George Preca

The major work of George Preca is the foundation of the Society of Christian Doctrine (Societas Doctrinæ Christianæ), whose first formal meeting was held on March 7, 1907, in Ħamrun. Initially bringing together young laypeople for catechesis, the association is designated by the acronym M.U.S.E.U.M., which Preca interpreted according to the Latin motto "Magister Utinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus" ("Master, may the whole world follow the Gospel!"). The institution trains lay catechists, men and women grouped into distinct sections, living a commitment of celibacy and service to transmit Christian doctrine in neighborhood centers. Anxious to reach the common people, Preca taught in the Maltese language and wrote numerous booklets and brochures on spirituality and catechesis. The society, long viewed with suspicion by certain ecclesiastical authorities, was canonically erected on April 12, 1932, by Archbishop Mauro Caruana. It subsequently expanded outside of Malta, with centers in several countries, and remains today the principal institutional achievement attached to the name of its founder.

The spirituality of George Preca is deeply Christocentric and biblical. He places at the heart of his teaching the mystery of the Word made flesh, summarized in the formula taken from the prologue of Saint John "Verbum Dei caro factum est" ("the Word of God was made flesh"), which he had his disciples inscribe and meditate upon. He encouraged the memorization and rumination of Gospel passages, convinced that the living knowledge of the Word transforms the believer. His devotion to the Incarnation, to the Child Jesus, and to the Virgin Mary nourished a simple piety, accessible to the people. In 1957, he composed a series of five "mysteries of light" dedicated to the public life of Christ, intended for the private recitation of the rosary; these mysteries bear a kinship to those that Pope John Paul II would later propose to the entire Church. Renowned for his humility, his detachment, and his self-denial in the service of evangelization, Dun Ġorġ already enjoyed a solid reputation for holiness during his lifetime, being held as a priest of prayer entirely given to the catechetical mission.

The cause for the beatification of George Preca opened in 1975 at the initiative of Archbishop Mikiel Gonzi. Pope John Paul II beatified him on May 9, 2001, in Floriana, Malta, on the basis of a healing recognized as miraculous, that of Charles Zammit Endrich, who suffered from a detached retina and was healed through the intercession of the blessed. The canonization took place on June 3, 2007, Trinity Sunday, in Saint Peter's Square, where Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed him a saint along with Simon of Lipnica, Charles of Saint Andrew Houben, and Marie-Eugénie de Jésus Milleret. The miracle accepted for the canonization, approved by decree on February 22, 2007, was the unexplained healing of a young Maltese child, Eric Catania, who suffered from a serious liver disease for which a transplant had been deemed necessary, and whose recovery was attributed to the intercession of Preca. George Preca thus became the first Maltese person raised to the glory of the altars. His liturgical feast is celebrated on May 9, the date of his beatification.

The legacy of George Preca lies above all in the Society of Christian Doctrine, which continues its apostolate of lay catechesis in Malta and in several countries where it has been established. Pope John Paul II hailed him as the "second father in the faith" of Malta, echoing the figure of Saint Paul, considered the first evangelizer of the island according to the account in the Acts of the Apostles. As the first saint of Maltese origin to be canonized, Dun Ġorġ has become a major identity and spiritual figure of the archipelago; his tomb and the center linked to his work are venerated places of memory. Patron of catechists in Maltese popular devotion, he is honored as a model of evangelization through the Word and the religious instruction of the people. His memory was revived during Pope Francis's visit to Malta in 2022, where the figure of the Maltese catechist was highlighted as a witness to the transmission of the Gospel.