Today the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints at Rome are judging the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Madre Margherita De Brincat, foundress of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, so that the Pope can declare her Venerable.

Yesterday evening the Bishop of Gozo, Mgr Mario Grech held a Prayer Vigil, with reflection, at the Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Victoria.

Bishop Grech said that Tuesday is a historic day for the Church in Gozo, for the first time in the history of the Church, the Cardinals and Bishops within the Congregation of the Causes of Saints in Rome will meet in ordinary session to judge whether the Pope should declare the Servant of God Madre Margherita De Brincat, daughter of this diocese, as Venerable. This session will be conducted by Cardinal J. Harvey and Fr Gianni Califano Postulator OFM. “If the vote is positive, we are just a step away from the Beatification of Mother Margherita, which is a miracle through the intercession of Mother Margherita.”Mother Margherita De Brincat passed away on January the 22nd 1952.

She was baptised at St George’s parish, and this is where her new religious congregation was also born.

An event that occurred in Gozo and left its mark on many parts of the world, was the foundation of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of Jesus in 1880. This congregation had its origins in the Association of the Twelve Stars of the Heart of Jesus, initiated in Victoria by a group of young girls whose spiritual director was Fr Joseph Diacono, at that time assistant Parish Priest at St George’s.

Fr Diacono, then, committed himself in transforming this association in a diocesan religious congregation, first with the name of Franciscan Tertiaries and later, Franciscan Sisters of Malta.

As time passed, this congregation was given Papal approval and to express its charism better, the name was changed to Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of Jesus.

In the Constitutions of this Congregation, while Fr Joseph Diacono initiated the congregation, there was also Mother Margerita, who through a divine disposition, led it on, cultivated it, and brought it to maturity. Mother Margherita, born Virginia Debrincat in Kercem, was trained at Fr Diacono’s school.

Virginia De Brincat was baptised at St George’s Parish Church, Victoria, on 28 November 1862, exactly hundred and fifty years ago. At the age of 27, inspired by the Holy Spirit, she decided to run the congregation and managed to overcome the crisis that had almost brought it to an end.

Today, the congregation is still strong and on the 22nd of January 2000, the end of the diocesan informative process for the Beatification of Mother Margherita was celebrated, which had been started on the 4th of July 1988 in the Diocese of Gozo.

The reflection by the Bishop of Gozo is shown in full below in the Maltese language:

Riflessjoni tal-E.T. Mons. Mario Grech, Isqof ta’ Ghawdex Velja ta’ talb bi thejjija biex Madre Margerita ssir Venerabbli

Knisja tas-Sorijiet Frangiskani, il-Belt Victoria It-Tnejn 20 ta’ Jannar 2014

“Ghada t-Tlieta huwa jum storiku ghall-Knisja f’Ghawdex ghaliex ghall-ewwel darba fl-istorja tal-Knisja l-Kardinali u l-Isqfijiet membri fi hdan il-Kongregazzjoni tal-Kawzi tal-Qaddisin ser jiltaqghu f’sessjoni ordinarja biex jaghtu gudizzju dwar jekk il-Papa ghandux jiddikjara lill-Qaddejja ta’ Alla Madre Margerita De Brincat, bint din id-Djocesi, bhala Venerabbli. Din is-sessjoni ser titmexxa mill-Kardinal J. Harvey u l-Postulatur huwa Patri Gianni Califano ofm. Jekk il-vot ikun wiehed pozittiv, inkunu pass biss ‘il boghod mill-Beatifikazzjoni ta’ Madre Margerita. Ikun jonqos miraklu bl-intercessjoni ta’ Madre Margerita.

Nemmen li din il-grajja hija providenzjali ghall-Knisja f’pajjizna. Qeghdin nghixu zmien ta’ sfidi kbar ghal min irid jghix il-Vangelu ta’ Gesù Kristu. Is-sejha li timxi wara Kristu qatt ma kienet hafifa. Imma llum mhux biss it-telgha qed issir aktar wieqfa, imma qed insibu wkoll rih qawwi jonfoh ghal go wiccna. Xi drabi l-buffuri jkunu tant qawwija li jahbtu jaqilbu lil min hu sod, ahseb u ara lil min qisu sifja. Frott ta’ din il-kultura, il-hajja spiritwali qieghda tnin u l-Insara bhal donnhom tilfu l-grinta. Ma rridx inkun profeta tad-dlam, imma f’din il-klima nara certi “kastelli” nezlin. Fl-1969, il-Kardinal Ratzinger kien qal li f’din il-krizi, il-Knisja fl-Ewropa mhix ser tibqa’ tuza dawk l-ispazji sbieh li bniet u zejnet hija stess! Aghar minn hekk, inhoss li fil-Knisja taghna hawn sinjali ta’ gheja, telqa, nuqqas ta’ hegga, apatija. Hawn min bhal qieghed icedi l-armi u jintelaq mal-kurrent. Uhud xjiehu qabel il-waqt u qed jaghzlu li joqoghdu b’idejhom marbuta.

