The Maltese Augustinian Friars gathered for the Ordinary Provincial Chapter 2022, while showing solidarity with the Ukrainian people who are currently suffering from the harsh attacks on their lives and their freedom, express their condemnation for any form of war and threat to the freedom and life of every person, especially the most vulnerable in society.
Our Father Saint Augustine affirms that “peace is the goodness of the heart that is shared with friends, but not like the sharing of bread. If you want to distribute bread, the larger the number of people you share with, the less you have to distribute. Peace, on the other hand, is like the bread of the miracle that continued to multiplicate in the hands of the disciples as they shared and distributed it. ” (Sermon 357, 2)
In this light, we would like to show our support first and foremost through earnest prayer to God to show his mercy by the gift of peace to the Ukrainian people. Saint Augustine himself urges “those who love peace and desire to possess it” to “do their utmost to multiply those who possess it.” (Sermon 357, 3) We would therefore like to express our concrete support and solidarity by a donation to the initiative to welcome Ukrainian refugees of our Augustinian brothers in Poland and the projects with the same goal promoted by Caritas Malta.
Issued by the Secretariat of the Ordinary Provincial Chapter 2022
The Santa Rita Priory, St. Julian’s
16th March 2022