Frieda Bonello rests on a walking frame as she slowly makes her way through the high-ceiling corridors of Fra Diegu children’s home where she has lived for the past 65 years.
We used to go to many funerals. That was our outing. We used to walk behind the coffins and pray
Now 74 years old, Ms Bonello is one of four “grown up children” who still live in the home together with some 10 resident children.
“The nuns were like our mothers... I have nothing to complain about. If I do, I’ll miss out on heaven. This is my home and I have all I need,” she said.
Ms Bonello and her twin sister Lourdes, who passed away in April, were 11 months old when their mother died. Their father, Manweli, could not take care of them and their three elder siblings.
Her two older sisters and one brother went to live with relatives but she and her twin were taken to a home in Żejtun. When they turned nine they were moved to Fra Diegu in Ħamrun.
Despite never having lived in a family, Ms Bonello feels she did not miss out on family life and always felt loved by her father and siblings.
Her father, who worked with the Navy and Army, Air Force Institute, visited them regularly.
“He used to bring us his ration of butter, cheese and bread . . . He gave us everything he could. If I told him I needed a pair of shoes on a Sunday, on the Monday he’d bring it. I remember a pair of brown shoes with wax soles. He’d also get us socks to keep warm,” she recalled as her deep blue eyes sparked at the memory of her darling “daddy”.
On Christmas Day, she and her sister used to spend the day with their family after their father picked them up. Once the celebrations were over she did not mind it when she was taken back to the home.
“This was my home and I understood that there was nowhere else I could live. We were here because our mother died. I have no regrets,” she said.
She recalled how, when she was a child at the home, there were over 100 girls living there.
“At the time, they did not have flatlets like they have today . . . We had large dormitories lined with beds on both sides.” she said. “. . . And we used to go to many funerals. That was our outing. We used to walk behind the coffins and pray,” she smiled.
In those days, people used to give donations to homes so that children would pray as they walked in the funeral cortege. This was probably due to the belief that God answers children’s prayers first.
Ms Bonello also remembered the times when Dun Ġorġ Preca, who was made a saint in 2007, celebrated Mass at the home’s chapel.
“His Mass used to take really long. My father and his friends would come and see us on a Sunday. They would have to wait for a long time as his homily took very long . . . He was a saint,” she said.
Ms Bonello was never tempted to leave the home and venture out into the world. As she grew older she decided to become a nun but then changed her mind as she felt it was not her calling. She and her sister remained together and worked within the home, cooking, washing dishes and doing anything that needed to be done.
“I loved my sister so much... We were always together . . . I still wait for her sometimes,” she said as her eyes started to well up.
Ms Bonello is still in close contact with her relatives and friends outside the home and they visit her regularly and often invite her to their homes.
“I like it when they come for me to spend the day with them,” she said, echoing the enthusiasm of the child she once was.
Anyone who wishes to help Fra Diegu home can contact Mother Superior Sr Enrichetta Farrugia, Fra Diegu Home, Villambrosa Street, HMR 1127 or call on 2123 4362/2123 5366.