Almost 105 and ‘little lamb’ still sings the Magnificat

A smile beams in Sister Carmela Muscat’s eyes as she sings the Magnificat, a thanksgiving hymn, which has become her trademark tune at the Convent of the Sacred Heart’s Tal-Virtù home for the elderly.

The 104-year-old nun struggles to catch her breath between verses but she manages to complete the familiar tune, which gives thanks to the Lord to whom she dedicated her life.

Her passion for the hymn, dedicated to God by the Virgin Mary, has sparked off a tradition at the Tal-Virtù home as nuns now sing it together when they celebrate someone’s birthday.

Sr Carmela, believed to be the oldest living person in Malta, was born on December 9, 1905. There are no official records of who is the oldest person on the island.

Joseph Gellel, reputed to be Malta’s oldest man, passed away in May at the age of 104. Josephine Fiorini, also 104, died on Tuesday.

Sr Carmela was born in Birkirkara and was the youngest of nine brothers and sisters. The family eventually moved to Sliema and, at the age of 20, she took her vows and joined the Society of the Sacred Heart.

“I always wanted to be a nun,” Sr Carmela said in a gentle voice as she sat in her room.

Six months after taking her vows, she left Malta to serve overseas and moved to England. In 1937, she went to America where she spent 42 years. There she was known as the “little lamb” due to her small build and gentle ways.

Sr Carmela returned to Malta in 1979 to serve in the new parish-based community in Żejtun and later moved to the Fgura community. Aged 84, she joined the community at Tal-Virtù in 1993.

“She’s always so serene. I’ve never seen her without a smile,” Sr Pauline Curmi said.

“The other day she was telling us a story about when she was in the Fgura community. She and another sister used to meet outside the chapel every single night and sing the Magnificat. When they left there and came to Tal-Virtù the two sisters sang it every day until the other sister died,” Sr Pauline recalled.

According to the Bible, Mary sang the hymn when Elizabeth, pregnant with John the Baptist, praised her for her faith.

Sr Josephine Borg, said: “Sr Carmela is a very peaceful person. She always prays for peace in the world. She consecrated her life to the Sacred Heart. She’s always been very faithful to her duties. She’s a very serene person and a smile is always on her face... and she still is like that.”