Below is Bishop Robert's latest blog from the Pro-Cathedral in Malta:

It was a great pleasure to return to the Pro-Cathedral of St. Paul’s Valletta to confirm five young and younger candidates, and to make the first ever St. Benedict Award for outstanding lay achievement. 

The Cathedral continues the development of its heritage and buildings. I enjoyed meeting members of the congregation and Council in the newly refurbished Undercroft, which is the process of becoming a café and visitor attraction directly managed by the Cathedral. 

One of our confirmation candidates spent the summer bringing order to the Cathedral archives. I looked at some of her work, in an area of the Undercroft set aside as archiving and office space. 

My visit coincided with the Notte Bianca (‘White Night’) festival in Valletta, when galleries and museums open their doors for free and the streets come alive with music. St. Paul’s participated in the festival by fielding the splendid St. Paul’s choral society for a concert of Maltese and European classical music. 

At the confirmation service, I continued the festival theme by preaching on a passage from St. John on Jesus at the feast of Tabernacles. This was the biggest of the annual Jerusalem cycle of festivals and included a water-pouring ceremony. The picture shows the candidates gathering around the impressive neo-classical font at the entrance to the church. 

In John 7, Jesus stands up on the last, great day of the festival and proclaims: ‘If any one thirsts let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, out of his heart will come streams of living water.’ The importance of water for physical life is a salient feature of life on an island that went without rain for 180 days this summer. Jesus promises the equivalent spiritual life to those who come to him. In confirmation, our candidates are asked: ‘do you come to Christ, the way the truth and the life?’ I was impressed by the seriousness of the faith expressed by these young people and wondered in what ways they might be a blessing to others in the years to come. 

This was an excellent context in which to celebrate the long and distinguished ministry of Mr. David Coulston. David has served the church in his local chaplaincy on the island of Mallorca, in his archdeaconry synod, diocesan synod and general synod. He chaired the group which produced our diocesan vision in 2015. He has been instrumental in strengthening safeguarding in the diocese. He has been tireless in his efforts to combat bullying. And he has produced numerous ‘user guides’ to help set clear expectations between lay officers and chaplains, particularly at the beginning of a new ordained ministry. 

David is the first recipient of our new ‘St Benedict Award’ for outstanding lay service. Clergy are honoured in the church in various ways. Lay people might be honoured through a public award, such as an MBE – but these are nowadays seldom given for work within the church. It therefore seems fitting that we produce our own award, and St. Benedict as the patron saint of Europe – with the Benedictine motto ‘ora at labora’ - has seemed the ideal saint to attach to such an award. 

In the grand Cathedral setting of St. Paul’s Malta, we were therefore able to celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit within the lives of young people setting out into adult life, and the remarkable evidence of God’s work in the life of one of our most senior lay people. 

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