Reg Fitzpatrick

Lil and I caught a bus along with her mother and her brother and travelled to the local town of Cannock. We were getting married. I went to the local registry office. I signed the book. Lilian signed the book. It costs me 13 shillings and 6 pence. 67 cents today. And we came out. Went for a drink in the pub and that was it.

Dak kien it-8 ta' Ottubru 1966. Reg Fitzpatrick, Irlandiż, kellu 21 sena. Lilian, Ingliża, 16. Ħamsin sena eżatt wara, bil-ġurnata, Lilian akkumpanjata min-neputi Shaun daħlet fil-knisja tad-Dar tal-Irtiri 'Manresa' f'Għawdex u fuq l-artal intlaqgħet minn żewġha Reg biex issa jiżżewġu bil-Knisja. Lilian tgħid li f'nofs seklu ma' Reg ma kien jonqosha xejn. Kellhom żewġ ulied li llum huma miżżewġin bit-tfal, iżda kienet tħoss li hemm xi ħaġa nieqsa.

I felt guilty that I did not go to the church to get married properly.

Ħdax-il sena ilu ġew joqogħdu Għawdex. Reg jgħid li fl-aħħar snin kien qed jinnota lil martu mdejjqa. Kienet tgħidlu li l-ħolma ta' ħajjitha hi li tiżżewweġ bil-knisja.

But we have been together 50 years??!! I still feel that, she said. So I went to see Bishop Mario Grech here in Gozo, and I explained the situation to him. Though I hadn't been to Church for 45 years myself, I was brought as a Catholic in Ireland. And he welcomed us, he wanted to help us, he said it is no problem, we can achieve it.

L-Isqof ta' Għawdex nnomina patri Ġiżwita biex jippreparahom għas-sagrament taż-żwieġ. Billi Lilian qatt ma kienet marret knisja, segwiet programm ta' katekiżmu li wassalha biex f'Santa Marija ta' din is-sena l-Isqof Grech amministralha tliet sagramenti: il-Magħmudija, l-Ewwel Tqarbina u l-Griżma tal-Isqof. Monsinjur Grech issa ċċelebra ż-żwieġ tagħhom fil-preżenza ta' qraba li ġew minn bnadi differenti tad-dinja.

Bil-koppja issa miżżewġa bil-knisja, Reg jistqarr li għall-ewwel kien xettiku u għamel il-pass biex jara 'l martu kuntenta. Madankollu jgħid li l-esperjenza tal-aħħar xhur kienet bħal vjaġġ li bih reġa' skopra l-fidi nisranija u iħossu kuntent aktar.

Reg Fitzpatrick
We are approaching the rest of our life now as active members, once again of the Church, and we feel so much more enriched and enlightened again and happier as a result of it.

Lilian xtaqet tibgħat messaġġ lill-koppji miżżewġa jew li qed jħejju għaż-żwieġ.

Make sure you get the right person, do not give up if you had an argument, do not split up, work at it, talk about it because things can do get a bit rocky, but you do not give up.