The Society of Christian Doctrine (, , ; abbreviated SDC),
better known as MUSEUM, is a society of
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
lay volunteers, made of men and women, teaching
catechism
A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...
in the Christian faith formation of children and adults. The society was established by
George Preca in March 1907, in
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
.
It has eventually spread around the world, first among Maltese migrants in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, then in
Albania
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
, in
North Sudan, and other countries.
Name
''MUSEUM'' is the abbreviation for "''Magister Utinam Sequatur Evangelium Universus Mundus''" as meaning "
Master, may the whole world follow the
Gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
."
Centres
In Malta, the society has forty-six catechism centres for males and forty-three for females.
By 1961, the society spread in
Gozo
Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...
, and became 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.
Superiors General
This is a list of former and present superiors general of the society:
* Eugenio Borg (1911–1967);
* Francesco Saliba (1967–1983);
* Victor Delicata (1983–2009);
* Natalino Camilleri (2009–2021) and
* Roberto Zammit (2021–present)
Further reading
History of the society:
*
*
* Information from
*
*
*
*
See also
*
Żgħażagħ Azzjoni Kattolika
*
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