Mgr Lawrence Gatt writes:
They say the original Good Friday on which Our Lord was crucified and died was April 7. There were 30 of us. We were ordained on April 7, 1962. Canon Joseph Grech Cremona was the 14th one to pass on to his eternal abode.
Dun Ġużepp was the eldest of the group, perhaps the most sociable and popular. He was a gifted man, bright and enriched with an extraordinary memory and a keen sense of observation. Yesterday and yesteryear did not make much difference to him.
With the passing away of Canon Grech Cremona, a generation of priests is dwindling which was particularly attached to the church (building). The priest whom you could look for and meet in church is a blessing.
With the hundred-and-one duties that assail the modern priest in a world on the move and a reduced number of priests, it could easily happen that the priest, even the parish priest himself, could be reached on his mobile. Dun Ġużepp was not fond of his mobile phone if he had one. But you could find him in the confession box, at the altar, at the Missions Office or giving a sermon.
If he was often to be met in church, he would hardly attend an entertainment event, except, of course, a festa, and that because he could enjoy the church. Even the widely travelled person that he was, his travels were, to a large extent, churchy.
From Europe to South America, his knowledge of Church history and architecture was vast. One of the Franciscan Fathers present at his funeral confirmed my conviction that there was not on the island a more knowledgeable person on the history of Franciscanism than Canon Grech Cremona.
Our friend and classmate will be remembered as a most exemplary priest, always loyal to his faith and vocation, the type of no-nonsense kind of man. Yet, as we recall his days we cannot help a smile and even more. Canon Grech Cremona’s sense of humour was exceptional.
As I finish reading Between Heaven and Mirth, a most interesting book I bought last month, written by Fr James Martin, SJ, I behold in my friend a personification of the theory propounded by Fr Martin that humour, joy and even laughter not only are not alien to holiness but could be conducive to a genuinely lived Christian and priestly life.