Rev. Prof. Maurice Eminyan, SJ

Alfred Conti Borda writes:

I first met Fr Eminyan in October 1955, when I was a Form 1 student at St Aloysius College in Birkirkara. I was immediately impressed by his kind, gentle disposition and calm character.

When he heard that I liked writing short stories, he and another Jesuit teacher, Fr Joseph Bernard, encouraged me to continue. This paved the way for more serious research in my writing, particularly on the experiences of war veterans, which I have contributed to The Sunday Times since 2003. In fact, my interview with Fr Eminyan about his war experiences was published on December 16, 2007.

Fr Eminyan was born in Valletta in 1922. A brilliant student, he finished his secondary education with honours at the Old Lyceum in Valletta. In June 1939, after attending a three-day retreat organised by the Jesuits, he decided to join them. On October 26, 1939, Maurice and five other Maltese Jesuit students, left for Bagheria in Sicily, to start their novitiate (at the time the Jesuits in Malta belonged to the province of Sicily).

It would be a long tortuous road to study, especially after Italy entered the war as an ally of Nazi Germany, but even more so after Italy switched over to the Allies in September 1943.

At that time Maurice was at Gallarate, north of Milan, to study Philosophy and the Nazis were rounding up Allied sympathisers throughout Italy. Maurice had a British passport and with another three Jesuits students made a dramatic escape to neutral Switzerland near Ponte Chiasso, on the Italian-Swiss border. He stayed with the Swiss Jesuits, studying German, Philosophy and Theology.

After the war, Fr Eminyan returned to Malta. For a time he helped look after the Jesuit novices at Loyola House in Naxxar. A year later, he proceeded to Heythrop College, Oxford, to continue his Philosophy studies. On returning to the island in 1947 he taught Latin and Greek to post-novitiate Jesuit students for two years.

In 1949 he started sstudying Theology at Woodstock College in Maryland, Baltimore, USA. Ordained in 1952, he stayed for another year. Back in Malta two years later, he taught Latin and Greek at Loyola House. In 1955 he was assigned to St Aloysius College.

In 1957 Fr Eminyan went to Rome, where he obtained a doctorate in Theology and on July 31, 1960, he became Jesuit Provincial in Malta. Five years later, he started teaching Dogmatic Theology and Ecumenism at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Malta, later becoming Dean of the Faculty.

He later became Archbishop’s delegate for Religious Nuns, Theological Censor and chairman of the Ecumenical and Theological Commissions. He was the founder of the Malta Ecumenical Council.

For a number of years Fr Eminyan was a regular guest on the religious programme on TVM, Djalogu.

From 1968 on he was national chaplain for German-speaking residents and tourists and also spiritual director of the Rinascita Cristiana movement.

He also published 26 religious books and innumerable articles in periodical magazines and for a number of years wrote the weekly commentary on the liturgy in The Sunday Times.

He was also a sought-after preacher and conducted spiritual exercises for engaged and married couples within the Cana Movement for a number of years.

Fr Eminyan’s positive, optimistic approach and encouragement to anyone who sought his advice made him living proof of the Jesuits’ motto: to be a man for others.

May the Lord grant him the place he deserves in His Heavenly kingdom.