On Monday 15th February, Fr Edward Bugeja passed to eternal life at the age of 92 at Mater Dei Hospital.
Father ‘Dward’ as we used to call him, was born on 2nd February 1924 in Pietà. The Bugeja family first lived in Hamrun and then moved to Lija. As a young man he attended the Lyceum and later the University of Malta, where he graduated as a legal procurator and worked at the Law Court for six years. At the age of 26, he felt the call to enter the Carmelite Order and began his novitiate in Mdina Priory on 4th October 1950.
One year later he made his simple profession in the Carmelite church of Mdina on 14th October. He did his philosophical studies at the College of St Cyril, at the St Julian’s Priory. He was then sent to the International Centre of St Albert in Rome, where he did his Theology course and obtained a Lectorate of the Order. On 15th October 1954 he made his solemn profession in Rome. Here he also received minor orders (today called ministries) and became deacon, and on 1st July 1956, he was ordained priest in the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles. While in Rome, Fr Edward also obtained a diploma in Bibliotechonomy at the Vatican Library.
When he returned to Malta, he was sent to St Julian’s Priory and for several years he taught English, Church History and Patrology to the students of our Province. For six years he was procurator and also student master for some time. While he was in St Julian’s he used to listen to confessions at the Qrendi, Kirkop and Gzira parishes.
From St Julian’s he was sent to the Mdina Priory, where he stayed for many years. There he was the convent procurator for nine years, and dedicated much of his time to confessions. While in Mdina, he spent many years taking care of his mother and brother with great dedication. He often used to take his blind brother to the church of Our Lady of Fatima in Guardamangia where he distributed Holy Communion and prayed with him. After he would take him home and read the newspaper to him. On many occasions when his brother needed something, they would go to Valletta together to get it.
He loved to write poems on religious topics, several of which were published in the Vexillina magazine of the Legion of Mary. In addition, he used to correct Maltese orthography in the publications of the Maltese province.
In 2006, due to health problems, Fr Edward was sent to Casa Leone in St Julian’s and then moved to the house of the clergy in Birkirkara. There he spent the last nine years of his life, being cared for with great dedication by the Qaddejja tac-Cenaklu sisters and household staff.
His funeral was celebrated the next day at the Carmelite priory in Mdina. He was buried in the graves of the Province at Santa Maria Adolorata cemetery.
Dear Lord grant him eternal rest and send us new vocations.
Father Hermann Duncan O.Carm
Sliema