F’dan il-kuntest, jien nixtieq li niskopru ftit lil din ir-religjuza, Madre Margerita De Brincat, li kienet mara li kienet “vulkan” jarmi energija umana u evangelika. Barra li kienet tarmi n-nar, kellha determinazzjoni qawwija tant li joqghod ghaliha l-motto ta’ rahal twelidha, Ta’ Kercem: “Flectar non frangar” – fis-sens li meta jahkimha r-rih vjolenti, forsi kienet tmil imma mhux titkisser! Bizzejjed insemmi li fl-1887, meta Dun Guzepp Diacono, il-fundatur ta’ din il-Kongregazzjoni tas-Sorijiet, iltaqa’ ma’ ghadd gmielu ta’ diffikultajiet tant li kien iddecieda li jibghat lis-sorijiet lejn djarhom u hekk jaghlaq din l-opra, Madre Margerita, meta kellha biss 25 sena, offriet li terfa’ hi stess il-piz tat-tmexxija. Kieku ma kienx ghall-hegga u l-vizjoni li kellha Madre Margerita, kieku dan il-“kastell” (il-Kongregazzjoni tas-Sorijiet Frangiskani tal-Qalb ta’ Gesù) kien jiggarraf u jintemm. Din ma kinitx l-unika cirkustanza fejn il-Madre kellha titqabad u taghmel wicc sfiq biex thabbatha mal-ostilità li giet ghal wiccha.

Il-hidma ta’ Madre Margerita napprezzawha aktar meta nzommu quddiem ghajnejna l-limitazzjonijiet li hija kellha. Meta wiehed iqis li kienet gejja minn rahal ckejken, kienet ta’ statura qasira u kellha biss formazzjoni skolastika elementari, facli wiehed ixebbahha maz-zerriegha tal-mustarda li jsemmi Gesù fil-Vangelu: zerriegha zghira imma li kapaci taghmel sigra kbira li toffri kenn lil hafna.

Ghalhekk, jien irrid nittama li meta l-Knisja tipproponilna lil Madre Margerita bhala Venerabbli, inkunu nistghu nitolbu lil Alla jaghtina ftit mill-ispirtu taghha biex intajru minn fuqna certa telqa, nirbhu certu sens ta’ inferjorità, nimtlew bl-entuzjazmu u nxammru jdejna biex b’hafna mhabba imma b’qawwa nxandru l-Vangelu lis-socjetà tal-lum. Meta nhares lejn Madre Margerita, nixxennaq li nara l-Knisja taghna konvinta li ghandha l-aqwa messagg x’tghaddi lill-bniedem – dan huwa Gesù Kristu. Nixtieq li joktor l-ghadd ta’ dawk li ghandhom passjoni ghal Gesù u meta jitkellmu dwaru jinsew l-gheja. Ghandi xewqa li fuq l-ezempju ta’ Madre Margerita, l-Ispirtu ta’ Alla jqajjem ftit persuni li jitkellmu ma’ Alla dwar il-bniedem u fl-istess waqt ikollhom il-kuragg li jiddjalogaw mal-bniedem dwar Alla. Nistenna wkoll li bhalma Madre Margerita, ghalkemm mietet ta’ 89 sena, baqghet dejjem “zaghzugha” fil-Mulej, hekk il-Knisja taghna tibqa’ tghix ir-rebbiegha tal-hajja.

Imma biex kebbset f’qalbha dawn il-kwalitajiet, Madre Margerita kellha sigriet wiehed: skopriet lil Gesù bhala l-Gharus Divin u “l-oghla grad tal-Imhabba”. Kienet tisker meta tieqaf tirrifletti dwar il-fatt li Alla sar bniedem – fil-fatt l-ispiritwalità taghha ddur mat-twelid ta’ Gesù, il-Kurcifiss, il-Qalb ta’ Gesù u l-Ewkaristija li hija s-sagrament tal-prezenza tad-divinità u l-umanità ta’ Gesù.

Jekk f’certu sens il-Qaddejja ta’ Alla Madre Margerita hija “figura” li l-Knisja qed taqlaghha mill-imghoddi, Gesù huwa l-istess tal-bierah, tal-lum u ghal dejjem. Kif kien Gesù li kellem, stimula u sahhar lil Madre Margerita, dan Gesù huwa haj fostna u, jekk naghtuh spazju, jista’ jaghmel l-istess maghna llum. Ghalhekk nemmen li l-missjoni primarja tal-Knisja llum hija li tghin lill-bniedem isib lil Gesù u tiffacilita l-laqgha tieghu mieghu. Minghajr Gesù, nibqghu moxxi u narmu riha ta’ mewt.

Ghalhekk inheggeg lill-Knisja lokali biex nghixu din il-grajja bil-ferh, u bl-intercessjoni ta’ Madre Margerita nitolbu lil Alla jixhet fuqna ftit minn dak l-ispirtu li qaddes lilha biex bhalha ahna nghinu s-socjetà tkattar il-gid veru.”

Permalink: Bishop Grech holds Prayer Vigil for Madre Margherita De Brincat