malta Sunday Mass Attendance Census 2005 CENSUS OF SUNDAY MASS ATTENDANCE 2005 1 Copyright © Discern - Institute for Research on the Signs of the Times, 2009 First published in 2009 by Discern - Institute for Research on the Signs of the Times, Malta Discern - Institute for Research on the Signs of the Times 5 Lion Street, Floriana FRN 1514 Tel: (356) 2124 1924 Fax: (356) 2124 1925 Email: [email protected] All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of research and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-99932-694-7-2 Typeset in 11pt on 14pt Eurostile Production: Outlook Coop, Malta Printers: Progress Press, Malta 2 CENSUS OF SUNDAY MASS ATTENDANCE 2005 Contents Foreword 5 Kalkara 103 Kirkop 105 On leaving the 51 per cent 6 Lija 107 Luqa 109 Introduction 33 Manikata 111 Marsa Queenship of Mary 113 Methodology 35 Marsa Holy Trinity 115 Marsaxlokk 117 Mass Attendance in Malta and Gozo 38 Mdina 119 1. Attendance 38 Mellie˙a 121 2. Mobility of Attendance 40 M©arr 123 3. Day of Mass 40 Mosta 125 4. Sex 41 Mqabba 129 5. Age 42 Msida 131 6. Civil Status 44 Mtarfa 135 7. Occupation 44 Naxxar 137 8. Level of Education 45 Paola Christ The King 141 9. Place of Birth 46 Paola Our Lady Of Lourdes 145 10. Residence Mobility 46 Pembroke 147 11. Previous Attendance 47 Qawra 149 12. Membership of Catholic Organisation 47 Qormi St Sebastian 151 Qormi St George 153 malta Parish profiles 48 Qrendi 155 Attard 53 Rabat 157 Balluta 55 Safi 161 Balzan 57 San Ìiljan 163 Birkirkara St Helen 59 San Ìwann 165 Birkirkara St Joseph 63 Santa Luçija 167 Birkirkara Assumption Of Our Lady 65 St Paul il-Ba˙ar 169 Birƒebbu©a 67 Santa Venera 171 Bormla 69 Senglea 173 Burmarrad 71 Si©©iewi 175 Dingli 73 Sliema Stella Maris 177 Fgura 75 Sliema St Gregory 179 Fleur-De-Lys 77 Sliema Sacro Cuore 181 Floriana 79 Sliema Jesus of Nazareth 183 G˙arg˙ur 83 Tarxien 185 G˙axaq 85 Ta’ Xbiex 187 Gudja 87 Valletta St Dominic 189 Gwardamangia 89 Valletta St Paul 193 Gƒira 91 Valletta St Augustine 195 Óamrun Immaculate Conception 93 Vittoriosa 197 Óamrun St Cajetan 95 Ûabbar 199 Ibra© 99 Ûebbu© 201 Iklin 101 Ûejtun 203 Ûurrieq 207 CENSUS OF SUNDAY MASS ATTENDANCE 2005 3 Gozo Parish Profiles 208 Fontana 211 G˙ajnsielem 213 G˙arb 215 G˙asri 217 Kerçem 219 Nadur 221 Qala 223 San Lawrenz 225 Sannat 227 Victoria St George 229 Victoria Cathedral 231 Xag˙ra 235 Xewkija 237 Ûebbu© 239 Main Findings 240 4 CENSUS OF SUNDAY MASS ATTENDANCE 2005 Foreword The Sunday Mass Attendance Census has become a regular feature in the life of the Archdiocese. It is an important source of data about the characteristics and composition of those attending Sunday Mass in Malta and Gozo. Its objective is to indicate to Pastoral Operators the importance being given by the People of God to this Sacrament and Sacrifice – the peak of Christian life. Besides this, when a Census is taken at regular intervals over a period of time, it becomes an indicator of a trend. This time, the Census was called for by the Synod of the Archdiocese of Malta. Literally hundreds of people were involved in this exercise, most of whom on a voluntary basis. DISCERN owes them more than a word of thanks. However, special thanks go to the Coordinating Team in particular to Rev Alex Bezzina for his splendid logistics coordination, and to the small staff of DISCERN. The success of the operation was also made possible through help from the Pastoral Secretariat, various relevant Curia Offices, the Parish Priests, Rev Prof Peter Serrachino Inglott, Mr Robert Keen, Mr Reno Camilleri BSc of the MSA and Mr Alfred Camilleri BA, MSc of the NSO. Rev Joe Inguanez LicScSoc(Greg), PhD(Lond) Executive Director DISCERN CENSUS OF SUNDAY MASS ATTENDANCE 2005 5 A Pastoral Commentary On leaving the 51 per cent Rev Joe Inguanez* Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? Luke 15:4 The “Open Country” The aerial approach to Malta offers an intriguing vista. Certain parts of the island look quite bleak, especially in summer. The rest appears as a single city sprawl comprising dotted clusters of buildings with huge baroque churches at their core. The sight of ‘high rise’ buildings is quite limited and, in any event, they are few and far between. The architectural contours of the Maltese islands are a mixture of “the old and the new”, “the traditional and the contemporary”, “beauty and vulgarity”. These contrasts and contradictions seem to be a reproduction of Malta’s cultural landscape. This fits nicely into Ortega y Gasset’s depiction