On Wednesday afternoon, I attended the funeral of Dun Pawl Schembri, which was held at his home town of Siggiewi. He spent 45 years of his life in Senglea, dedicating it to the good of the inhabitants of the locality. He started out as a deaconin Senglea. For a short time, he became parish priest of Kirkopto then return to Sengleaworkingendlessly with his parishioners as vice-parish priest and this is where I came to know this bubbly and affable priest.I came to know Dun Pawl outside his pastoral duties. The reason was linked to my post-graduate research that I was conducting at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

To start my Ph.D, I had to undertake a post-graduate degree, known in France as D.E.A. which is equivalent to an M.Phil. On the basis of the result, one is admitted to start his Ph.D or doctorate in France or not. I decided to study the demographic dynamics in Senglea during Early Modern Times. This led to a number of other studies.Dun Pawl was a great help and a welcoming disposition. We became great friends.

I still picture him in his office, surrounded by parish registers assisting various individuals who would be tracing members of their families. He always had a joke and a pleasant anecdote to tell, with that genuine beaming smile. He had no problem in addressing people from different social backgrounds and was always at home with all.I still remember some of his stories, which express the joiede vivre that radiated from Dun Pawl. He always had a spirited answer to any cutting remark;a common trait with the people of Cottonera. Despite the parochial rivalry so present in Cottonera, he was greatly respected by all the parishioners in the area.

For the local Church, he represents that particular section of the clergy that witnessed the transition brought about by the Council of Trent. In Malta, it would mean that slowly the local Church started to discard Italian to swop to English. He received his secondary education at the Archbishop Seminary and participated in the social changes that were taking place in the sixties. The Harbour-Cities were at this time a laboratory, experiencing change.

With his demise, part of Senglea’s mnemonic memory has gone.  An erahas come to an end and I doubt whether today it is possible to carry out research, as I used to do,without his invaluable help.