With the passing away of Bro Joe Bonnet MSSP a few days back, I would like to share with your readers a few experiences of this gentle, quiet brother.

My first recollection of Bro. Bonnet was of a young, hard-working man at the Sacred Heart Oratory in Mosta where he showed great organisational skills when planning sports tournaments for youth who attended this oratory, which was under the direction of Fr Angelo Camilleri. These sports events helped us to grow physically but also helped us build a sound Christian character.

I clearly remember the day he broke the news to us that he was going to join the Missionary Society of St. Paul as a brother. We were so shocked that we started begging him not to take this step and as a consequence of this we got a telling-off by the Director of the Oratory. We all knew we had lost a zealous, dedicated young leader.

But our loss was somebody else’s gain. Bro. Bonnet worked just as hard in the Youth Centres run by the Society especially the one in Rabat. As in Mosta Oratory, he continued to be an excellent organiser of sports events as well as spiritual meetings, yearly excursions abroad and many other activities involving young people. He always worked with the missionary spirit instilled in him as a member of the Missionary Society of St. Paul.

I have met hundreds of ex-members of Youth Centres who have spoken of Bro. Bonnet as a hard-working man and praised him for his dedication in his pastoral and spiritual work.

Bro. Bonnet spent the last few years of his life in the Motherhouse of the Society in Rabat. He saw to the medical needs of the priests who were ill or advanced in years. He did this work diligently and with never a word of complaint.

I would like to take this opportunity to join many who knew him to say a big thank-you to Bro. Joe Bonnet for all the good work he did during his lifetime. For this and for his gentle character he will surely never be forgotten.

Stanley Mangion

MOSTA