Keith Grech writes:

Fr Benjamin Galea OCD, a friar of the Discalced Carmelite Order of Malta, passed away to eternal life on October 20. He is missed by his fellow friar brothers, members of the clergy, his family and a multitude of friends.

I came to know him about a decade ago, when I was in my early 20s. He was a force to be reckoned with. He was of strong character and physical strength; spoke in the vernacular and candidly but was always willing to listen attentively to the good or troubled news of his fellow parishioners. In times of joy, he celebrated with them and, in hard times, shared their sorrows. He rejoiced whenever he administered the Holy Sacraments. Celebrating Mass and confession were matters that gave him immense contentment.

I recall how, after the rite of the sign of the cross at the end of Mass, he would rush towards the church terrace to greet and converse with as many worshippers as he possibly could. He made it a point to know all and sundry. For 50 years, since he was ordained on June 29, 1965, he lived the virtues of priesthood and always remained faithful to the pledges he had made to the Lord and the Church.

Those who were fortunate enough to know him in life knew how much he cherished it. He lived for relationships as through relationships he could offer both humanly love and spiritual direction according to Our Saviour Jesus Christ’s teachings. By passing a joke, acting humorously or discussing sporting events, where his favourite football club Juventus always featured, he crafted his way into the hearts of the people.

For many years he was synonymous with the Saturday 5.30pm Mass at St Thérèse of Lisieux church, Birkirkara. The church had to be used to its full capacity. Ironically, this occurred when the number of churchgoers was reported to be heading to a nadir. He realised that to be effective his homilies had to be brief, straight to the point but piercing. He did not shy from showing true and sincere emotions during those five to 10 minutes. His homilies captured the zeitgeist that, in today’s modern age, it is still possible to remain truthful to the universal teachings of the Gospel.

Religiously, on December 8 he used to call on me and insist on my presence at the feast of the Immaculate Conception in Cospicua. On arrival we used to make our way to one of the back pews of the church of St Theresa of Jesus and, quietly, spend some time in pensive reflection. Afterwards, we joined the community for the evening procession. While meandering through the streets of Cospicua many opened their homes to his presence. I surmise that this feast will never be the same again.

I came to know that quite a good number of young people and some married couples had turned to his advice in times of serious misunderstandings, doubts, problems or when life had gone astray. On many an occasion, he had put aside his resting time to offer reconciliatory services before matters deteriorated and became irreconcilable.

On the day of his funeral, Provincial Fr Manuel Schembri summed him up well. He spoke about three traits that had shaped his priesthood: (i) his love of being God’s servant (ii); his love of being a priest among the people and for the people; and (iii) his life mission to increase and assist youths towards the vocation of priesthood.

He added that few are aware, as he kept this matter secretive, that when he got wind that a priest was in danger of falling out of step, even if not within his own religious Order, he used to find ways and means of reaching out to him with the prospect of bringing the wandering sheep back in line with his ordained mission. In most cases, through the hand of God, prayer and a lot of thought, his efforts were successful. The latter was a consequence of the many hours he dedicated towards increasing vocations, thus the possibility of any losses in numbers used to trouble him immensely.

Furthermore, for many years, the formation of novices within the Discalced Carmelite Order fell within his responsibility. His philosophical and theological knowledge served him well to help formulate new members of the Order. He felt that he had a moral obligation towards working for larger numbers of workers in the Lord’s field.

The provincial’s concluding note was that his mother was instrumental to lay his path towards priesthood, something she was not ashamed of but encouraged with motherly love. She dedicated much of her life to the holistic education of all her four children by nourishing their dreams without encroaching on their space as children or adolescents.

Like everyone he had his troubles. During the last years of his life both his mental faculties and physical strength began ailing away. He reached the lowest ebb when, due to his illness, he lost his ability to communicate verbally. A cause of great frustration, albeit in those moments of adversity his faith in God grew and allowed his other senses to take over. Whenever I visited him at Mater Dei or Karin Grech hospital towards the very end of his 76 years on earth, he let his blue penetrating eyes and his strong handshake express his inner feelings.

Now he has returned to the home of Our Heavenly Father. He was laid to rest in the crypt of the chapel dedicated to St Teresa of Jesus, Cospicua. Incidentally, this happens to be the same place where he commenced his novitiate back in 1958.

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