Nazju Falzon (1 July 1813 – 1 July 1865) was a
Maltese cleric
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
and a professed member from the
Secular Franciscan Order
The Secular Franciscan Order ( la, Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis; abbreviated OFS) is the third branch of the Franciscan Family formed by Catholic Church, Catholic men and women who seek to observe the Gospel of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus by fo ...
. He did not become an
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
because he did not feel he was adequate enough for such an honor.
He became an apt catechist and noted for his commitment to religious instruction.
Falzon's beatification took place in mid-2001 in Malta when
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
visited the island nation.
Life
Nazju Falzon was born in
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
in a big house on Strait Street on 1 July 1813 to Francis Joseph Falzon (a judge) and Maria Teresa Debono (the daughter of the judge Calcedonio Debono). Falzon was
baptized
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
on 2 July in the church of Porto Salvo in the names of "Rocco Angelo Sebastiano Vincenzo Naju Rosario Falzon".
[ He had three brothers; all four became lawyers and two of the brothers entered the priesthood.][ His brother Anthony became a lawyer and married while his two brothers Kalcidon and Francis became priests themselves.
He obtained a doctorate in law on 7 September 1883.][ He received the tonsure and his clerical habit on 20 December 1828 and on 21 December 1828 was instituted as a cleric in a ]Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
that Mgr. Publius M. Sant presided over.
Falzon received the minor orders
Minor orders are ranks of church ministry. In the Catholic Church, the predominating Latin Church formerly distinguished between the major orders —priest (including bishop), deacon and subdeacon—and four minor orders—acolyte, exorcist, lecto ...
on both 21 August 1831 and on 18 December 1831 but did not wish to be ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
as a priest on the basis of unworthiness despite the local bishop's encouragement.[ He taught also ]catechism
A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...
to local children first at the Institute of the Good Shepherd and became quite fluent in English due to the fact that the British were present across the island nation.[ Falzon also worked with the British soldiers and sailors who were stationed on Malta which at the time was a British protectorate; he would seek out the men at their assigned positions. Those who were interested were brought to his own home for services.][ More grew interested in this and it forced him to move and he soon found a new home for his work at a ]Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
church in the capital of Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...
. The soldiers would leave their valuables with him if the soldiers had to go to the battlefield in the knowledge that he would pass them on to their loved ones if killed or missing.[
He imported simple texts in various ]vernacular
A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...
languages and distributed them to his flock to read; he was also a writer and was responsible for "The Comfort of the Christian Soul". He became a mentor to those who remained on the island and served them as a pastor and performing marriages as well as aptisms and funerals. He had a strong devotion to the Eucharist and to the Raphael (archangel)">Archangel Raphael
Raphael (, "God has healed"), ''Rəfāʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Răp̄āʾēl''; lit. 'God has healed'; grc, Ραφαήλ, ''Raphaḗl''; cop, ⲣⲁⲫⲁⲏⲗ, ''Rafaêl''; ar, رافائيل, ''Rāfā’īl'', or , ''Isrāfīl''; am, ሩፋ ...
as well as devotions to Saint Joseph and to Benedict Joseph Labre.