On April 29 the zealous messenger of God’s unfathomable mercy, Tonio Mifsud OFM Conv, left this valley of tears to “enter into the joy of (his) master” (Matt 25, 21). This well-known 56-year-old friar spent his short life spreading God’s Word particularly through the fruitful use of the communications media.
The huge crowd that overflowed the beautiful church dedicated to St Francis of Assisi at Birkirkara showed the great esteem and love Fr Tonio enjoyed from various people coming from different walks of life. It was not a sheer coincidence that his funeral was celebrated on May 1, feast of St Joseph the Worker.
This humble and perseverant friar toiled enthusiastically and assiduously so that the saving message of the Gospel would reach every Maltese household. As Alfred Calleja OFM Conv, the Provincial Minister of the Maltese Friars Minor Conventuals, rightly pointed out, Fr Tonio lived his Franciscan and priestly life by serving the poor, the Eucharist and the entire people of God.
Fr Tonio went out of his way to offer a warming listening ear and a caring heart to the distressed, the broken-hearted, the confused, the lost. This joyful friar shared their sorrows and struggles, thereby assisting them to better their state of mind and soul as well as lifting up their hearts with the reassuring hope of God’s presence in the midst of their suffering.
The celebration and adoration of the most Holy Eucharist was the centre of Fr Tonio’s consecrated and ministerial life. His passionate heart for the Eucharistic Jesus used to draw the whole congregation around the Altar of the Lord’s Sacrifice. Fr Tonio’s fervent faith revealed his unshakeable conviction that the Eucharist was the richest of all sources, the strength of spirit needed for God’s minster’s apostolic work and spiritual life.
Finally, Fr Tonio was a wise servant in the ministry of God’s Word. As a gifted communicator he excelled in disseminating the Word of eternal life through the modern pulpits of the radio and TV. His radio listeners and televiewers were edified and encouraged by his Spirit-led words. He managed to incarnate the Gospel’s message into their concrete situations of everyday life.
God clearly reached to his people by his microphone, Fr Tonio!