The Maltese Catholic Action is now 93 years old!

Febrary 2023

Azzjoni Kattolika (VO Number 1743) started in Malta by a small group of University Students on the 5th of April 1929, thanks to the guidance of Fr Danjel Callus. In February 1930 the official statute of the organisation was approved by the Archbishop of that time. From then on, more youth groups started popping up in different parishes. Their aim was to take an active role in conveying the message of the Church and to be of service to others. This small initiative developed into one of the largest Maltese Catholic organisations today.

Throughout the years, the Maltese Catholic Action was the springboard of many social and spiritual projects and events in Malta. Amongst these, we can mention the responsibility of issuing a Catholic newspaper ‘Leħen is-Sewwa’ since 1933, the setting up of the Emigrants’ Commission in 1950 and the Social Assistance Segretariat in 1962, summer camps in the 1950s and 1960s for children coming from large families, the opening the first residential home in Malta for persons with disability known as Dar tal-Providenza in 1968, the publication of a children’s magazine ‘Tagħna t-Tfal’ between 1980 and 2014, the opening of ŻAK House in Birkirkara as a space for youth meetings and live-ins in 2013, the installation of solar panels at 3 locations in that last 10 years and the opening of Dar Regina Pacis in Balzan in 2022 as a space to accommodate people or families who are homeless.

Throughout the years, the Maltese Catholic Action touched and changed many lives. Today the Maltese Catholic Action is still going strong with over 35 youth groups around Malta for young people aged between 10 and 30 years old and over 40 groups for adults all over Malta and Gozo. The aim is to accompany people on their journeys to grow personally, spiritually and socially with others. 93 years later, the organisation it is still focusing on being of service to others, through a number of ongoing projects, with the most important aim being the formation of its members and leaders.

The members of the organisation commemorated this special anniversary through a number of activities which are taking place this week. The week kicked off on Friday 10th February with a social media challenge. The members were invited to share a photo or photos of the best experiences in the organisation and to challenge 3 other friends to do the same. On Friday the 17th of February the members were encouraged to wear the organisations T-shirt or hoodie to their place of work or school and post a selfie. For a few days, the organisations’ social media platform was bombared with photos.

During the week the local groups delivered a meeting in which they discovered more about the history of the organisation. There were also instances where former members were invited to share their experiences with the current members, or where members from the adult section visited the younger members and vice versa. This intergenerational dialogue is always a very enriching experience for both the young and old. On Saturday 18th of February a half day seminar is planned for the people who hold a decision making role within the organisation. This will bring together people of different ages and from different sections within the organisation in order to continue to get to know each other and to plan for the future of the organisation.