ST George Preca

Priest
Born 12 February 1880

Valletta, Crown Colony of Malta
Died 26 July 1962 (aged 82)
Santa Venera, Crown Colony of Malta
Venerated in Catholic Church
Beatified 9 May 2001, Floriana, Malta by Pope John
Paul II
Canonized 3 June 2007, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican
City by Pope Benedict XVI
Feast 9 May
Attributes Priest's attire
Patronage •Malta
•Swatar, Malta
•Ħamrun, Malta
•Society of Christian Doctrine
•Catechists
• George Preca (12 February 1880 –
26 July 1962)
was Maltese Catholic priest and the founder of
the Society of Christian Doctrine as well as a Third
Order Carmelite. He is known as "Dun Ġorġ" in
Maltese and Pope John Paul II dubbed him "Malta’s
second father in faith". He assumed the religious
name of "Franco" after becoming a Secular Carmelite.
He was a popular figure among some groups, and his
pastoral care and religious teaching earned
recognition. However, his activities raised suspicions
of heresy from senior clergy. He was ordered to close
down his teaching centres for a time while they could
be investigated; they were subsequently re-opened.
Life of St. George Preca
• Born in Malta on 12 February 1880. He
lived in Valletta, the capital of Malta, near
the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount
Carmel. As a child, and according to the
customs of the times, George joined the
Carmelite Family by being enrolled in the
Scapular. As a young man he felt called to
the priesthood. He was ordained priest on
22 December 1906.
• He was the seventh of nine children of Vincent and Nathalie
Ceravolo Preca. His father was both a merchant and a health
inspector. He received his baptism on 17 February 1880 in
the Church of Our Lady of Porto Salvo.
• In 1886, the family relocated to Hamrun. He received both
his First Communion at some stage in his childhood and then
his Confirmation on 2 August 1888 in the parish church of
Saint Cajetan from Bishop Anton Maria Buhagiar.
• In 1897, while walking along the Maglio Gardens in Floriana,
Preca met one of his professors, Father Ercole Mompalao, who
encouraged his religious vocation. Preca first studied at the
state-owned school on the island before he commenced his
studies for the priesthood; he had
studied Latin and English but also studied Italian and received
a prize in handwriting.
• Shortly before his ordination, Preca was diagnosed with acute
pulmonary tuberculosis and given a poor prognosis. He
attributed his recovery to the intercession of Saint Joseph,
patron of the dying, however the illness left him with a damaged
left lung.
• On 8 April 1905 his confessor Aloysius Galea died and Preca
would often recount that not long after Galea seemingly appeared
to him and encouraged his call to the priesthood. Preca received
his ordination to the priesthood alongside thirteen others on 22
December 1906 from Bishop Pietro Pace and he celebrated his
first Mass on 25 December - Christmas - at the Saint Cajetan
parish church in Hamrun. He was appointed assistant priest at St.
Gaetano, and immediately devoted himself to teaching the youth.
He began to teach the Catholic catechism along the waterfront to
people, including laborers, and began to gather male catechists
including Ewgenju Borg around him. In February 1907 he arranged
a spiritual conference at the Ta' Nuzzo church; later meetings were
held at 6 Fra Diegu Street. This led to the founding of a new
religious movement on 7 March 1907 at Hamrun at the first
meeting of the Society of Christian Doctrine (known locally as
M.U.S.E.U.M.)
M.U.S.E.U.M
• The founder had no alternative but to
devise an acrostic in Latin: M.U.S.E.U.M.,
Magister Utinam Sequatur Evangelium
Universus Mundus! which in translation
means: "Teacher, O that the whole world
would follow the Gospel!"
• The M.U.S.E.U.M. developed along the years into the
society we know today: a group of lay people who
dedicate themselves to the apostolate of catechesis,
lead a simple evangelical lifestyle, commit themselves
to a life of prayer using short prayers or meditations at
regular intervals during the day (“The Museum
Watch”), teach the young catechesis for an hour
everyday, which is then followed by a group meeting
for personal permanent formation (“The Assignment”).
• The Society had its difficult moments. In 1909 Dun
George was ordered to close his Museum centres.
Broken-hearted but without hesitation, he started
following superior orders until the parish priests
themselves protested with the ecclesiastical
authorities and the ban was revoked by Vicar General
Salvatore Grech.
5 Mysteries of Light
In 1957 Preca wrote five mysteries which he called
the "Mysteries of Light" which he said had been
inspired by John 8:12: "The light of the world".
These were:
• After Jesus Christ was baptized in the Jordan, he
was led into the desert.
• Jesus reveals Himself as true God by word and by
miracles.
• Jesus teaches the Beatitudes on the mountain.
• Jesus is transfigured on the mountain.
• Jesus has His final supper with the Apostles.
VENERATION
• The cause towards canonization by the Catholic Church
formally opened on 13 March 1975 under Pope Paul
VI when Preca was given the title "Servant of God" after
the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued its
official "nihil obstat". Mikiel Gonzi (the Archbishop of
Malta) subsequently issued the decree on 24 June 1975
that would pave the path for a full diocesan
investigation to begin. The process opening in Malta on
25 February 1976 and continued for over a decade until
its solemn closure on 23 June 1988 under Joseph
Mercieca. The confirmation of Preca's model life of
"heroic virtue" on 28 June 1999 allowed for Pope John
Paul II to grant the title of Venerable.
SAINTHOOD
The report Congregation validation on 17 December 2004 in Rome and
then the approval of the Vatican medical board on 23 February 2006.
The theologians approved this as well on 30 October 2006 as did the
Congregation on 9 January 2007. Pope Benedict XVI approved the
"miracle" on 22 February 2007 as being a result of Preca's direct
intercession, and Preca was canonized on 3 June 2007 in Saint Peter's
Square after having formalized the date for the celebration at a
consistory on 23 February 2007 at 11:00am. The canonization
cemented Preca as the second Maltese saint (Saint Publius being the
first) and in his remarks the pope called Preca "a friend of Jesus".

ST George Preca

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ST George Preca

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

ST George Preca

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Priest

Born 12 February 1880

You might also like