Monsignor Victor Grech: An Icon of Love and Unity

On Wednesday 5 February 2025, the Memorial of Saint Agatha, a rare pearl of love and unity, went to God. I am referring to the passing away of the famous anti-drug campaigner Mgr Victor Grech.

I had the grace of visiting him with my friend on Friday 31 January 2025 when he was a patient at MAU 1 bed number 2 at Mater Dei Hospital, our Maltese national hospital. We had the great grace of benefitting from his holy life dedicated to counselling and charitable work for many years. In fact, Mgr Grech died at the age of 95. The work of Dun Victor (Fr Victor), as he was commonly known amongst us Maltese, undoubtedly left an indelible impact on all those who heard him. By his wisdom, simplicity and practicality of life, Dun Victor managed to touch the heart of the nation, particularly with his radio programmes. I myself, as a young boy and a teenager, was a keen listener to his programmes. I used to listen to them because I learned how to be sensitive to other people’s pain. Dun Victor was a broadcaster for 50 years and became a household name with his advice programme Fejn tmur il-qalb (Where the heart goes).

When the news of his demise, which occurred precisely at 9.58 am, broke out, many were the ones who paid tribute to his loving memory. Archbishop Charles Scicluna wrote: The Church in Malta mourns the death of Mons Victor Grech, a priest and benefactor of our nation who selflessly dedicated himself to Caritas Malta and forged its mission and its vision for decades. May he rest in peace! On his behalf, Prime Minister Robert Abela referred to Mgr Grech as a gentleman who defended the most vulnerable people in our Maltese society. The Prime Minister wrote: My experience with him at Caritas taught me that everyone deserves another chance in life and everyone’s duty is to offer a shoulder to those who are going through a difficult period. Also, opposition leader Bernard Grech said he Mgr Grech dedicated his life to being a shield of love and hope for the most vulnerable among us. The President of the Republic of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono, noted that the country should be grateful to him and continue to recognize his work whereas European Parliament president Roberta Metsola described him as an icon of love, unity and inspiration to all the Maltese and Gozitans. On Facebook Caritas wrote these words full of love and appreciation: Thank you Dun Victor for all the love you sowed in our hearts for those who are suffering and vulnerable.

The impressive self-giving life of this extraordinary priest has been notably marked by his strong campaigns against poverty and social and criminal issues such as usury. Mgr Grech’s prophetic witness made Caritas the most respected voice when cost of living issues were discussed in our country.

In the publication ‘Moved with Compassion The History of Caritas Europa 1993-2018’, stating his experience in Caritas Malta, Caritas Europe, and Caritas Internationalis, Mgr. Grech said that he considers his service to Caritas Malta, to Caritas Europa and to Caritas Internationalis as a big adventure that demanded courage and life-long commitment.In that publication, Mgr Grech confessed: I have learned to move beyond self-centredness to connectedness to others. Dialogue is fruitful when it is a struggle to learn from each other. Our basic commitment, however, is to let God touch the core of our humanity and free us to admit that man should be at the centre of any authentic development because no human life is destined to end on a rubbish dump or to be deprived of a decent living. Every human being has the dignity of the child of God.

During the programm What’s On Newsbook on RTK103, precisely few hours after Mgr Grech’s demise, Mgr Charles Cordina reminisced his memory by saying that when he was a kid he remembered long ques of young people waiting outside the Archbishop Seminary of Floriana to confess to Mgr Grech. Mgr Cordina emphasized that Mgr Grech was very sought after for Spiritual Exercises. He used to take the opportunity to exhort the young people present there to spend their lives in voluntary work. Mgr Grech’s word was kind and full of examples so that his hearers would easily relate what he was saying with their personal lives.

Due to his contact with young people, Mgr Grech immediately felt the drugs problem even if in those days nobody would believe him. This holy priest had a big interest in the humanity of the human person without any trace of judgment. For Mgr Grech, the suffering person was at the centre of his pastoral care. He kept visiting the clients at Caritas till a few days before he was hospitalized. When he was at the hospital as a patient it was a great joy for him whenever the Caritas staff would pay him a visit. Mgr Victor Grech’s bible verse was the following: Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me (Matt 25:40). He always encouraged others to adopt this style of love towards one’s neighbour in need. In Mgr Charles Cordina’s words, Mgr Victor Grech was a priest who understood you, he felt for you, he loved you and did all his best to help you.

Amazing were the comments by the parishioners in Tal-Ibraġ parish who fondly remember Dun Victor Grech and had the grace of benefitting from his many years of selfless pastoral service. Many recalled how he was of great help in helping them return to the Church, especially in their darkest moments. Many greatly appreciated his evangelical qualities of simplicity, humility, unconditional love, as well as kindness. For instance, a couple shared how Monsignor Grech transformed their son’s life overnight as he battled cancer, guiding him towards God in his final days. They described how, due to Monsignor Grech’s guidance, their son passed away in peace, strengthened by faith. Others, who regarded him a spiritual director, talked about his singular ability to captivate and inspire. Mgr Grech’s sermons were short; however, his words left a deep lasting impact on his hearers, thus drawing loads of people closer to God.

Particularly captivating is the witness of the young priest Fr Osmar Baldacchino. This young priest, who had the privilege of working closely with Monsignor Grech in recent years, remarkably observed Mgr Grech’s devotion to confession, visiting people in their homes and even in hospital. Notwithstanding his final days in this world, Dun Victor’s thoughts were on himself. When Fr Osmar kindly asked him of how he could help him, Mgr Grech simply told him: Love Jesus —a testament to his enduring faith and love for Christ. The driving force of Dun Victor’s engagement with societal problems was his deep love for Jesus in the Eucharist. For Mgr Grech eucharistic adoration was a necessity. This great lover of the Eucharistic Christ made his own Pope Benedict’s most robust words given to us in his post-synodal apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Church’s life and mission, Sacramentum Caritatis, when he writes:

In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; eucharistic adoration is simply the natural consequence of the eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Church’s supreme act of adoration. (192) Receiving the Eucharist means adoring him whom we receive. Only in this way do we become one with him, and are given, as it were, a foretaste of the beauty of the heavenly liturgy. The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself. Indeed, “only in adoration can a profound and genuine reception mature. And it is precisely this personal encounter with the Lord that then strengthens the social mission contained in the Eucharist, which seeks to break down not only the walls that separate the Lord and ourselves, but also and especially the walls that separate us from one another (no. 66).

I am sure that Jesus must have said already to Mgr Victor Grech: Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master (Matt 25:21.23).