The Vice-Province "Mary Help of Christians" of Malta (MLT), erected in 2018, has in truth a much more ancient history, since the first presence in the Maltese archipelago, the house "St. Patrick", dates back to the very beginning of the 20th century. St. Patrick of Sliema dates back to 1903; and it also has a rather peculiar history: if the country itself is a crossroads of the Mediterranean, even the Salesian origins are "composite", being indebted both to the Salesians of Northern Europe, Irish and English, to whom the pastoral care of the islands was first entrusted by the Salesian superiors; and to the Sicilian Salesians, who for geographical and practical reasons were invited to manage a work offered by benefactors to the Congregation.

“These mixed roots have brought benefits, because there is a Vice-Province with different works, including the oratorian presence; in fact, almost every work has an oratory today,” shared Fr Coelho.

Today there are 36 Salesians active in Malta, belonging to 4 communities, which animate a multitude of significant activities and apostolates, through the works spread in Sliema, Senglea, and Dingli.

Dingli is a lively reality in a village 16 km from the capital, Valletta. The Salesian house, started at the end of the 1960s, hosts a boys' school with 250 students, the formation house for the Salesians, and an oratory with several groups of young people.

In Senglea the Salesians have only been present since 2008, but their presence boasts a centuries-old past: in fact, the Salesian center includes both a well-established oratory and youth center and a very old church, next to which stands a convent of the Oratorians of St. Philip Neri of the late sixteenth century. These animated the complex until almost a century ago; then in World War II the church was bombed and resumed life only in 1958 with the Jesuits, who rebuilt it and took residence in the former convent of the Oratorians. After 50 years, however, even the Jesuits left it, for reasons of reorganization, and since the Salesians have taken over they are also taking care of the rich cultural heritage contained in this treasure chest of history and art. “For example, together with volunteers, they are cleaning up and taking care of the local library, coeval with the church. It is a painstaking work: they are cleaning every page, they are making a nice catalog of the works and they have already found an ancient manuscript, a very important historical find,” says the General Councilor for Education.

In Sliema, the Salesians animate both the historic house of "St. Patrick" with a special school, a residence for special students, a public church, and the local centers of various associations of the Salesian Family; the St. Alphonsus house with the oratory and the youth center, the office of the Vice-Province, the houses (dar, in Maltese) for young people in difficulty and at risk: "Osanna Pia" and "Mamma Margherita", to which is added "Dar Alberto Marvelli", directly managed by the Past Pupils of Don Bosco.

“These centers are the manifestation of Salesian attention to the young people favored by Don Bosco. In recent years, in particular, in accordance with the indications of the Pope and the Rector Major, they have equipped themselves to welcome needy migrants," continues Fr Coelho.

The Maltese youth reality is not exempt from significant challenges. Even the Pope recalled this during his speeches on the occasion of his recent visit when he warned against pursuing "a false prosperity dictated by profit", the "needs induced by consumerism" or "the right to have any and every right."

But in a context of widespread secularization, the Salesians have learned to find common ground with institutions in social projects, carrying out initiatives supported by national or European Union calls for proposals; and they know how to find spaces for collaboration with creativity, as in the case of the Chaplaincy of the "MCAST", a state university with a vocational orientation where five Salesians and others alternate between classrooms and corridors, staying always together with the young.

Nor should we forget two other highlights of the Salesian presence in the archipelago. On the one hand, there is the widespread competence of the Sons of Don Bosco in psycho-therapy and counseling: this is an ability achieved in an experimental form by some Salesian pioneers several years ago and then handed down to younger generations, in such a way that today the Salesians boast a great deal of experience in the personal accompaniment of young people.

Noteworthy, too, are the very intense and fruitful relationships with the laity, evident as soon as one sets foot inside certain realities. This is the case at the headquarters of the Provincial’s Office of Planning and Development, which is a sort of large hub where Salesians, Past Pupils, and young volunteers work hand in hand on a daily basis; or “Librerija Taghlim Nisrani,” a Salesian bookshop that works thanks to the collaboration between the Salesian Director and the generous voluntary work of many people.

The Salesian presence in Malta, which in the past has contributed to the Salesian missions by sending many of its sons to the missions ad extra, is also discerning new options in this sense. But even now, Fr Coelho concludes, it is “a beautiful and dynamic reality!”

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