A tribute to Fr Charles Caruana, SJ

"Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room."
- William Shakespeare, Sonnet 55

A packed sanctuary dedicated to St Theresa last Sunday paid tribute to Fr Charles Caruana.

I remember him well. I shall always cherish the living record of his memory. At St Aloysius' College he groomed me and other students in English literature and in the skills of literary criticism. He communicated ably and would offer us perspectives that taught us that one can really enjoy a literary work only when one delves deeper than its immediate face value. Developing critical faculties to assess different art forms, the media and messages that reach us through the new technologies is the life long skill that we need most if we are to go through life well equipped for its challenges.

As an Old Aloysian, I had other opportunities to meet Fr Charles again such as during visits to the college's Sixth Form that was one of the challenges he had taken. We would meet during the music and literary evenings and during the annual soiree where sixth formers display their talents in contemporary forms of the performing arts. We also met during a visit to the college's new sport complex.

Fr Charles was able to instil in others a motivation to work harder, to carry on. As we learnt during the Service on Sunday, his favourite expression was "Go ahead" and a poster that accompanied him in all the posts that he occupied - "People are more important" - summed up his inspiration.

Fr Charles was twice rector of St Aloysius' College and between 1990 and 1996 was Provincial. Only recently he became the Acting Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service.

When the fatal accident that led to his death took place, Fr Charles was on his way to Dar is-Sliem, a new refugees' home that was being inaugurated by Minister Dolores Cristina that evening. Significantly at the service, a candle was lit demonstrating solidarity by immigrants.

For some years, Fr Charles served as rector of the Gozo Seminary and in 1984 he was appointed as the Archbishop's delegate for the Church schools when those schools were closed down and the police placed outside their doors.

Fr Charles was always there at the hour of need. The famous words from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar come to mind: "Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once".

Fr Charles' love for education remains one of the most important hallmarks of his life - dedicated to others.

I left college in 1971. Allow me to share with you some quotes from an address by Fr Charles as headmaster made on the occasion of Prize Day held on November 24 of that year. He said: "We believe and with this I conclude - that life is what education is all about. If education is for life it must of necessity be directed towards realising the very purpose of life. It is this purpose and some attempt at an answer as to what life is all about that we hope we are trying to impart to our young students... This is where we believe a genuinely Christian education plays an important role: to carry students beyond academic excellence and help them in their search for meaning, a sense of purpose and direction, a system of belief, a faith".

We are all the poorer for his physical demise but the richer for the priceless legacy he has bequeathed.

Dr Zammit Dimech is Minister of Tourism and Culture.