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Charles Buttigieg: Ġużeppi Mercieca – Ragħaj Għal Kull Staġun
Klabb Kotba Maltin
Charles Buttigieg has written an excellent new book on Archbishop Ġużeppi Mercieca.
Buttigieg, a close friend of the late archbishop, was chosen by Mgr Mercieca himself to write the account of his life. His earlier book was published in 2014 and was entitled Ġużeppi Mercieca, Memorji – Ilkoll Aħwa fi Kristu – a biography dictated by Mgr Mercieca but written on his behalf by Buttigieg.
In the introduction to the new book Buttigieg writes how Archbishop Charles Scicluna encouraged him to pursue his idea to write a complementary book to Mgr Mercieca’s memoirs, focusing on the most significant aspects of the life and work of Mgr Mercieca, especially the part relating to his time as head of the Maltese Church. For this purpose Buttigeg was given full access to Curia archives and documentation. It was a most worthy aim and fully justified by the outstanding book Buttigieg has written.
The new book is appropriately titled Ġużeppi Mercieca – Ragħaj għal kull Staġun (Ġużeppi Mercieca – A Shepherd for All Seasons).
A gem of a book – interesting, engaging, enlivening
In the book’s introduction, Buttigieg says that the inspiration for the title was an editorial he himself had written in il-Ħajja (as the then editor of the Catholic newspaper) on December 12, 1986, on the 10th anniversary of Mgr Mercieca’s appointment as Archbishop. In that editorial Buttigieg stated that Mgr Mercieca assumed responsibility of the Maltese archdiocese at a time of great turbulence, but he was “a shepherd for every season who was living constantly for the people, among the people and with the people.” At Mgr Mercieca’s funeral ceremony in St John’s Co-Cathedral on March 23, 2016, Archbishop Scicluna also described the former archbishop in the same terms – a shepherd for all seasons who showed exemplary docility to the will of God.
The new book completes for us readers the picture of a humble man on his spiritual journey from his humble roots in Triq il-Providenza, Victoria, where he was born on November 11, 1928, to his death at a private home in Żejtun on March 21, 2016.
Ġużeppi was the eldest son of Saverio and Giovanna (née Vassallo). His father owned a wine shop in Victoria (behind the Cathedral) and Ġużeppi helped out in the running of the shop, while also finding the time to continue with his studies. His saintly mother was fully dedicated to the care of her family. Ġużeppi adored her throughout her life. In the book, Mgr (Canon) Gwann Mercieca, his brother, describes Ġużeppi as Il-prinċipju tagħna – a sort of role model for his siblings to imitate and aspire to.
In the first section of the book, readers can follow Ġużeppi’s progress in his priestly vocation – his childhood, his time at the Gozo Seminary, then to Rome where he continued his academic specialisations at the Gregorian University and the Lateran University, his ordination in 1952, his return to Rome where he graduated in Dogmatic Theology and Church Law, his time as rector of the Gozo Seminary, his appointment as judge at the Sacra Romana Rota, his great love for his family in Gozo, especially his mother, his serious health problems when already a priest, and his unexpected appointment as Auxiliary Bishop to Archbishop Gonzi in 1974.
In other parts of the book readers can follow Mgr Mercieca’s life and pastoral work as Archbishop through the sub-titles under each new section, including interesting events (some of historical importance) he was involved in and the ambitious aims he set for himself and the Church he led with such dedication – aims which he pursued with characteristic humility, determination and hard work.
The publication also contains a number of important and original photographs. The five interesting appendices at the end of the book include tributes and salutations received from various distinguished personalities regarding Mgr Mercieca, such as the first President of the Republic, Sir Anthony Mamo, from Cardinal Carol Woytyla, from President Eddie Fenech Adami, from Pope Benedict XVI and from Pope Francis.
The book is a welcome addition to the biographical literature on important Maltese personalities of recent years. It is an intense but praiseworthy effort on the part of the author to mix his personal reminiscences of Mgr Mercieca with meticulous research. The result is a gem of a book – interesting, engaging, enlivening and, most of all, convincing.