Last week the Dominican fraternity in Valletta celebrated the feast of St Dominic. The church was fully decorated with its treasures as it has been since my childhood days – with one major difference – the much needed restoration and conservation of the Cali paintings is almost done! Compliments to all those who have contributed to the realisation of this trance.

However, hadn’t COVID-19 hit us there would have been more than the usual pomp and circumstance to celebrate this year’s important centenary. Born in Caleruega, Spain in 1170, St Dominic passed away on 6 August, 1221 – 800 years on the dot – at noon when as is still the custom the Angelus is recited. In such a short life span St Dominic, apart from engaging in preaching the gospel, also established a new religious order, the Dominicans, to pursue that same preaching of the good news.

Indeed, that occurred in 1216 with the approval of Pope Honorius III. A few years before, St Francis of Assisi had also taken on the initiative to establish another religious order – the Franciscan Minors. It is noteworthy to point out that St Dominic of Guzman and St Francis of Assisi are considered to be the apostles of the middle ages, having contributed through their distinct charismas to ‘repairing the Catholic Church’.

Whilst recognising the validity in celebrating such anniversaries one must reflect their relevance in today’s ever changing world. Having attended for the solemn translation of the relic, last Saturday evening, I couldn’t help but reflect that those in attendance were in the main relatives and friends of mine who are senior citizens today, with a good number of them living outside the capital city.

What sort of attendees will there be in say 10-15 years’ time? Whilst appreciating that the number of those living within the bastions of the capital city are dwindling there are still a significant number of parishioners that live within the most depressed areas of the parish. What a different centenary it would have been if such unfortunate members of our community felt welcome to attend church and participate in any of the scheduled festivities. I have to admit that most of them would have turned up for any external festivities such as the morning Saturday march, but given the circumstances this was a unique occasion to make a difference! A difference which St Dominic of Guzman would have welcomed – himself having been munificent with those that were emarginated from the rest of society.

Whilst hoping that I am not misconstrued at the same time I have to recognise that we are living through times were ‘the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few’. A reality which is equally applicable to all the other religious orders. However, that should not be used as an excuse not to do anything.

The recently appointed provincial, Rev. Fr Vince Micallef has made it clear from his thoughts and writings that embarking on a number of initiatives to attract new vocations and ensuring continuity of the order locally is top of his agenda. As a lay person I welcome this as I strongly believe there are a couple of initiatives which could help to attract young men and women to embracing religious life and like St Dominic of Guzman be ‘salt of the earth’ and ‘light of the world’.

Primarily, what about engaging with the student community on campus? It is a reality that roughly 11,500 students are currently registered with the University and it has always baffled me how and why there has never been a concerted effort to engage with such a student community. Secondly, taking on the example of Mons. Anthony Fisher OP, Archbishop of Sydney, replicating an event called Theology on the Tap in our pubs around the island! Theology on the tap is an initiative whereby young adults are reached out to where they are, inviting them to discover how faith can give sense to their everyday lives. It is a way for dioceses and parishes to discover (or rediscover) these young adults in comfortable, relaxed settings…and you never know whether that discovery of faith can lead to new vocations!

Dr Ivan Grixti is a senior lecturer in Financial Accounting at the University of Malta