Thank you, Malta, for your prayers and for your many warm messages of concern and caring. In this very moment, your thoughts are sustaining me against the agonising physical pain of multiple surgeries and procedures – first to address the car crash, and since, to try and restart internal works that thus far are foolishly boycotting food of the mouth in favour of various intravenous concoctions.

Perhaps when the sweet aroma of a ħobza tal-Malti is again within the range of my senses, my tattered American health will regain its wits!

The car crash that resulted in the death of my dear friend Sr Mary Campbell, 74, and the serious injury of my confessor Mgr John Sheridan, 94, and myself, shall now forever haunt my days and nights.

Many of you know that before coming to Malta, it had been my special blessing to be together often with Mgr Sheridan and Sr Mary. Before that horrible accident a week or so ago now, it was as before as we shared the special joy of being back together for the first time in many months.

In Malta, ambassadors are welcomed with great generosity; we are privileged to attend important receptions, given the opportunity to comment on the issues of the day, and even accorded places of honour in the sanctuary or at concerts.

Such attention was not for Mary or those of her order, but she was an ex-ample of love for all. With missions throughout the world, the Sisters of Saint Louis, “commit to living God’s love for the whole of creation and especially to stand in solid-arity with the poor and marginalised”.

At morning Mass, Mary wore her plain button down blue sweater and kept an eye out from a near rear pew for any misbehaving child whose misdemeanour transgressions in church were easily reformed by the discomfort of bringing a frown to Mary’s naturally happy countenance.

Born in County Mayo, for a half-century families in southern California were raised by the instruction of Mary. For a number of years, until 2003 or so, she was the principal of the well-regarded school associated with my home parish of Our Lady of Malibu.

Nominally in semi-retirement in recent years, Mary helped direct pastoral ministry, which meant that if you looked quickly enough you might see her ever-happy self dashing from grade to grade teaching catechism or coordinating the visits of folks like me who delighted in introducing her classes to Thomas More or C.S. Lewis or Dorothy Day.

Nothing gave Mary greater joy than cheerfully preparing the monsignor’s calendar, and then cheerfully rearranging it, when the beloved man couldn’t resist the entreaties of one or another parishioner to just look in on Jack or Ann or Bernadette who was desperately sad or whose faith was challenged by age or illness... or even the horror of accident.

For any reader who has shared the “good fortune” of surviving a fatal car accident, you know there is an awful silence immediately after. The silence is especially piercing when the once round steering wheel is in one’s side and prevents one from extending a comforting hand.

For earthly purpose at least, it would turn out not to matter, as my dear, sweet friend was already gone. Sister Mary Campbell, SSL, requiescat in pace.

Mgr Sheridan’s prog-nosis remains uncertain. A priest for over 65 years, pastor emeritus of Our Lady of Malibu, his influence is global in every universal aspect of the Church.

As we pass this weekend, which has included troubling uses of faith to rekindle unwarranted and undifferentiated hatreds associated with 9/11, the monsignor’s life of welcoming all and pursuing peace among men and women of all faith traditions has special poignancy.

I thank all who are keep-ing him and myself in their prayers. I shall be forever grateful.

Prof. Kmiec is US Ambassador to Malta.

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