of our times as an era characterised by “predominance, even in groups traditionally selective, of the mass and the vulgar.”1 Malta’s religious soul seems to exhibit similar contours. Albeit these attributes are threatened by illness and lacklustre, Malta’s soul has much that is still healthy and attractive. There are several positive pre- and post- Vatican II expressions of faith which are indicative of the Maltese Church’s strength. An increasing number of Maltese are asking the Lord and His Church “teach us how to pray” and to make serious efforts, through daily “quiet times” and regular retreats2, to experience the Lord. In the wake of Vatican II, small prayer/formation groups have mushroomed throughout most parishes and more on a national level. For many, the Scripture is no longer a gilt-edged book bought from door-to-door salespersons to embellish the domestic bookshelf but a pocket edition carried in briefcases and handbags to be read at the first available time. Spiritual direction is no longer solely sought by the members of the religious orders and the clergy, but by a growing number of the laity. Similarly, the ministry of spiritual direction is no longer exercised almost exclusively by members of the male religious orders but also by the diocesan clergy, female religious and the laity. The same may be said of the ministry of directing retreats. The Maltese people are proud of the charism which God bestowed on St. George Preca, who at the outset of the last century saw it fitting, against all odds, to train laity from all strata of society to undertake ministries which in those days were the sole domain of a section of the clergy. Prior to Vatican II only a few members of the diocesan clergy dedicated themselves to preaching and spiritual direction. The “explanation of the gospel” – that’s what the ‘homily’ consisted in – during one of the Sunday masses was only exercised by the parish priest; the same could be said of the Sunday afternoon catechism lesson in the parish church. There is today a greater conscious participation, even if smaller in absolute numbers, in the liturgy; a real expression of faith rather than as a good or colourful custom. * Rev Joe Inguanez is the Chairman and Executive Director of Discern, and Board Member of the University of Malta’s Centre for Family Studies 1 Ortega y Gasset, Jose, 1964, The Revolt of the Masses, W.W.Norton & Co. Inc. 2 This retreat movement was spearheaded by the Society of Jesus when it opened in 1964, the Mt.St.Joseph Retreat House in Mosta; this was followed by the Franciscan Porziuncula House in Bahar-ic-Caghaq. Others have since then followed suit. 6 CENSUS OF SUNDAY MASS ATTENDANCE 2005 The vernacular language has been in use in the liturgy for almost half a century and a greater number of laity is actively involved in the liturgical ministry. However, in recent years one can see an increasing use of Latin in the liturgy, a development I consider to be out of place. It is being used not out of nostalgia – since most of those returning to its use were born after the introduction of the vernacular - but as a quaint embellishment of the liturgy on special occasions such as the village feast. This type of archaeologism is not only harmful, but also is against the spirit of Vatican II. In an interview with Fr Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See’s press office, with reference to fear that the Motu Proprio “Summorum Pontificum” signals a step backwards from the great insights of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Benedict XVI reiterated that the use of the Tridentine Mass is “merely an act of tolerance, with a pastoral aim, for those people who were brought up with this liturgy, who love it, are familiar with it and want to live with this liturgy. They form a small group, because this presupposes a schooling in Latin, a training in a certain culture3. Conversely, the new liturgy places greater emphasis on common participation, but it is not merely an assembly of a certain community but rather always an act of the universal church in communion with all believers of all times, and an act of worship. This rightly recognises that the renewed liturgy is the ordinary liturgy of our time.”4 Another encouraging feature can be found in the myriad of prayer groups who are experientially teaching people from all walks of life how to pray and enjoy doing so; other groups have embarked on scripture-based catechesis addressed at transversal constituencies.