This year Rev. Anġ Seychell turned 91 years old and Newsbook Malta visited him to find out more about his work with Caritas, the Clergy House, and the Nazareth Foundation for people with disabilities, which he established in his own home.
In a bed surrounded by hundreds of large books, next to the office he used in his home in Żejtun, Dun Anġ spoke to us about his life and what books mean to him. He believes that books are what make people. The Nazareth Foundation currently serves and cares for 30 disabled people in the same building.
He explains why he is nicknamed the priest ‘Ta’ Buttuna’, a nickname given to his grandfather, who used to play the game Boċċi with buttons. He discussed his upbringing, including how his father spent time hiding on British ships before going to work at the Shipyard. He loves to eat, especially soup!
At the age of 23, he became a priest with a special permit from Rome, and he believes he has always felt compelled to care for people with disabilities who are very close to him. He went so far as to say, “For me they mean everything, I have loved them since I was a child, I loved them as soon as I became a priest, as soon as I found out that there are disabled people who have no one to help them, I would bring them into my circle, visit them regularly, see what they need and I would take responsibility for them myself when their parents died.” He went on to say that he visited all of the families to find out the truth about their situation.
Next to them, there were people on the balcony or in the basement who were never shown to anyone due to their disability and never seen in public. In this context, Dun Anġ worked to ensure that these individuals, deprived of public life and even their own families, could enjoy human relationships, “as people deserve and have the right to have.”
He admits to serving his priesthood with utmost fidelity and sacrifice, but he smiles and says, “I don’t know where I didn’t take the disabled: Italy, France, wherever I could, I took them with me.”
Interestingly, he co-founded Caritas with Don Victor Grech, despite being discouraged by some. Don Anġ stated that he was his right hand and that they worked well together and remain friends to this day. He is grateful to God for the opportunity to meet and work together.
He was also instrumental in establishing the Clergy House in Birkirakara, which now serves as a rest home for senior and retired priests. The Grima family built it with the money and generosity of the Żwieten.
His vocation bore many fruits. He feels that the secret of his life was that he always trusted in God, in fact he said, “God means everything, without him I do nothing, the motive is Him, I look to Him to animate the aspirations I have. Everything I did, I did it because He asked me to. I don’t regret being faithful to his inspirations.”
Source: Newsbook.com.mt