The Jesuits in Malta
A historical outline (part 2)

The Society Restored

Rapid growth. In 7th August, 1814, Pope Pius VII reestablished the Jesuit Order by a Bull (Sollecitudo Omnium Ecclesiarum) after several pleas from Catholics worldwide. In short time, from the few old Jesuits that remained, the Order grew and spread at an immense rate. Many of the works established before suppression, not since taken up by other orders, were revived, and a number of new ones were added to these, most of which were based in countries where Catholics were a mere minority.

Back in Malta. The first Jesuits to come to Malta after the reestablishment stayed only for a few days while in transit to other countries. At this period, Malta was a British colony, and the Maltese started to put pressure on the authorites to set up a Jesuit college in Malta once more. The government not only disagreed, but set up a Protestant college that was doomed to close soon as the sons of the Maltese intelligentia, for whom the college was aimed, ended up in the Jesuit college in Noto, Sicily. After pressure from the Pope, the governement yielded to the opening of a Jesuit college in Malta, provided it was run by British citizens. In 1845, English Jesuits founded St Paul's College in Mdina. This closed down in 1852 and after a brief restart in Valletta, the college shut its doors permanently in 1855.

St Ignatius' College. In 1848 and during the wars of Italian reunification (1860), the Jesuits in Naples and Sicily were threatened with expulsion, and many ended up in Malta. Though most returned to Italy soon enough, some remained to establish the Seminary in Gozo (Malta's sister island). Some years later, in 1877, not disheartened by the St Paul's College story, the Society of Jesus opened a new college, St. Ignatius College, at the site of the 1845 Protestant college. This was maintained till 1907.

The 20^th Century

St. Aloysius' College. In 1907, the English Jesuits closed St. Ignatius' College having been called back to Britain to open a college in Leeds.That same year the Jesuits in Sicily were planning to open a college in Palermo, but a papal order forced them to abandon the project and instead open a college in Malta. The new college, St. Aloysius' College, was opened that same year and has kept expanding up to the present day. Many important Maltese personalities attended the college, including Presidents of the Republic, noteworthy politicians, artists, lawyers, journalists and scientists.

Apostolates of the Maltese viceprovince. Several new works were eventually established and in 1945, a Noviciate was established for Maltese Jesuits in Naxxar. In that same year, the montly periodial Lil Hbiebna was first published. Malta was constituted a vice-province of the Society of Jesus on June 29, 1947 when the first vice-provincial of the Jesuits in Malta, Fr. Joseph Delia, was appointed. A year later the first issue of Regina et Mater appeared. To the initial residence in Floriana (oustide Valletta, the capital), residences in Valletta proper and in l-Isla were established. Adding to these the retreat houses in Gozo and Mosta, St Aloysius' college (Birkirkara), Naxxar novitiate, Dar Manuel Magri (outside University) and Pedro Arrupe House (Zejtun), there are at present 9 Jesuit residences in Malta.

Worldwide. From Malta, several Jesuits have been sent abroad to missionary countries, as well as to Europe and America. One great project started by the now Maltese Province was that in Santal Parganas, India. A number of Maltese jesuits still work in India, but the mission is now a self-supporting one.

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