St Benedict have something to offer the outside world?

I once had a dream which will help in answering.

In my dream I saw a large crowd of people. Some in this crowd were very crazy and did not behave as humans. They tried to hurt and kill each other. I have been in a place in a little community seeing this crowd, looking at all the cruel things and praying. Benedict and his sister Scholastica walked through the crowd. As they passed through, the 5

people woke up; they stopped killing and hurting each other and started to behave like humans again. Some followed Benedict and Scholastica.

To say it a little bit more concretely: in a world of consumer society, it means to try to protect the earth as Benedict suggests.

In a world where there is unfaithfulness, where families break their relationship and children grow up without a mother or father, where people make promises which they do not hold, Benedict invites us to fidelity.

Dialogue is the third point I would like to mention. Dialogue with each other, our environment and with God. 4. Today, there is a lot of interest in monastic life by many. What are the requirements that one needs to lead a life in a monastic community?

The most important requirements are a desire and willingness to search for God. A willingness to live a life in communion.

It is preferable to have completed education before entering into a monastery.

Personal maturity and a psychological health and balance. This is important because otherwise the life in a community can become a difficult challenge.

Because it is very difficult to decide before someone enters a monastery if he/she is following the vocation or his/her own ideas, the first period of formation is the time to discern.

5. This year, 2015, your monastery celebrated 125 years in the city of Cologne. Could you provide us with some history of the monastery?

The monastery in Cologne belongs to the Confederation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Our first foundation was in Paris on the 25 March 1653 by Mechtilde de Bar. During this century nine foundations followed, most of them in France and one in Poland. The institute has survived the French Revolution.

Following an invitation from the Archbishop of Cologne, the Prioress Mother Josephine and a little group of sisters from the monastery in Tegelen Netherlands, returned back to Germany. They lived there in Tegelen because of the “Kulturkampf�, the conflict under Bismarck between the German imperial government and the Roman Catholic Church from 1872 or 1873 until 1887 which was a 6

Sr Agnes and Sr Bonifatia who died on 21 September 2015, aged 95 was the oldest sister in the monastery.

difficult time for the Catholic church in Germany. In 1890, in a small house near the cathedral, Mother Josephine and the little group of sisters started a monastery in Cologne.

The estate of a generous family a few years later was granted making it possible for Mother Josephine to buy a ground outside the city and to build a new monastery. Cologne has expanded and today the monastery is located within the city.

At this stage we are 27 nuns living here in Cologne in the monastery. The youngest one is 26 years and the oldest until recently was 95 years old, Sr Bonifatia who died on 21 September 2015.

6. Your monastery is placed within the city of Cologne with the city fringes bordering your walls. How do neighbouring people view your monastery?

Neighbouring people view our monastery very different. Some see it as an oasis in the middle of the city. They enjoy the silence and are grateful for our prayer. People also come into our church and join our prayer. Our church is open throughout the day. Some of our neighbours have a view into our garden and enjoy seeing the cows grazing. Sometimes children come to our gateway and ask to visit the animals. Then they often ask questions about our life and about God. But for some people it is hard to understand why we live here in the monastery and gather to pray, why our house is so big and why we have such a large garden (one hectare).

There is also a possibility for neighbours in need to obtain food from the monastery.

7. The Church in Cologne is well established. Are young people sharing in the life of the Church in Germany today?

The answer is not very easy. I would say yes, even if you go into many parishes, you will not see many young people. During the first half of the twentieth century there were many families sharing in the life of the Church. There were also many catholic families immigrating from Poland and other countries to Germany. Because of the very big need many new parish churches were built. Today the number of people sharing in the life of Church is much smaller. Sometimes the little groups that meet for liturgy and Eucharist get lost in the big space of the churches. And sometimes it is difficult for young people in a parish to find people the same age and kindred spirit. One possibility is TaizĂŠ prayers and other prayer meetings. I would also like to mention the Night fever.

In 2006, after the World Youth Day in Cologne, a group of young priests and young people had the idea to continue what has started preparing for the World Youth Day, to meet for Eucharist and Adoration and to invite people into the church for prayer. They meet regularly in the Cathedral of Cologne. After Eucharist some stay inside to sing and pray. Some take candles and go outside the Cathedral and invite people passing by to take and light a candle in the church. Night fever which started in Cologne, has spread throughout Germany and also into other countries.

