Once again within a fortnight, the Augustine bells tolled on 18 November to announce the demise of Fr Dominic Portelli, who I have known since 1953, when I was a pupil at St Augustine’s College in Valletta.

Fr Portelli was born in Siggiewi, where his family were refugees from the war. He was the only son in a family of girls.

In October 1958 he joined the Augustinian Friars. A year later he took simple vows and started studying for the priesthood. He was ordained priest on 16 December 1966.

Fr Portelli studied theology at the Lateran University in Rome. He obtained a doctorate in Divinity and began teaching at INSERM, the Philosophical and Theological Institute for Religious Orders.

At the Provincial Chapter held in 1978, he was appointed Prior of St Augustine’s in Valletta.

In 1982 he was elected Provincial of the Maltese Province and at a special General Chapter was appointed General Assistant for Italy and Malta. Besides being a Provincial, he was appointed Prior of several Priories.

He embellished every place in which he served, refurbishing the piano nobile in Rabat. In my opinion, the best thing he did as Provincial was to hand over the hostel at Tarxien to the Ursuline Sisters.

He was elected Rector of INSERM and always defended the institute; in fact he was one of its bulwarks. He did his best to affiliate it with the Roman Athenaeum but he did not succeed because he could not obtain local Ordinary consent.

He built the Pre-Novitiate House in St Augustine College Complex, Pieta. (The late Dr Fr Edward Fenech OSA founded the Augustinian Institute during his Provincialate.)

Paul says: “… if I have faith that can move mountains but have not charity, then I am nothing.” Fr Portelli was helpful and kind, especially to his brethren when they needed help.

Let us remember Fr Portelli in our prayers and ask Our Lady of Consolation, the Patroness of the Augustinian Friars, to heal the suffering hearts of both his confreres and his family.

Fr Mark Cauchi OSA

St Augustine’s Priory

VALLETTA