Almost 1,000 wives and members of the international Catenian Association will be attending their annual conference in Malta on Saturday.
It is being held at the Radisson Blu Resort, St Julian’s. The attendees will come from various parts of the world, mainly the UK.
The Catenians are an association of Catholic laymen who are committed to their faith, their families, to those in need and to each other. Their primary purpose is to establish a network of friends, which enhances their family life, strengthens their faith and sustains them in difficult times. There are about 200 members resident on Malta and Gozo.
The Malta conference programme opens on Friday with a welcome reception at the Radisson, followed by the conference on Saturday morning, and, in the evening, a formal banquet attended by the President of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, accompanied by her husband. There will be three simultaneous less formal dinners in other venues.
On Sunday at 12.30pm, Archbishop Charles Scicluna will lead a concelebrated Mass at Mdina Cathedral. This Mass will be exclusively for the conference participants and their wives. President Coleiro Preca is also expected to attend. The Mass will be followed by a farewell lunch at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta. Many visitors have booked to stay longer to take advantage of numerous tours and other events arranged both before and after the Conference.
The new grand president of the Catenian Association, David Rowley, who will be installed during the weekend, said: “This is only the fourth time in over 100 years that the Conference has been held off the UK mainland. The fact that it will be one of our best-attended conferences ever is a tribute to all those involved with the organisation, and a sign of the affection in which our members in Malta are held by Catenians around the world.”
The Catenian Association was first established in Malta in 1981. Its members meet monthly in groups known as ‘Circles’, of which there are five – Mensija, Valletta, Gozo, St Julian’s and San Luċjan.
The Malta Tourism Authority has provided some sponsorship for the conference. There will be seven official conference hotels.