On Wednesday 11th January, I attended the funeral Mass of Dun Ġużepp Zammit at Bormla’s Collegiate Church. I came to know Dun Ġużepp towards the end of his life, as a veteran priest serving his beloved parish of Cospicua. He was a true Bormliż, with an unending sense of loyalty to his hometown and the Immaculate Conception church. Yet, what struck me most during this service was the sermon, delivered by one of his two nephews, Fr Juan.
Fr Juan and his brother Fr José Debono are Discalced Carmelite friars. My humble suggestion is that Fr Juan’s homily be published in the annual parish magazine on the occasion of the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Fr Juan did not beat around the bush. This was not the usual homily delivered on the occasion of a departed person. He did not speak off the cuff. Instead, he had written his sermon and read it out emotionally. I admire Fr Juan’s courage. In the true spirit of his uncle, he had no problem to call a spade a spade, even if the main celebrant was Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna. The orator reminded us that Catholicism was the work of the poor. Our churches, he told the congregation, were and are still being built by the “soldideipoveri e i ciacceredeiricchi”. Dun Ġużepp Zammit was not rich, yet he gave all he possessed for the embellishment of his parish church in Cospicua.
Fr. Juan reminded the congregation that in his younger days, Dun Ġużepp used to climb ladders, holding the end of the cassock between his teeth, to fix the electricity of the church. He was not an electrician but it was a time and period when electricity was a not yet supplied to all dwellings and therefore was an element that enthralled.
Nevertheless, his lifetime mission was dedicated to pastoral work. Starting with the Ursoline convent of Cospicua, he later moved to Qormi’s parish of St. Sebastian, where he did a sterling job. In his old age, he refused to go to Dar tal-Kleru – the home for elderly priests. Instead, he chose the old people’s home in Cospicua in order to be close to his old parishioners and assist when required.
Thanks to his generosity, the main square of Cospicua has a gold-leafed statue of the Immaculate Conception. The relevance that the Good Friday and Easter Sunday processions have today in the national calendar is partly thanks to him. When these processions were taking a downturn, Archbishop Gonzi handpicked him to start reviving them. MgrGonzi started with Cospicua knowing that Bormla’s would trigger a similar revival in the neighbouring parishes.
With his death, a generation of priests, formed in the post-war period, is drawing to a close. Dun Ġużepp was assigned the responsibility of administering all property belonging to the Cathedral Church of Malta. When in the 1970s, the Church started selling off some of her property at subsidized prices as a result of the housing crisis of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dun Ġużepp did not take advantage of his position and reserve a plot of land or a house for himself or any member of his family. When family-members tried to put pressure on him, he refused outright. He continued living in a rented house in Cospicua. The only property Dun Ġużepp ever bought was a tomb, in which he has now been lain to rest, and from where, as his nephew reminded the congregation, he awaits the Day of Resurrection.
With his demise, a significant part of our history has been lost forever, as administrator, Dun Ġużepp had accumulated first-hand knowledge about the history of Cathedral Church property, some of which went back to medieval times. This information had been passed from father to son. Dun Ġużepp became a guardian of this oral tradition passed over to him by the farmers when they went to him to pay the land fiefs or qbiela.
Availing himself of the occasion, Fr Juan attacked the shameful use of Twitter and social media. As a member of Dun Ġużepp’s family, he was rightly offended by some comments on Facebook, where it was posted that Dun Ġużepp was a mere ornament in Cospicua and never lifted a finger for the service of his parish. The term ‘ornament” was used in reference to the fact that Dun Ġużepp was a canon. As a canon, he wore vestments, which may appear flamboyant in our times. Dun Ġużepp was proud of being a canon, an honour which he had never sought, as was the praxis in his heyday. As he himself once told me, this position was imposed on him by Archbishop Gonzi.
Fr Juan went on to remind the faithful that Dun Ġużepp had wanted a painting of Dun ĠorġPreca for the Bormla’s parish church and it was a pity that this wish had not been fulfilled. Fr Juan explained that Dun Ġużepp had a special devotion to Dun Ġorġ. Before becoming a priest, Dun Ġużepp was a member of the Society of Christian Doctrine founded by Dun Ġorġ. It was Dun Ġorġ who helped him in his vocation and encouraged him to keep steadfast, at a moment in life, when Dun Ġużepp thought that his vocation was forsaking him. But above all, Dun Ġorġ taught Dun Ġużepp the true meaning of “manswetudini”, that is docility. This is one of the six virtues that Dun Ġorġ wanted the members of his Society to manifest. Dun Ġużepp applied this virtue constantly in his pastoral work.
In concluding the orator touched on one last point. Not only did he criticize the flawed use of all social media but referred to what he believes is an orchestrated attack by a section of the media to depict the clergy in bad light. He did not mention any case specifically, but it was clear that he was referring to paedophilia. Fr Juan did not try to absolve or lessen any guilt of some individuals, but he admitted that these cases are being deliberately used to denigrate the greater majority of priests. At this point, he pointed his finger at freemasons. Undoubtedly this last statement needs further analysis. However, more importantly, finally we have a priest who has had the courage to mention the unmentionable.
In the light of this statement, the local church needs to make a thorough self-examination of both her past and present behaviour. The local church has supported and is still supporting individuals, who, on the exterior, appear to be devout church-goers but their true loyalty is to freemasonry. These individuals are on very friendlyterms with those who are out on the forefront mercilessly attacking the Catholic Church in Malta. The saint of the Immaculata, Maximiliano Kolbe, once wrote that the freemasons seek to conquer not by argumentation, but through moral corruption.
On concluding,the death of Dun Ġużepp Zammit has given a humble Discalced Carmelite priest the opportunity to start stating matters as they are. Like his uncle, Fr Juan is direct. Perhaps, Dun Ġużepp Zammit was sometimes even too direct, which made him appear ill-mannered but this is also part and parcel of the historic characteristics of harbour people.
Dun Ġużepp belonged to this old world of Cospicua that is gradually dying. But the combative spirit is still there. I am happy that his nephew has used this occasion to push forward a message, which is not only relevant for Cospicua but should be an eye-opener for the church. The time for pastoral diplomacy is over. It is time, to quote from Jesus, where yes should be a yes, and a no, no. (Matthew 5:37)