The letters of Saint George Preca : a case-study in spirital direction

Abstract

After exposing the meaning of Spiritual Direction with all that it entails, on the part of the director and the directee, I will then be analysing the tradition of spiritual direction by means of letters in the history of spirituality in the Catholic Tradition. This is simply a bird's eye view since letter-writing has been a means of communication for spiritual direction from the very early days of Christianity. To understand the work of Saint George Preca, I will then give a short account of the historical background of our Island at the time of the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, the time when the Saint was born and founded the Society of Christian Doctrine (Societas Doctrince Christianr.e - SDC). It is of crucial importance to analyse the importance of spiritual direction in the life of the Saint. This will be followed by a thorough analysis of all the letters available which Saint George Preca sent to various people from all walks of life. A reference will be made to the open letters which he wrote to various communities and to the letters which he wrote to Rachele Camilleri, the woman in charge of the foundation of the MUSEUM female section in Gozo. Particular consideration will be given to the contents and themes of the letters both with reference to the vertical (with God) and to the horizontal (with others) relationships in our spiritual journey of faith towards union with God. From the letters I will analyse what Saint George Preca, as a spiritual director expected of his directees and the methods he used in giving them spiritual direction, together with his qualities in being a co-discerner to them. All this will lead me to analyse the contribution the new Saint gives to spiritual direction in the third millennium.