- Albin Hennequin
- Athanase Gonelli
- Bernard Cunningham
- Denis Ward
- Edward Harrop
- Gerard O'Brien
- Henry Paul
- James Cronly
- John Cooper
- John Spiteri
- Julian Messina
- Lam Vu
- Leonard Busuttil
- Luciano Rocchi
- Paul Hanbridge
- Paul Winter
- Peter Hand
- Robert Stewart
- Romano Franchini
- Stanislaus Dawidowicz
- Tung Nguyen

LEONARD BUSUTTIL, OFM Cap

Br Leonard was a chaplain to the Maltese and lived and worked from St Francis Friary, Leichhardt, Sydney. Br Leonard had been there since his arrival from Malta in 1964. Br Leonard returned to the Province of Malta in June 1999. The following was written while he was still living and working in Sydney.

As a child I always felt my vocation to join the Capuchin Order. My family lived in a place where they run the parish. I was an altar boy and felt attracted to the friars. I knew them all by name and they taught Italian and Latin. In due time, when I reached the age of 16, with the consent of my parents, I asked the Capuchin Provincial at that time to sit for the examination with the five postulants. We passed the exams and were admitted to the Novitiate at Kalkara, Malta.

I joined the Capuchin Order with the aim that one day I would go to the Maltese Mission of Ghansi India, but man proposes and God disposes. When I was ordained a priest during World War two I explained my intention, but being the only child, my parents pleaded with me to stay in Malta and work for the glory of God in our island. I obliged with the condition that when they pass away I’d be free to go overseas. My father died first, my mother after a while.

While I was first Definitor and Guardian at Marsa, I expressed straight away my intention to work outside Malta. In the meantime the Maltese Director of Emigration Monsignor, Phillip Calleja, asked me to migrate to Australia to care for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the Maltese migrants whom at that time in the sixties were migrating in large numbers. I had the full consent of the Maltese Provincial Fortunatus Pule, who asked permission from our Capuchin General. I was told to resign from being a Definitor, which I did willingly.

I left Malta by boat on the 12th May 1964 and arrived in Sydney, Australia on the 10th June 1964. On that trip I was in charge as Chaplain of 250 Maltese emigrants.

The Australian Capuchin Custos (superior) of that time, Father Claude Moscatelli, welcomed me and reaffirmed my role as a Maltese Chaplain. I was officially and still am, acknowledge as such by the Cardinal, Bishops and the Australian Government, and subsequently the Superiors here were always satisfied and gave full consent to my apostolate.

Through all this time I had different experiences. I helped migrants and still help them by all means. I make appointments with Government officials, especially Housing Commissions, Social Security, etc. I was an official interpreter in court to help them overcome the language barrier.

Leichhardt is the centre of the Maltese apostolate, and also for the Italian migrants, the Superior here always confirmed my being a member of this community, from where I can exercise my mission among migrants.

I am responsible for 17 suburbs in the area of Sydney. I give yearly Lenten missions in different places and hear confessions weekly also in different suburbs. I visit hospitals and nursing homes, according to their needs. I am an approved official visitor by the authorities to gaols. I administer Holy Communion monthly to sick people especially on the 1st Friday of the month.

I try to solve many family problems, help single mothers and for this reason I keep in touch with families by visiting them regularly.

When the migrants arrived in Australia in their thousands, I was the first Chaplain they met. I used to welcome them at the airport and on the ship monthly. I helped them settle down in their new country of adoption and stressed the points: not to miss mass on Sunday, receive the sacraments and send their children to Catholic Schools. I brought many migrants to Australia, helped prepare accommodation for them and find them jobs. Sometimes it was very hard, besides furniture and clothes from St Vincent De Paul, whom I found very helpful.

The Catholic Church from Malta asked me many times to look after the single girls travelling to this country and find accommodation and jobs which I did, by the help of God.

For the past 29 years I have been travelling to Canberra three times a year. I stay there a week for the occasions of Christmas, Easter and to celebrate our National Feast (Maltese) the Birth of our Lady Mary in September, organising short missions in two parishes. While I’m there I also organise funerals, marriages and baptisms.

I never regret that I left the shores of Malta to immigrate to Australia, because with God's help and for God's glory I did a lot of good and am still doing it.

I celebrated my 50th Priestly ordination in 1992. I had a beautiful encouraging letter from the then Provincial of the Australian Capuchins, one from the Director of Emigration in Malta, Mgr Phillip Calleja, and the Archbishop of Malta.

Last December the Maltese Council of N.S.W. awarded me the Certificate of outstanding service to the Maltese Community, presented by the Minister of Education John Aquilina.

For all this I heartily thank God and all those who helped me accomplish my priestly and Capuchin Franciscan vocation.