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
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
lay volunteers, made of men and women, teaching
catechism in the Christian faith formation of children and adults. The society was established by
George Preca
George Preca (in mt, Ġorġ Preca) (12 February 1880 – 26 July 1962) was a Maltese Catholic priest and the founder of the Society of Christian Doctrine as well as a Third Order Carmelite. He is known as "Dun Ġorġ" in Maltese and Pope John ...
in March 1907, 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 ...
.
It has eventually spread around the world, first among Maltese migrants in
Australia, then in
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
, in
North Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
and other countries.
Name
''MUSEUM'' is the abbreviation for "''Magister Utinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus''" as meaning "
Master
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
if only the whole world would follow the
Gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
."
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, 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.
The mother-house is the prominent
Church of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
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
*
Religion in Malta
The Catholic branch of Christianity is the predominant religion in Malta. The Constitution of Malta establishes Catholicism as the state religion, and it is also reflected in various elements of Maltese culture; however, in recent years the ...
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