The Maltese Jesuit province will be officially incorporated into a new Euro-Mediterranean province, comprising Malta, Italy and Albania, during a ceremony at the Chiesa del Gesù in Rome on July 1.

The Jesuit chosen to lead the new province is Fr Gianfranco Matarazzo, who has headed the Italian province since July 31, 2014.

Fr Gianfranco Matarazzo

Fr Matarazzo, 53, obtained a law degree from the University of Naples before joining the Society on December 2, 1993.  He was one of three Jesuits shortlisted for the new role following a consultation and spiritual discernment in which Jesuits from all three countries participated.

The Jesuit presence in Malta started in 1592 when the Society of Jesus set up the Collegium Melitense in Valletta, the forerunner of the University of Malta. Classes started in a house in Valletta, which also served as a temporary residence for the Jesuits. By 1597, the college and community had moved into the building that today houses the university’s Valletta campus.

Asked by The Sunday Times of Malta why he was considered the right man for the job, Fr Matarazzo replied: “It is not I who considers myself to be the right person for this role: it is my companions… and the choice of Father General [Fr Arturo Sosa Abascal] that entrust me with this responsibility.”

Fr Matarazzo is no stranger to Malta, having visited the island six times over the past eight years, or Albania, which he has visited about 15 times. He was in Malta earlier this year to meet members of the Maltese Jesuit province and is due to visit the island again next month.

At the beginning of our Jesuit history, communities were international. We are rediscovering the richness of such communities

Asked how he would remain in touch with the realities of Malta and Albania, Fr Matarazzo said he would continue to visit both countries regularly to meet Jesuit communities and individual Jesuits, as well as their lay collaborators.

He added that he would also ensure that the two countries are adequately represented in the new province’s governing team.

The number of Maltese Jesuits today is less than a third of 50 years ago. Whereas in 1966, there were 255 Maltese Jesuits, last year there were just 84, of whom 37 were studying or working abroad. Meanwhile, there are 440 Jesuits throughout Italy, of whom 74 are brothers and 35 are in formation.

Asked for his reaction to the worrying downward trend in vocations, Fr Matarazzo said that it was common to all Western countries and was likely to continue. “The reduction in numbers may be perceived as a crisis of sorts. But I prefer to interpret the trend as a reformulation of our presence and a spiritual opportunity to revisit our charism, our proposal regarding formation and our community life. The collaboration with lay people, for example, was created thanks to this reformulation.”

He stressed that the creation of the new province was not a response to the drop in the number of Jesuits in Malta but “a reconstruction of our presence to better meet the challenges of our time”.

Fr Matarazzo added: “At the beginning of our Jesuit history, communities were international. We are rediscovering the richness of such communities.”

Asked about what changes he wished to see implemented in the province and its activities in Malta over the next few years, Fr Matarazzo said the new Jesuit province was working on a new programme of formation that will focus its attention on the world of young people, culture and the world of immigration, while attaching value to the countries’ European roots and special geopolitical position.