The Society of Christian Doctrine ( la, Societas Doctrinæ Christianæ, it, Società della Dottrina Cristiana, mt, Soċjetà Duttrina Nisranija; abbreviated SDC),
better known as MUSEUM, is a society of
Catholic lay volunteers, made of men and women, teaching
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 ...
in the Christian faith formation of children and adults. The society was established by
George Preca in March 1907, in
Malta.
It has eventually spread around the world, first among Maltese migrants in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, then in
Albania, in
North Sudan and other countries.
Name
''MUSEUM'' is the abbreviation for "''Magister Utinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus''" as meaning "
Master if only the whole world would follow the
Gospel."
Centres
In Malta, the society has forty-six catechism centres for males and forty-three for females.
It took until 1961 for the society to spread in
Gozo
Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...
, and was successful after a visit for a fishing session. That same year catechism started for males, and in 1962 it was followed by the female branch. There are now nine catechism centres for males and seven for females in Gozo.
The objectives of the religious society is catechetical work in the parishes.
Members may participate in the activities in six days every week.
The society often organises recreational activities for minors and educational courses for adults.
Members of the society are invited to participate for a meeting every Wednesday at the ''mother-house'' of the society, in Blata l-Bajda,
Marsa Marsa may refer to:
Places
*Marsa, Aude, a commune in the Aude départment of France
* Marsa, Malta, a city in central Malta
*Mârșa, a commune in Giurgiu County, Romania
* La Marsa, a suburb of the city of Tunis, Tunisia
*Mârșa, a village in Av ...
.
The mother-house is the prominent
Church of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chris ...
.
The main scope for teaching catechism is to religiously prepare individuals, generally minors, to receive the sacraments according to the Roman Catholic tradition.
Superior Generals
This is a list of former and present superior generals of the society:
* Eugenio Borg (1911–1967);
* Francesco Saliba (1967–1983);
* Victor Delicata (1983–2009) and
* Natalino Camilleri (2009–2021)
* Roberto Zammit (2021-present)
Further reading
History of the society:
*
*
* Information from
*
*
*
*
See also
*
Żgħażagħ Azzjoni Kattolika
Żgħażagħ Azzjoni Kattolika (ŻAK) (English: "Youth Catholic Action") is a youth organization as part of the Catholic Action in Malta. It is a wide national organization of the Roman Catholic Church in Malta. ŻAK is a member of the Catholic u ...
*
Religion in Malta
References
{{Authority control
Catholic Church in Malta
Christian organizations established in 1907
Catholic lay organisations
Catholic religious orders established in the 20th century
1907 establishments in Malta
Religious organisations based in Malta