Sir Maurus Caruana | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Malta | |
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| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Province | Palermo |
| See | Malta[1] |
| Appointed | 22 January 1915 |
| In office | 1915-1943 |
| Predecessor | Pietro Pace |
| Successor | Mikiel Gonzi |
| Other post | Titular Archbishop of Rhodes (1915-1928) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 14 March 1891 by Hugh MacDonald,C.Ss.R. |
| Consecration | 22 January 1915 by Rafael Merry del Val |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Luigi Carlo Giovanni Giuseppe Publio Caruana (1867-11-16)November 16, 1867 |
| Died | December 17, 1943(1943-12-17) (aged 76) Sliema, Crown Colony of Malta, British Empire |
| Buried | St Gregory The Great Parish Church, Sliema, Malta |
| Nationality | Maltese |
| Parents | Enrico Caruana & Elizabetta Bonavia |
Sir Maurus Caruana, O.S.B., K.G.C.,K.B.E. (16 November 1867 – 17 December 1943), was a MalteseBenedictinemonk who served as theBishop of Malta and theTitular Archbishop ofRhodes.
He was bornLuigi Carlo Giovanni Giuseppe Publio Caruana inFloriana, in what was then theCrown Colony of Malta, part of theBritish Empire. He was the youngest of the three sons of Enrico Caruana, assistant secretary to the Admiral Superintendent of the Malta Dockyards, and Elizabetta Bonavia. His older brothers went on to become a London banker and the Judge-Advocate General of theBritish Raj in India.[2]
Caruana's mother died on 25 January 1869, when Luigi was still in his infancy, and he was raised by his father. In 1876, at the age of nine, he was admitted to theminor seminary of theDiocese of Gozo, and a year later he pursued his studies at St. Ignatius College inSt. Julian's, administered by theJesuit Fathers. Wishing to become a Benedictine monk, in 1882 he was enrolled in the school operated by the monks ofFort Augustus Abbey in Scotland, where he continued his studies.[2]
In 1884, Caruana was received as apostulant of the monastic community, and received themonastic habit on March 21 of that year, celebrated by Benedictines as thefeast day of St. Benedict, the founder of the Benedictine Order, and being given at that occasion thereligious name ofMaurus, after one of the founder's most noted disciples. He made his temporary profession ofreligious vows the following year, and he made hissolemn vows three years later, on 11 November 1888. He then pursued his study of theology and wasordained apriest on 14 March 1891 byHugh MacDonald,C.Ss.R., theBishop of Aberdeen. He was then sent to pursue his ecclesiastical studies inRome atSan Anselmo College, an international center of studies run by the Benedictine Order.[2]
After his return to his abbey, Caruana taught philosophy, theology and Latin literature at the abbey school. In 1899 he was appointed aparish priest atDornie, westernRoss-shire, in theScottish Highlands, for which he learnedGaelic to care for a widely scattered flock. In 1904, due to his talents and training, he was chosen to act as private secretary to the Maltese bishop,Ambrose Agius, O.S.B. (1856-1911), another Benedictine monk, who, at the time, wasApostolic Delegate to the Philippines. This was to be his only experience of higher ecclesiastical office before he was appointed bishop.[2]
In 1906, Caruana returned to Fort Augustus Abbey, where he was appointed choir master for the community. He also engaged in a preaching ministry in various locales in Scotland and England over the next few years, includingWestminster Cathedral inLondon, where he preached a course ofLenten sermons. He was especially welcome by the Italian immigrant community of the United Kingdom for his proficiency in their language.[2]
In December 1914, Caruana was sent toBrazil on a preaching mission. He decided to spend time with his family back inMalta on the way. While there, he was summoned to Rome the following month where he learned thatPope Benedict XV had named him the Bishop of Malta. He was consecrated at theBasilica ofSanta Maria in Trastevere by theSecretary of State of the Holy See,CardinalRafael Merry del Val on 10 February that year.[3] The day was of significance, as it is celebrated in Malta as the Feast of St.Paul's shipwreck there and by Benedictines as the Feast ofSt. Scholastica, the sister of St. Benedict. He was also honored with being appointed a Knight Grand Cross of theSovereign Military Order of Malta.[2]
The population of Malta received its new bishop with huge enthusiasm and he received a large donation from the public to commemorate the occasion, which he promptly turned to purchasing bread for the poor and for the upkeep of the seminary of the diocese. He became the first Maltese to be created aKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1918, shortly after the Order had been established by KingGeorge V.[2]
On 29 March 1928Monsignor Caruana was granted the personal title of archbishop byPope Pius XI, as the Titular See of Rhodes, which the Bishops of Malta had held concurrently since 1797, had been restored as a functioning diocese.[3]
Archbishop Caruana, broadcasting to the Maltese on December 26, [1942] exhorted them to make an all-out effort for victory [against the Axis powers]. "There is no other alternative", he said, "for all right-thinking men faced with the evidence of the inherent barbarity of the enemy, his anti-Christian temper, his persecution of religion, his contempt for the laws of civilization and his savage extermination of the Jews." He thanked the men of the merchant and Royal navies, and the R.A.F., for their courage and devotion.
— "Pope Grants Plenary Indulgence in Air Raids",The Advocate (7 January 1943)
Caruana died duringWorld War II, after he had led the island through theSiege of Malta by theNaziLuftwaffe, andItalian Air Force. He is buried in St Gregory, The Great Parish Church inSliema, Malta.
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