In 2003, Malta's Archbishop's Seminary celebrated the 300th anniversary since its foundation in 1703.
To commemorate this event, the author researched the history of the establishment and first years of the Seminary at Mdina which he published under the name For Service Alone in 2003.
The present volume continues where that book left off. Meanwhile, the author had moved to the Vatican where he now is the director of the Pontificia Opera per le Vocazioni Sacerdotali.
Having browsed through the various archives in Malta and in London (the PRO), he now could browse through the many archives in Rome, especially those of the Gregorian University, and others.
The result is this book, which deals with the troubled relationships between the church in Malta and the British government.
More than an actual book of history, the book is a treasure trove of details from the vast archival sources that the author taps, a book where the details many times swamp the reader threatening to make the reader lose sight of the wider framework. Yet, as we shall see, the details contain some welcome surprises.
When Britain took over the administration of Malta, it found a huge lack of education both at secondary level and notably at tertiary level. The existing educational structures were shaky and ill-equipped. Those Maltese who had the means, furthered their studies abroad.
But the British efforts to upgrade the educational structures soon entered into collision with the church authorities with regards to the teaching of priests.
The church itself was engaged in a vast effort to improve its seminaries and to upgrade the university faculties but the church in Malta soon found that its resources were limited.
The colonial government was ready to help but only on condition that the teaching was done either in Latin or in an 'accepted' language, meaning not in Italian.
The various agreements in this sense fell on deaf ears - the teaching continued to be done in Italian, if not Latin, and for many years the church could not find any students to be admitted as regular students of the Faculty of Theology. Many times, those studying for the priesthood were admitted as occasional students at the Faculty.
The church protested that to add further teachers required additional funds, which it did not have, until a way was found of adding together some benefices to create a decent wage.
Then a suggestion was moved, and accepted, to send the best students to Rome to specialize as a preparation for their employment as professors in Malta.
It is fascinating, for instance, to read through the list of the students who came first in their year and find they all left their mark in later Maltese history:
1900-04: Carlo Cortis
1903-07: Giuseppe Psaila Cumbo
1906-10: Michael Gonzi
1909-13: Enrico Dandria
1912-16: Emmanuel Galea
1915-16: Peter Paul Saydon
1918-22: Louis Catania
1921-25: Emmanuel Vella
1924-28: Carlo Manche
1930-34: John Theuma Relf
1933-37: Joseph Lupi
Of these, Michael Gonzi became archbishop, Emmanuel Galea became his Vicar, Dandria became Minister for Education, Saydon the man who translated the Bible, Emmanuel Vella became the Birkirkara Provost, and Carlo Manche the saintly parish priest of Gzira.
As is also evident from this simple list, it is at times difficult to stick to one language where names are involved, so we have to range between Italian, English and Maltese.
The author gives us many times a short history of the people he mentions but I suspect he misses out on the wider picture, as when he fails to remind us that Alberto Pantalleresco, later rector of the seminary, was among those who were exiled from Malta during the war and interned in Africa.
Such a vast book required an equally vast copy editing and proof-reading. It gives us, for instance, Mgr Edward Coleiro's birth date 100 years before the actual birth date. And this keeps being repeated over many pages.
On a wider level, the author is unfailingly optimistic when he speaks of the priests of the 19th and 20th centuries, quoting only the church's authority's directives and believing that what was written was obediently implemented for the greater good of souls. There is no word about the failings of priests and the controversies with the bishop. Not even about Dun Gorg Preca's (he gets only one mention) with the established church and Curia.
This is why I cannot classify the book as a real history, but rather, as I said, as "a treasure trove of details'.