Maltese missionaries are really spread all over the world, in fact in over 70 countries.

Their work is recognised and praised even by the several popes. Pope John Paul II during his first visit to Malta spoke to the Maltese missionaries and their families gathered in the square of the Sanctuary of Il-Madonna tal-Mellieha. He declared: “It fills us with great joy to see the dedication of so many  sons and daughters of these islands who have answered the call of the Lord to do mission work abroad.” Pope Benedict  then told Maltese missionaries gathered at Rabat that  “Your presence and your work in so many parts of the world does honor to your country  and is a telling witness of Jesus Christ of the evangelical stimulus deep-rooted in the Maltese Church”

Mainly during the summer some of these missionaries come back to Malta for a deserved rest and for some fund raising. The Maltese give generously.

However, the sterling work that these missionaries do has almost been kept as a secret. It has never been documented properly. Fortunately it will now be documented thanks to the work of a dear friend of mine, Fr John Caruana who has spent 30 years of his life serving the people of Brazil.

Fr John returned to Malta and for two years worked on writing a book about the work that Maltese missionaries – diocesan priests, male and female religious and lay persons - do in so many countries. The book documents their experiences.  It narrates the hard times, and successes of these missionaries that had to face  the most difficult circumstances, ranging from countries victims of extreme poverty, to countries whose  regimes, for various reasons,  were hostile to the catholic Church, and others still who were immersed in never ending civil wars.

Fr John is now back in Brazil from where he is overseeing the final corrections and the printing of the book that will be published this October close to the celebration of Mission Sunday. Fr John is not only the writer but the publisher of this book.

I never believed that he would be able to write and publish the book. But he did write it and is fast on the way of doing the publishing. Those who know Fr John know him as a jovial, optimistic, hard worker who does not take no for an answer. He managed to do what no one else ventured to do before him.

True to style Fr John Caruana is not just publishing a 430-page hard bound book but is producing it in a coffee table format measuring 230mm by 240mm for the incredible pre-publication (till September 20)  low price of just €15.

I ‘leafed’ through it and read extracts from the e-version Fr John posted on the website of Maringa, the diocese he serves in Brazil. It is really worth having a copy.

The would-be buyer can deposit the amount of a single book in one of these accounts: BOV account number 40018367203 and APS Bank account number 1013043001-3 specifying to the cashier one´s name and ID number. One should keep the receipt to collect the book from Gutenberg Press Ltd at Tarxien when the book will be published, hopefully around Mission Sunday in October.