Thank you Sr Agnes

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JOHN BOSCO

MEMOIRS OF THE ORATORY

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is year we remember the 200th anniversary of the birth of Saint John Bosco 1815 to 1855, the h founder of the Salesian congregation, the co-founder of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and the founder of the lay members of the Salesian Family known as the Salesian Co-operators.

A glance at Don Bosco’s narrative in his autobiography - Memoirs of the Oratory helps us to understand the mindset of Don Bosco.

It is clear from the Memoirs of the Oratory that Don Bosco’s method was to provide a pastoral setting for his followers, who would be open to the needs of others and to create a welcoming atmosphere providing a pleasant setting for imparting catechesis while also providing a good general education.

An early experience was discovered in the life of Don Bosco which highlights the pastoral aspect developing in his mind. This occurred when he approached a priest on the country lane and did not receive a response. This event would set in trail his successful combination of the temporal and spiritual in reaching out to the young and the oratories would be a home wherein the young would feel welcomed and safe.

John Bosco found his strength in the words of St Francis de Sales: ‘Let your heart be full of courage and your courage full of confidence in God, for he will never abandon you if you do not first abandon him’.

This courage is evident in the Memoirs: when no-one supported Don Bosco, he kept going, when many opposed him, he kept hoping, when some tried to spread false accusations against him, he managed to stay focused, supported by a deep and fervent faith.

In Don Bosco’s ninth year, he relates a dream which is now referred to as the ‘Vocation Dream’. Herein, he would receive one of the first glimpses of his role as a pastor to the young. In this dream, amidst a frenzy of unruly young people, John was encouraged to sort them out, not with aggression, but with kindness and love. In the dream, the unruly lot changed into gentle lambs. In this dream, he was told that to convert these souls to lead a good life; humility, courage and strength were needed.

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This dream was to stay in the mind of Don Bosco from this day onwards. It seems to have been the moving force in his mission. Recounting the dream to his family at home his mother, Mamma Margaret, who was to be an even greater influence in pursuing the mission of John said: ‘Who knows; but you may become a priest’.

As the situation at home was difficult for John, he left home and eventually came under the influence of Don Calosso. This meeting and living with Don Calosso opens the possibility for John to pursue his mission to become a priest. John says of Don Calosso at his death: ‘I loved him as a father, prayed for him and helped him in every way I could…’ Again, in this event, John is faced with adversity. It suggests though, that while this event presented a struggle, his journey towards his dream would not be jeopardised.

Among other influences in the formative stages of his life, the father figure emerges again with Don Cafasso. John was struck by the remarks and undoubtedly encouragement of Don Cafasso when he puts it to John that the role of a priest in the world is for the glory of God and to secure souls. In the meantime, John’s mindset was always heading towards the idea of giving all for God. He encounters a meeting with young people through these years and dreams up the idea of the Cheerfulness Society - a place where everyone would be cared for in a sensitive and congenial way. But always at the forefront of his thinking, was to provide not only for the body but also the soul.

Don Bosco enters the Chieri Diocesan Seminary in 1835. Chiere is close to Turin, Piedmont, Italy. A visit to the prisons gets John’s mind thinking again on how he can provide for those in need. Seeing at first-hand and combined with his ever-growing sensitivity to the plight of the young prisoners, was to provide the groundwork towards his establishment of the oratories and founding the Salesian congregation. John’s awareness increased as he served as chaplain to the prisoners.

In 1841, the opening that Don Bosco was looking for, arrived. Following a scuffle of a young man with the sacristan of the institute where Don Bosco was studying, he found the opportunity to befriend the young man who was obviously in need. In an age where sacramental theology was prominent in the minds of the clergy, Don Bosco grabs this opportunity to help this young man, who we know as Bartholomew Garelli, by agreeing to assist him to receive the sacraments and at the same time on the other hand, an offer was made for a day of fun and games and the promise of food. In this event Don Bosco took the first step in approaching Bartholomew. He did not wait for the young man to approach him. This reminds us of the scene where the John was taken aback by the priest on the country road who was engrossed in his own thoughts - Don Bosco would not let this happen again.

This event in essence is the pastoral role combined with the educating role at its best. Don Bosco takes hold of the moment and turns the situation around. This event and the drive that Don Bosco had to help young men especially prisoners to change their ways marked the birth of the Oratory.

Don Bosco begins the Festive Oratory of St Francis de Sales in 1842.

Don Bosco hearing Confessions in 1861 10

The programme developed by Don Bosco had a balance between prayer, recreation and study.

