Keith Grech writes:
On October 20, Fr Benjamin Galea, OCD, a friar of the Discalced Carmelite Order of Malta, passed away to eternal life. He is missed by his fellow friars, members of the clergy, his family and multitude of friends.
Fr Galea was known by many, especially the parishioners of Msida, his home town, Cospicua and Birkirkara. He was a person who, throughout his 76 years, 50 of which as a minister of Christ, demonstrated that life through God is truly beautiful.
He was of strong character, spoke in the vernacular and candidly, but was always willing to listen attentively and provide counsel for the betterment of those who sought his comfort.
He was a minister among the people and for the people. Over the years, I came to know a number of people who sought his advice in times when life had gone astray or when their heart was weighed down by sorrow.
He loved celebrating Mass and will be remembered for his Saturday evening homilies at St Thérèse of Lisieux church, Birkirkara. His homilies were well researched, straight to the point and embedded in the zeitgeist of contemporary society.
It remains vivid in my memory, how after Mass, he made his way to the parvis to greet all churchgoers. Relationships were special to him as only through true human relationships could he serve God and spread His Word.
His friendships often began by cracking a joke or discussing his favourite pastime – football; his favourite team, Juventus, always featured in a conversation. Through interaction with others, he crafted his way into the hearts and souls of many.
On the day of his funeral, Provincial Fr Manuel Schembri summed him up well. He spoke about three traits that shaped his priesthood: his love of being God’s servant; his love of being a priest among the people and for the people, and his life mission to encourage and assist youths taking up the vocation of priesthood.
The latter was his lifelong mission. He devoted many hours of work for religious vocations. In his younger years, he studied theology and philosophy in Malta and Florence, which helped him in the formation of many novices in the Carmelite Order.
According to his brother friars, he used to become agitated and troubled whenever he got wind that a member of the clergy intended to abandon the priesthood. On such occasions, he used to try to secretly meet with the friar concerned, and through reflection, persuasion and strong belief in God’s providence, try to resolve the matter.
During the last years of his life, he had health problems which affected both his mental faculties and physical strength. This was a cause of great frustration, but in these moments of adversity, when he even lost the ability to communicate verbally, his faith in God grew and this allowed his other senses to take over. In these circumstances he let his blue penetrating eyes and his firm handshake express his inner self.
He has now returned to the home of our heavenly Father and was laid to rest in the crypt of the chapel dedicated to St Theresa of Jesus, Cospicua. Incidentally, this is the same place where, at the age of 18, he had started his novitiate.