The Franciscans and Malta have lost an intellectual, a good and hard-working priest. I was shocked to hear that Fr George (né Marjanu) Aquilina passed away on September 29, the day the Church celebrates the feast of the Archangels St Michael, St Gabriel and St Raphael.

Fr George’s family and mine were neighbours and we grew up together and remained friends. As kids, we used to hold processions in our neighbourhood with small statues, mostly that of St George, whom he loved so much and whose name he adopted when he became a friar.

In the mid-1990s, he visited Canada while I was living there. I picked him up and we spent several hours together and driving around reminiscing about our childhood life.

Fr Aquilina pursued his studies at what today is the Pontificio Ateneo Antonianum in Rome where he specialised in ecclesiastical history in which he acquired a doctorate. He was also a great historian.

He was involved as vice postulator in the canonical process of the beatification of Nazju Falzon. Fr Aquilina worked very hard to see him declared Blessed as indeed happened during Pope John Paul II’s visit to Malta in 2001.

Fr Aquilina spent many years in research as a historian at the archives in Malta, Rome and Sicily. He also published many books in Maltese, English and Italian, including internationally renowned books he wrote about the Order of St John and the history of the Franciscan order in Malta and Sicily.

He died aged 72 and left a huge void in the Franciscan convents, in his family and friends.

Rest in peace, my dear friend.