This was one of the winning ways for Don Bosco. Although at this stage, there was no permanent residence; Don Bosco did not give up. He had the support of the clergy where he was further studying and where he was offered pastoral jobs. He continued to meet and help the young people drawing strength from a second dream. Don Bosco links this dream with the Vocation dream at the age of nine.

In this dream, a woman dressed as a shepherdess encouraged Don Bosco to take charge of a flock of animals who changed into lambs. The lambs changed into shepherds and began to look after the others. In the dream, he reached a large church which displayed the letters: ‘Here is my house and hence my glory will come forth’. It was only onwards and upwards for John now.

However, Don Bosco continued to be moved on from place to place and was longing for a permanent place of residence for his work. Finally on Eater Sunday 1846, after five years of wandering, a shed in Valdocco, Turin became the new home.

A closer look at Don Bosco’s daily programme for the young at the new Oratory in Valdocco provides us with a further insight into the mastermind of his methods where we see a true understanding of how the adolescent mind works. The morning was given over to Mass, explanation of the Gospel in ‘simple and popular language’ followed by games and recreation and further instruction. It seems though that the promise of recreation that followed instruction or worship was a good recipe; the young people flocked to him.

Virtue undoubtedly emanated from Don Bosco, drawing large numbers of young people to him and later on in his congregation, adults to continue his work. They all grew even prouder of the rich heritage that Don Bosco imparted to them all.

While reason, religion and kindness form the basis of the Salesian principles, they also help to create a community which is at the heart of the success of Don Bosco’s approach. It seems though that the success of Don Bosco’s mission is based on the simplicity of a community. The Memoirs relate the gathering of a community who were to be educated for life.

The idealism that Don Bosco experienced in his first dream at the age of nine flourished into a reality. This experience filled his heart with a deep love for the Lord, inspiring him to live his life in an extraordinary way which in its fullness revealed a wonderful love and respect for humanity. He was able to offer dignity to the young who were drawn to his ways. This is the success of every great saint - the fusion of the human with the divine. This true saint is a humanist first who reaches out to others and provides for them - it is only through this awareness where the human person is respected that people can be drawn to God. In essence, this was the success of Don Bosco, expounded in the Memoirs.

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LITURGY and ART

Seven Sacraments series by Nicolas Poussin

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icolas Poussin, French artist, painted one of the greatest sets of paintings in the history of Western art.

Painted in Rome, the series represents the seven sacraments of the Church. Poussin’s aim was to convey the solemnity and religious importance of each sacrament. He situated the scenes in early Christian history, paying close attention to archeological detail. While planning his compositions, he is reported to have arranged wax figures on a model stage.

He painted the first series for the Italian scholar and collector Cassiano dal Pozzo. Poussin also created a second sacrament series.

In this first series, Poussin depicts each sacrament as an event described in the Bible, with the exception of Confirmation and Extreme Unction (Anointing of the Sick) for which he referred instead to the liturgical events of the early Church.

Baptism is represented by the figure of St John the Baptist baptising Christ; a familiar religious scene symbolising the act of Christ receiving grace from God. National Gallery of Art, Washington

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Confirmation represents a ceremony in two parts: in the foreground a priest anoints the forehead of a child with chrism, the consecrated oil, whilst another places a fillet or headscarf on a second child, watched by a group of mothers and children, who themselves await their turn.

Displayed at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. On loan from the Duke of Rutland’s Trustees, Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Lincolnshire

The sacrament of the Eucharist is represented through the depiction of the Last Supper.

Christ is shown blessing the cup of wine, ‘do this in memory of me’.

Displayed at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. On loan from the Duke of Rutland’s Trustees, Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Lincolnshire.

Penance shows Mary Magdalene washing Christ’s feet in the house of Simon the Pharisee, as found in Luke 7:38. The figures recline on an ancient banqueting table or triclinium, in accordance with ancient Roman practice. The original painting was destroyed by a fire in 1816 and is now known through the engraving of Jean Dughet.

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The Extreme Unction (Anointing of the Sick) scene depicts a dying man being anointed with oil in accordance with the rites of the Catholic faith.

Displayed at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. On loan from the Duke of Rutland’s Trustees, Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Lincolnshire.

Ordination depicts Christ giving the keys to St Peter. This act symbolised Christ appointing Peter as leader, invested with absolute authority on earth, in the same way that Christ would hold dominion in Heaven.

