I thank Joe Zammit, of Paola, for enlightening Maltese Catholics about the priests, nuns and laity in line for beatification or canonisation. He listed 11 venerables and beati from the two dioceses, whose causes are in process in the Congregation of Saints.

To the list, to my great joy, Archbishop Charles Scicluna has added my mentor and friend Dun Mikiel Azzopardi, the founder of Dar tal-Providenza, with whom I had the grace to work as vice ecclesiastical assistant of the Malta Catholic Action.

However, I wish to ask, in humility, if behind all these holy people there is a deep devotion among our people, mainly outside their own congregation or group. Or is it now a Maltese fashion to want to just honour these holy people?

Furthermore, I think there should be a priority choice who we want to see arriving at the process of beatification or canonisation.

The congregation has a vast number of candidates and we need to concentrate our devotion on those whose process is already somewhat advanced.

At a meeting with an under secretary of the congregation I was asked why we were not promoting the canonisation of the two Maltese beati Nazju Falzon and Adeodata Pisani.

The Benedictine nuns surely pray daily, but whenever one wants to go to pray to Adeodata the doors of the church are closed. I have always had a devotion to Nazju Falzon and I know there is some promotion towards him.

The miracles needed for the canonisation are wrought through prayer to these holy souls. God will grant them in answer to our prayers.

Zammit also mentioned the cause of Fr Nazzareno Camilleri, a well-known Salesian professor of theology who taught in Italy.

I am sure the very active Maltese Salesians would be proud to have him as their future beato.