The 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Cana Movement (CM) is now being celebrated in Malta and Gozo. An association involved in the family apostolate, the CM was founded in January 1956 thanks to the work of the then young Maltese priest Charles Vella, who has worked in Milan for thirty years. The intuition of the founder was to dedicate himself to the preparation of engaged couples for marriage and to provide them with support through Consultors. The first experiences date to 1951, but it was Archbishop Michele Gonzi who officially inaugurated and established the Cana Movement in 1956. He himself declared that “the birth of this movement was something providential for Malta”. From the island the CM spread abroad, gaining a reputation in the “counselling” of couples and family groups. In the half century since its foundation it is estimated that 95% of couples in Malta have attended its courses of preparation for marriage. In the island the movement runs six family advice centres in which 30 consultants as well as various teams of experts are active. It was Monsignor Fiordelli, the then bishop of Prato and president of the Family Commission of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, who invited Father Vella to Italy in 1974, to help in the foundation of family advice centres. For ten years Father Vella was the director of the International Centre of Family Studies. Apart from his commitment to family pastoral work, Monsignor Vella promoted the first experiences of Ethical Committees, with his collaboration with the San Raffaele hospital in Milan since 1986. For some ten years he has also been a member of the Ethical Committee of the European Oncological Institute.