Collection of Duke of Rutland, Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Lincolnshire

Marriage represents the union of the Mary and St Joseph taking place in a classically inspired portico or entrance hall.

Displayed at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. On loan from the Duke of Rutland’s Trustees, Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Lincolnshire.

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A DREAM UNFOLDS

THE FOUDATION

of the SDC P a rt 3

Previous articles may be found in the October 2014 and April 2015 issues of The MUSEUM online at www.precacommunity.org

EARLY FOUNDATIONS

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laying the foundations of MUSEUM, Fr Preca, guided by the Spirit, learned to refine what he had n proposed in Regola Eptangelorum. A remarkable modification came in the total exclusion of anything that was religious and clerical. There was no more place for the diaconate and for vows. MUSEUM was to be exclusively lay. This was quite innovative a century ago in a Church which at the time can be described predominantly clerical, but Fr Preca dared to do it. He even incorrectly dared to call the Members ‘Apostles’.

Within two years Fr Preca’s enthusiastic Members had founded communities in towns surrounding the Grand Harbour. The expansion into this area was due to the fact that it was walking distance from Ħamrun.

A 1909 Rule by the Founder, ‘The Main Rules for the ‘Whole Company of the Apostles’, describes the contemporary set up of the Society revealing its lay character.

The Company was under the authority of the ‘Superior General’, whom was Eugenio Borg. Each community house was called ‘the Institute’ and it was administered by a ‘Local’ Superior, who was assisted by a Member referred to as the ‘Companion’. The other Members were called ‘Workers’. Then there were the ‘Elects’, adolescents who were selected for their qualities so that eventually they would be incorporated within the Company. In the 1909 Rule Fr Preca stated, as he was to repeat in later rules that the ‘Elects’ were to be formed as if in a junior seminary.

The 1909 Rule demonstrates also the normal routine of the Members. In summary, they met daily for half an hour instruction in which they shared and discussed theological issues. Apart from this there were days in which they provided catechesis for young people for around one hour.

All this was realised before the Great War of 1914 making Fr Preca a pioneer with an outstanding avant-garde vision. Not even the Encyclical of Pius X, Acerbo Nimis on the teaching of Christian Doctrine offered this kind of formation and apostolate for the laity. “MUSEUM” was revisionary and soon it began to be looked upon with concern by those in authority.

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t h SEU e M

MUSEU M

SUSPENSION OF ACTIVITIES

It didn’t take long before reports about Fr Preca and his followers started arriving on the desk of the Archbishop. Some of these were without charity and contained untruths. We must remember that Fr Preca, while working hand in hand with his own parish priest, had not sought the Archbishop’s permission to open his Institutes. His confessor failed to make him aware of its necessity. So somewhere before June 1909, Fr Preca was summoned by the Diocese’s Vicar-general who ordered him to close all the Institutes. Fr Preca, submissive to the ecclesiastic authority replied meekly, “You are my superiors and I am your subject. I will close them all.”

ht SUM UE

The Founder thought that the end of his beloved ‘MUSEUM’ was at hand. As soon as he began closing his Institutes, some parish priests, especially from St Cajetan’s parish, came to his rescue. They couldn’t afford to lose the organised and fruitful catechesis of the Members in their parishes. They approached the Vicar-general and the directive was suspended. The ‘Company of the Apostles’ could breathe again. It had survived its first great test.

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The order from the Vicar-general opened Fr Preca’s eyes. He realised that unless his Society was approved by the Church authorities, it would not survive. The time had come to navigate according to the Curia’s direction. So he commissioned five of his men to write a petition to the Archbishop to allow further founding of the Institute to form the faith of young people. To make the Institute more acceptable to the Curia, he introduced Inspectors in the Company. These had to be priests to supervise the instruction and address any theological difficulty that the Members had. Fr Preca was to be the Inspector General and the one responsible to recruit priests for this role. Then he changed the name ‘Apostles’ to Papidi which means ‘the sons of the Pope’. By this the Founder made it clear that his Society was without doubt Catholic and subject to the Pope and the Magisterium, and not in error which was a concern of some.

The Curia’s approval made Fr Preca more prudent, and led to greater enthusiasm and creativity. On 10 January 1910 he set up a women’s section of this Society. Now as his disciples he didn’t have only Apostoli and Papidi but also their female counterparts, Apostolesse and Papidissi. For his new venture, the Founder relied on a young woman Giannina (Joan) Cutajar, the daughter of an affluent family, her father a wine merchant. They lived at Raħal Ġdid, a town in the vicinity of the Grand Harbour. Fr Preca came to know Giannina through her brother Carmel who was a Member. He also got to know her parents who enthusiastically supported Giannina in her role of leader of the women’s section. So in 1910 the Malta Diocese had an institute of lay and celibate female catechists with a woman as their Superior General. Undoubtedly this was the work of the Spirit.

