On Monday, 31st August 2009 the Nadur Basilica bells spread the news that Fr Joshua Muscat was nearing the end of his life on Earth. Fr Joshua, 27 from Nadur had been ordained priest in 2007 following the seven-year formation in the Sacred Heart Seminary. Born in 1982, he was active in his native parish which he loved as an altar boy, and later on as a member of the vocations group. He was even the Prefect of the Altar boys for some time and further on in his course in the seminary, he was responsible for the Vocations group itself, from which various vocations emerged. His commitment to vocations was not limited to the Nadur parish, but even in other parishes he worked in. All this was coming from a heart which loved vocations as well as the Seminary. Till the end of his life, he still communicated with the seminarians, some of them even remembering him as one of the Seminary community. It is not strange then that through his illness, many seminarians as well as priests went to visit him, even to the last moment of his life.

Fr Joshua also had a missionary heart. He understood well that one of the Church’s and thus the priest’s charisma is to evangelise. Following his ordination, he pleaded Bishop Mario Grech to let him go to Nichelino, near Turin in Italy to continue the work done by Fr Joseph Galea, another Gozitan. He was new to Nichelino, as he had spent his intermediary year (4th year of the formation course of the Seminary) there. In the few months he spent there, he established a very positive and strong relation with the parishioners there. The number of Italians who came to visit him during his illness and for his funeral leaves no room for more proof to how much he was appreciated.

*Sermon by Bishop Mario Grech during his funeral.Click to read and Photo gallery.

It was a shock to everyone when news spread that Fr Joshua was ill. He had to come back to Gozo from Italy to be treated for bone cancer. During this period, Fr Joshua did not stop to exercise his priestly ministry. He continued to do pastoral work, most importantly in Qala. But the thing that struck everyone was the way in which he accepted God’s will. In the souvenir booklet which he distributed in his First Solemn Mass, he stated that:

The path God presents to each individual is nothing but a call for love. If I had to describe my vocation, I would choose to put emphasis on this point: the love Jesus showed towards me as a human being and therefore his call for me is one of love...The element of sacrifice can’t be absent in this path, without the cross we can’t imitate our Lord.

How true are these words, not because Fr Joshua wrote them, but because he lived them. Those who came in contact with him realised that the smile on his face was only an effect: the effect of accepting God’s will and to carry the cross till the last breath.

On Monday 31st, a few minutes before 9.00p.m., Fr Joshua breathed his last breath. God had called him. He left this world peacefully, surrounded by his family, who had helped him to carry his cross throughout, as well as priests and seminarians. As soon as news began to spread, all Gozo was talking about him, about the value of life, and about the gift of the priestly ministry. His death left a great positive impact on many souls. His funeral, held in St Peter and St Paul Collegiate Basilica in Nadur on Wednesday 2nd September at 5.30p.m., proofed how deep had Fr Joshua entered into many hearts. Masses of people went to pay their last tribute as he laid exposed in the Sacred Heart Church, Nadur. The Basilica then was overcrowded with many people who came to celebrate his entry into eternity. Almost all the priests of the diocese of Gozo, as well as others from Malta together with the Rev. Parish Priest of Nichelino gathered H.E. Mario Grech, Bishop of Gozo. Bishop Grech, in his emotional homily, declared Fr Joshua to be “Our Model”. Another, sign of Joshua’s appreciation was the amount of people who followed him to the Nadur Cemetry. Among those were the group of Italians who came for the occasion. He was paid last homage by an applause as he was laid to rest in the Cemetry Chapel.

May now Fr Joshua continue to bless us and protect us from heaven. He is now closer to Christ whom he loved and for whom he dedicated his life. Let us put our prayers to him, with the persuasion that he puts our requests to the Lord.