Avertan Fenech : saintliness in silence

Abstract

In an essay on saints and scoundrels in postmodernism, published some twenty years ago, David Matthew Matzko stated that “The veneration of the saints continues, and much can be said about sainthood because theories about sainthood and the continuing interpretation of the lives of saints are as varied and plentiful as the unpredictable characters who have come into our lives in such a way that we are compelled to call them saints. The main subject of this research is Fr Avertan Fenech, the Maltese Carmelite monk whose Process for beatification began on 2 February 2016. However, before I delve into an exposition of this saintly figure in question, I wish to do two things. Firstly, I wish to answer the question – however briefly – concerning the nature of the saint. And, secondly, I wish to delineate the roles and functions of the saints. All arguments which I make in this essay are intended for this purpose: to clarify the relevance of a saintly figure such as Avertan, and to emphasise the importance of having someone like Avertan be acknowledged by the Church. After this brief introduction, I will proceed to the main subject of this essay. I will provide a short biography of Avertan, followed by an overview of his temperament. Only then will I focus specifically on the manuscripts attributed to Avertan. In this regard, I will concentrate particularly on the subject matter of his writings, and on the major theological themes.