It is common to link the lives of founders with divine inspirations sometimes experienced in an extraordinary way. Fr Preca was no exception. About 1910 he had such an experience on his way to Raħal Ġdid to meet Giannina Cutajar.

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t M h U e ES U M

UM ESUM

HIS VISION CREATES THE FUTURE

Croce Marsa is an italianised name as some other place-names in Malta were at that time. ‘Croce’ is Italian for ‘cross’ and ‘Marsa’ is the name of a small town at the inner end of the Grand Harbour. ‘Marsa’ is a Semitic word meaning ‘harbour’. The cross in question is about half a metre long on about five metre pillar. Both cross and pillar are made of the soft stone which is abundant in the Maltese islands.

‘Croce Marsa’ refers to both the cross and the road where it is situated. This road connects Valletta to the south and the south-east of the island to the Three Cities on the other side of the Grand Harbour where there was also the dockyard. It also led to Malta’s main cemetery. It was one of the busiest roads on the island with trams, army trucks, horse-drawn carriages and funeral vehicles passing through it regularly.

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Fr Preca was walking there at about five in the evening. A young boy approached him, pulling a cart with a wicker basket full of rubbish tied to it. He was a sort of a rubbish collector. Boys who engaged in this work and they were many then, came from impoverished families. Fr Preca observed the boy turning to him and asked for some help with the heavy load. “Help me!” Fr Preca didn’t mind. In all humility he put his hands to the wheel barrow and helped the boy push. Then the experience turned heavenly. Fr Preca felt a great peace come over him. When he recovered and reflected on what had occurred, he began to realise what the experience was about. He reflected that the boy was the ‘twelve year old Jesus’ at the age when he was at the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The words of command were a divine plea empowering Fr Preca to participate in the spreading of the Gospel. Fr Preca recounted repeatedly this vision to his Members and each time he made it clear that they, past, present and future Members, had been with him pushing the cart, participating in his mission.

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t M h U e ES U

ARCHBISHOP’S ENQUIRY

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In February 1915 Malta had a new Archbishop, Dom Mauro Caruana, a Benedictine who spent his monastic years at Fort Augustus Abbey in Scotland. He was born at Floriana, Malta in 1867. As he was settling into his diocese, the new Archbishop heard about the Society of Fr George Preca. It was brought to his attention the correspondence, for and against the Founder and his Society, published in local papers in May and June 1914. The new Archbishop would have been informed that Fr Preca and his followers refrained from reacting to these newspaper letters preferring to let God’s providence prevail. It was Archbishop Mauro’s responsibility to determine more about this innovative way of living an evangelical life. Therefore he sent for Fr Preca. The Founder calculated the Bishop’s intentions that the new Archbishop didn’t really have time for him and would eventually forget about the appointment. He decided not to go. But he had calculated badly and when he failed to show up, the Archbishop became furious. Fortunately for the Founder, Monsignor Joseph de Piro, a friend of his, found out about Preca’s predicament and drove him to the Archbishop’s house in the old city of Mdina. Upon his arrival; Fr Preca paid his respects to Archbishop Caruana assuring him his obedience.

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But the new Archbishop wanted to make a formal inquiry into the mission of MUSEUM. On 3 March 1916 he set up a commission to give him a thorough report of what this Society was really about. The key witness was Fr Preca who reported six times to the Commission explaining among other things the set-up of his Society, its rules and apostolate. Eugenio Borg and Giannina Cutajar reported too, the latter accompanied by her father. Some parish priests took the witness stand to relate their experience with MUSEUM both for and against.

Maltese

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The Episcopal decree that followed the final report from the Commission was read to Fr Preca and the Superiors of the Society on 28 April 1917. The decree included a list of prohibitions. The Founder and the Members must have felt that the days of their beloved “MUSEUM” were numbered. However, the future looked confident with a consoling clause in the decree implying that the constitutions of the Society would eventually be approved by the Archbishop implying that the Diocese had found this Society would be of benefit to the Church in the islands.

