Miracles in the waiting room of modernity: The canonisation of Dun Ġorġ of Malta

This study will focus on the persistence of ‘pre‐modern’ forms of religious belief in a secular age. By examining in detail the process of canonisation of St. George Preca, the first Maltese saint, this study will explore concepts of the self and relations to the body in a Catholic modernity. The fo...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Australian Journal of Anthropology
Main Author: Baldacchino, Jean‐Paul
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2011
Subjects:
Dun
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1757-6547.2011.00109.x
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1757-6547.2011.00109.x
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1757-6547.2011.00109.x
Description
Summary:This study will focus on the persistence of ‘pre‐modern’ forms of religious belief in a secular age. By examining in detail the process of canonisation of St. George Preca, the first Maltese saint, this study will explore concepts of the self and relations to the body in a Catholic modernity. The focus on miracles and canonisation in a context other than that of a North Atlantic modernity also allows me to highlight the need to understand the complex relationships among: (i) the official church and believers; (ii) the local elite and the populace; and ultimately, (iii) between religion and science. Lastly, in keeping with the phenomenological and experiential imperatives shared with the contributors to this volume, I conclude this article by outlining what, through an intimate engagement with the religious beliefs of ‘others’, I have come to believe miracles are about: True body event.