George Preca

Saint George Preca
Saint George Preca
Second Apostle of Malta
Born	12 February 1880(1880-02-12) Valletta, Malta
Died	26 July 1962(1962-07-26) (aged 82) Santa Venera, Malta
Honored in	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	9 May 2001, Floriana, Malta[1] by Pope John Paul II
Canonized	3 June 2007, Vatican City by Pope Benedict XVI
Feast	9 May
Patronage	Malta, Society of Christian Doctrine

George Preca (in Maltese: Ġorġ Preca) (12 February 1880 - 26 July 1962) was a Maltese Roman Catholic priest who founded the Society of Christian Doctrine,^[a] a society of lay catechists. In Malta, he is affectionately known as "Dun Ġorġ" and is popularly referred to as the "Second Apostle of Malta", after Saint Paul of Tarsus. The writer Joseph Carmel Chetcuti has claimed that George Preca was a repressed homosexual, who nevertheless led a chaste life^[2]. He was canonized on 3 June 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI.^[3]

Life

Veneration and cause for canonization

Father Ġorġ Preca first came to the attention of the Ordinary Congregation of the Cardinals and Bishops of the Congregation for Causes of Saints, which examined the scientifically unexplainable healing of Charles Zammit Endrich in 1964. Zammit Endrich had suffered from a detached retina of the left eye. The healing was declared as miraculous, and was attributed to the intercession of the Father Ġorġ Preca^[1] after Zammit Endrich prayed to him and placed one of the priest's belongings under his pillow. The healing took place outside of a hospital, overseen by the personal doctor of Zammit Endrich, Dr. Ċensu Tabone who was later to be appointed President of Malta.

On 24 June 1975, Archbishop Mikiel Gonzi issued a decree initiating the process of Preca's canonization. He was declared "venerable" on 28 June 1999, and on 27 January 2000, Pope John Paul II signed the decree which officially confirmed the Zammit Endrich healing.

In a ceremony in Floriana, Malta on 9 May 2001, Father Preca was beatified by Pope John Paul II with Nazju Falzon and Maria Adeodata Pisani.^[1]

Canonization

On 23 February 2006 during the Vatican consistory, Father George Preca was proclaimed the first Maltese Catholic saint. He was canonized in Rome on 3 June 2007 along with three other new saints.^[3] In his homily, Pope Benedict XVI called Saint George Preca "a friend of Jesus", and at the end of the celebration, he spoke in Maltese, saying the newly declared saint is the second father in faith of the Maltese and Gozitan people.

Saint George Preca's Statue & Relic

A statue of St George Preca was unveiled at St Cajetan Parish Church of Ħamrun during a solemn Mass presided by H. E. Msgr Paul Cremona, Archbishop of Malta, on Thursday 17 December 2009. The statue was placed on the same spot where St George spent hours hearing confession. By the statue there is also his relic with a sample of his blood. Many are those who come to Saint Cajetan's Parish to ask for his intercession and make their prayers in front of his relic. The bronze statue is the work of sculptor Gianni Bonnici and was executed in Caggiati, Parma, Italy.

Notes

1. ^{^} The Society of Christian Doctrine is commonly referred to by the acronym "MUSEUM", which stands for the Latin "Magister utinam sequatur evangelium universus mundus!", translating to "Master, that the whole world would follow the Gospel!"^[4]
2. ^{^} Permanent deacons are deacons that are not candidates for priestly ordination. The purpose that Preca had in mind for the membership of his society would be helping the Maltese bishops in the doctrinal formation of those in their bishoprics.
3. ^{^} For the words of Pope John Paul at the ceremony, see the Vatican press release: In the Footsteps of St. Paul: Papal Visit to Greece, Syria, and Malta. Notably, His Holiness makes parallels to the Society's title (Magister utinam..., etc.) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and refers to Preca as "Malta's second father in faith."

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Dun Gorg Preca". Newsmakers in 2001. Malta Today. 2001-12-30. http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2001/1230/dun_gorg.html. Retrieved 2007-04-10. 
2. ^ Times of Malta, 12 October 2010
3. ^ ^{a b} "Gorg Preca is officially Malta's first Catholic Saint". MaltaStar. 2007-02-23. Archived from the original on 2007-02-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20070227223220/http://www.maltastar.com/pages/msFullArt.asp?an=10133. Retrieved 2007-04-09. 
4. ^ Jones, Terry. "George Preca". Patron Saints Index. http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintg00.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-09. 

External links

• Official website of the Society for Christian Doctrine
• An online feature about Father George Preca with emphasis on the most discussed issues of his life
• An interview that appeared in the Telegraph with Dr. Dhawan, the professional who cared for the miraculously healed child
• (Italian) Don Giorgio Preca from L'Osservatore Romano
• (Maltese) L-Arċidjoċesi ta’ Malta (The Archdiocese of Malta)

Persondata
Name	Preca, George
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	12 February 1880
Place of birth	Valletta, Malta
Date of death	26 July 1962
Place of death	Santa Venera, Malta