Cana Movement's golden jubilee

Fifty years ago the Cana Movement came to life to serve the Maltese family. Many, including The Sunday Times, supported this new movement, which responded to the signs of the times. Archbishop Michael Gonzi called it "providential for Malta".

The movement was born on an island which treasured the traditional Maltese family. The winds of change came upon us and the Maltese family is subject to many outside pressures. The Cana Movement, which in the Church was a pioneer of marriage preparation, counselling, family groups and support groups, has endeavoured to render a moral and social service to all families. If 50 years ago it was "providential", today Cana is indispensable as a support to families and to marriages in crisis.

I look back to the early days when I had the confidence and collaboration of many lay people. We had to face outright opposition from conservative elements in and outside the Church, including the government of the time.

As the first agency for counselling, the movement handles an average of 700 cases of marital breakdown annually, but more important is the prevention through education on marriage relationship.

Cana's golden jubilee celebrations in Malta and Gozo opened yesterday with a Mass of thanksgiving led by the Archbishop of Malta at St John's Co-Cathedral. For the past 50 years, this Mass served as a special occasion for couples who were joined in the sacrament of matrimony the previous year, to meet His Grace personally.

The 50th anniversary highlight will be a commemorative evening at the auditorium the Sacred Heart School, St Julian's, on Wednesday, January 25, at 6.30 p.m. Cana has invited an outstanding international expert on marriage and the family, Dr Jack Dominian, author, professional psychiatrist and director of the Marital Research Council in London.

His very topical theme on "Understanding the Changes of Marriage Today" will help us come to grips with the changes in the traditional Maltese families. He will speak on the crisis of marriage, the husband-wife relationship, the aspect of sexuality, and will show the movement how best to cope with the changes. While in Malta, Dr Dominian will also address the members of the Federation of Professional Bodies, the general public and deliver a lecture to the clergy.

The Cana Movement, through its new president, Dr Anna Maria Vella, and the director, Fr Louis Camilleri, hope that the jubilee will help the movement to go ahead in its vision and mission to respond in a modern Christian way to the needs and challenges of the Maltese families in this new millennium. While looking back with gratitude to God and Our Lady of Cana, the movement wants to embark on a spiritual and professional renewal.

To achieve this, Cana needs support, which it has had from the government. The support of the Maltese society and fund-raising organisations should also be extended to Cana's social and moral work among thousands of families. Cana too relies only on generous contributions.