From Trauma to Transformation - St Joseph's Home Looks to a Brighter Future

By Gabriel Schembri
The Malta
April 25, 2012

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St Joseph's Home is looking towards a brighter future after nine years of infamy as the place where the notorious child abuse cases by priests took place.

In an interview, the home's director Fr Frankie Cini told di-ve.com, "The cases are now a part of the home's history. It is a dark chapter in the story of St Joseph's Home, but we have to move on."

Fr Cini said this is a case where they either come out as the victims, or survivors. The approach towards the future of the home is definitely one of survival, just as the title of this year's Annual Booklet suggests, the House is moving from 'Trauma to Transformation'.

''I firmly believe that all that has happened in the last years has brought about a sharpening in the Home's original mission and a deeper focus on the need to fulfil this mission diligently," he said.

The director said some of the victims choose to come and visit the house for various reasons. Some because they receive counselling from the social workers, but others come because they need to close the dark chapter in their life.

''One day one of the victims decided to come and visit because he knew we were refurbishing the place. Once he came in and saw a new environment, he felt relieved."

Fr Cini explained: "St Joseph's Home is in a situation where it can only look forward. Primarily because we owe it to the children we have today and we have to honour our commitment to them."

Fortunately,Fr Frankie Cini said the children that currently reside in St Joseph's Home were not badly impacted by these cases. He explained that people do manage to make a distinction between the St Joseph's Home before and the Home at the present day. Once the case had come to the open, the children were gathered and given an explanation of what the case was all about. Fr Cini explained that for some of the children, the thought of a priest harming a child was inconceivable.

At the moment, the Home is working on a project called Independent Living Project. The home director said the project that has been underway for the last year helps to deviate the attention of both the staff and the children. The project was made possible by several corporate sponsors. Just last Friday, the Housing Authority also agreed to help in this ambitious project.

As for the future, Fr Cini said: "The mission we are accomplishing here is not an easy task and we need help from outside. It takes all the stakeholders in the country to ensure these children have all they need once they are under our care."

St Joseph Home was founded in 1888 by Mgr Francesco Bonnici. In 1922, Mgr Joseph De Piro and the Missionary Society of St Paul were entrusted to run this Home. To date, the home has been a shelter for disadvantaged children. The place can take up to 18 children, in three separate apartments.

The two ex-priests who were involved in the child sex scandals nine years ago are currently residing in seclusion in one of the houses of the Missionary Society of St Paul. One of the defrocked priests was cleared of rape this week because of an error in the charge sheet about where the act took place.