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t h SEU e M

MUSEUM - This curious name was originally proposed by an early follower of Fr Preca, Salvu Muscat. Salvu suggested the name since they all considered that what they had between them was very precious: an opportunity to learn. Although the name is odd sounding, the Founder quickly deepened its meaning by turning the word into a contraction - Magister Utinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus which stands for: - Divine teacher, may the whole world follow your Gospel.

MUSE

Although the Society’s official name has changed twice over the years, firstly to Societatem Papidum et Papidissarum and then to Socieatas Doctrinae Christianae, the name MUSEUM is still the most popular title by which it is known in Malta. The benefit of such an unusual name for the Society is that it encapsulates the aim for which it was founded; its Mission Statement.

He who is patient is truly wise.

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TO SOW THE SEED OF GOD'S WORD Joseph returns to homeland On 14 June 2015, Joseph Cassar flew out from Sydney to return to his homeland, Malta. There he will live in retirement with other Members at the Samaritan Centre in St Venera.

Joe from Siggiewi was incorporated in June 1959. He arrived in Sydney in 1964 ministering from the Centres at Toongabbie, Paddington, Rooty Hill and Carss Park.

Celebrations were held at Mater Dei parish, Blakehurst and Preca Centre, Carss Park to acknowledge Joe’s life-long commitment to his vocation and his willingness to give help and support whenever called upon.

Wake Up the World Members in Hobart attended a Mass for Consecrated Persons in the Year of Consecrated Life.

Associate, Cody Harwood represents the SDC in the Opening Procession.

Presentation of the Work of the SDC Secretary General, Ruben Pace from Central House in Malta delivers an overview of the current work of the SDC. Held at the Westmoreland Road centre, the Members and Friends of the SDC shared in the joy of ‘making Christ known and loved’ through our efforts and ministries in various settings.

Visit of Members from Central House with SDC Friends SDC Member from Malta Philip Bezzina, Joe, George, Ruben Pace, Secretary General and Joe at Westmoreland Road centre.

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Society of Christian Doctrine, qu ie t ac h ie ver s i n t h e c o m mu n i t y

This article for the Year of Consecrated Life was published in the Catholic Standard for the Archdiocese of Hobart.

The Society of Christian Doctrine has two Members in Tasmania and about 35 Members Australia wide.

Established in Malta in 1907 and in Australia in 1956, the group most commonly known as SDC or the Preca Community (after its founder St George Preca) is dedicated to the charism of training lay people to teach catechism and faith formation to children and adults.

While the SDC is prevalent in every parish of its founding country of Malta, in Australia the institute has grown to include communities in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Hobart.

It was established in Hobart in 1961, when Members began by knocking on doors of parishioners in Glenorchy.

Now in his 40th year as a Member of the SDC, Br Anthony Case said the community had always been a part of his life.

“I came (to the SDC) when I was eight or nine years old (for sacramental preparation) and ended up becoming a Member in 1975, at the age of 19,” he said.

Although the Society was only small in Australia and generally not that well known, Br Anthony said its Members were happy being ‘quiet achievers’ as the community’s founder intended.

He said the SDC played an important and unique role in the community.

“It’s different [to the priesthood] - to us it’s another role, a very important role,” he said.

“We are sort of in the middle, between priests and the community and are connected to the community as lay people.”

Br Anthony’s role as an SDC Member includes teaching sacramental preparation and children’s liturgy in parishes.

He said he enjoyed helping young people develop their faith and the way that sacramental teaching brought people together.

“It is Gospel teaching, it’s about getting people together as a community,” Br Anthony said.

He said he found it most rewarding when his work as a community Member made a positive impact on young people’s lives.

“I ran into a group of kids walking through Hobart recently that I had taught about twelve years ago,” Br Anthony said.

“They said to me ‘…there are couple of lessons we still remember, we still know our prayers, and you saved most of us with that little bit of background you gave us.’’

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www.precacommunity.org

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he Society of Christian Doctrine in Australia has recently launched a new website. The website which may be found at www.precacommunity.org was launched on 7 March 2015.

Features of the website include PRAYER REQUESTS and NEWS & EVENTS. ‘The Watch’ a prayer manual of hourly prayers compiled by St George Preca may be found on the website.

The term ‘Preca Community’ in referring to Members of the Society of Christian Doctrine is a term ad experimentum. It is not a rebadging of who we are but another way of expressing ourselves.

While we experiment with our name, our mission remains the same and that is to ‘sow the seed of the Word of God’.

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