Emmanuel Galea, resident for a number of years at Dar tal-Providenza, Sunday morning was introduced to Pope Francis during a meeting with vulnerable persons that took place at the Collegiate Basilica of St. Paul in Rabat.
The meeting was part of a programme of activities prepared for the visit to Malta of His Holines Pope Francis on the 2nd and 3rd of April 2022.
“The inhabitants treated us with kindness” Acts. 28:2
Saturday and Sunday, 2nd and 3rd April 2022.
His Holiness Pope Francis ended a two-day visit in Malta after an intense programme of meetings and activities in Malta and Gozo. Thousands attended a prayer meeting at the National Santuary of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu in Għarb, Gozo on Saturday and a eucharistic celebration on the granaries in Floriana on Sunday. Each activity had its own spiritual, political and social significance.
On his attival at the Malta International Airport Saturday morning, the Pope was greeted by the President of Malta, Dr George Vella and Mrs. Vella as well as the highest authorities who also bid him farewell on his return trip to Rome Sunday evening.
In his homily on the granaries, Pope Francis said we should not take notice of those surrounding us but we should look for those that are missing. We should not keep pointing our fingers but listen to what they want to say. We should not discard the downtrodden but put in the front those that have been sidelined.
During the prayer meeting at the Ta’ Pinu National Sanctuary, Pope Francis said that Malta is in a crucial geographical position, which is for the Mediterranean an attraction and a port of haven to so many persons battered by the storms of life who for various reasons land on our shores. In the faces of these poor it is Christ himself who is coming to us.
Two significant meetings the Pope had were with vulnerable people at the Collegiate Basilica of St. Paul in Rabat and with immigrants at the John XXII Peace Lab in Ħal Far.
An initiative taken by the management and staff of the Dolmen Hotel in Qawra raised €2,000 in aid of Dar tal-Providenza. The cyclists ended their ride at the San Giovanni XXIII square in front of the chapel in Siġġiewi.
Mr John Muscat, HR Manager at the Dolmen, presented the cheque to the Director of the Home, Fr Martin Micallef who, in the name of the residents and administration, thanked the management and staff of the hotel for their initiative of solidarity towards Dar tal-Providenza.
The 112th Anniversary of the birth of Mgr. Mikiel Azzopardi
Thursday, 10th February, 2022 happens to be the 112th anniversary of the birth of Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi, the Founder of Dar tal‑Providenza.
Mikiel Azzopardi was born in Valletta on 10th February 1910, the day Malta commemorates the shipwreck of St. Paul on our shores, of Toninu Azzopardi and Amalja neè Galea. He was baptised three days later at the Parish Church of Our Lady of Porto Salvo in Merchants Street. He received his First Holy Communion at the age of 6 years from Archbishop Dom Mauro Caruana OSB at St John’s Co‑Cathedral and a year later he was confirmed by the Auxiliary Bishop of Malta, Mgr. Angelo Portelli.
He was educated at the Government Primary School in St Elmo, Valletta, at the Seminary of the Diocese of Gozo, the Lyceum in Valletta and then at the Royal University of Malta where he commenced the Law Course which he left four years into it because he felt the call to the priesthood.
Dun Mikiel was ordained on 22 December 1934 at the age of 24 by Archbishop Caruana. Not long after his ordination, the Archbishop appointed him as his personal assistant. In 1940, he was appointed Ecclesiastical Assistant General of the Catholic Action and embarked on organizing and spreading this lay ecclesiastical movement in all parishes of Malta and Gozo. Within the Archdiocese of Malta he set up, amongst other initiatives, the Diocesan Steering Committee for Catholic Associations, as well as Parish Councils.
During the course of his pastoral work, he discovered that various persons with disabilities were living in a deplorable state so much so that they were even hidden in cellars in totally appalling conditions, and in certain cases even unbeknown to their siblings. Persons with disabilities were often ridiculed in public or sent to a hospital which was ill‑equipped for their needs. Dun Mikiel also felt that various families with a disabled member had an urgent need to find people who offered them solace. It was then that the idea started to germinate within him to find a place where these persons could find an environment where to live – an environment that they deserved and that respected their dignity.
Therefore, on 12 September 1965, he started off with a generous donation of LM100 given to him by a lady who had saved the money for a vacation. This was the genesis of Id‑Dar tal‑Providenza, the first Home in Malta that offered residential services to persons with disability. Up to this very day, Id‑Dar tal‑Providenza remains a living miracle of the Divine Providence.
Mgr. Mikiel Azzopardi died on 13 May 1987 at the age of 77 and was buried, as he had always wished, in the courtyard of the Home amongst the persons with disabilities that he loved so intensely.
Photo: Residents place flowers in front of the monument of Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi in Triq Mons. Azzopardi in Siġġiewi.
The Bishop of Gozo, H.G. Mgr. Anton Teuma described Dar tal-Providenza as a sign of God’s love. He was paying his first visit to the Siġġiewi Home since becoming Bishop of the Gozo Diocese in August 2020. He concelebrated mass in the Home’s chapel together with the Director, Fr Martin Micallef.
In his homily, Bishop Teuma said that Dar tal-Providenza was not just a demonstration of dedication and love towards its residents but also an example to the Maltese and Gozitans who have continuously supported it financially and with voluntary help that many of them do. He praised and thanked Fr Martin and the Home’s administration, the carers and workers for their unstinted love and care of their residents.
Bishop Teuma met with some of hhe residents and their carers, visited the museum dedicated to Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi, the founder of the Home, as well as his courtyard grave. He was aldo shown around the therapeutic pool used daily by the residents. One of the residents presented the Bishop with a hamper of products prepared by the residents at the St. Isidore Agriculture Centre.
Dar tal-Providenza celebrates the memory of Mrs Blanche Mifsud who was a volunteer of the Home for many years and who passed away on Wednesday 19th January 2022 at the venerable age of 92. In 2011 she was awarded the Premju Dun Mikiel Azzopardi together with the late Fr Lino Cardona SJ and Mary Versin in recognition of her volontary work.
Mrs Blanche Mifsud was born in Żabbar in 1925. She was married to Kostantino Mifsud and had two children – Stephen and Elena. When she became a widower in 1981, Mrs Mifsud asked Mon. Azzopardi, who was her brother-in-law, whether she could help out at Dar tal-Providenza. Since then, and for many long years she volunteered twice a week at the Bazaar until she retired.
May she rest in peace.
“Once again the people of Malta and Gozo have shown their generosity towards Dar tal-Providenza by donating €1,409,085. Funds that will help the Home to continue providing the best residential services to a hundred and fifteen persons with disability that live in the Siġġiewi Home or its other community homes.” This was said by Fr Martin Micallef, Director of the Home, at the end of a twelve hour televised marathon. He continued by auguring that the solidarity shown towards Dar tal-Providenza on the first day of the new year will continue throughout the year with all those in our society who need support.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic situation the country is in, nothing happened at the Home’s Siġġiewi car park except for a ‘drive-through’ where persons wanting to make a donation did so without alighting from their car.
The important fundraising aspect of TV Marathon including appeals, telephone and on-line donations were done at the WE Media studios in Qormi between noon and midnight. During the marathon, visitors to the studios included the President of Malta, Dr George Vella and Mrs Vella, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi, President Emeritus Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, the Leader of the Opposition and Mrs Grech and, through Skype, Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma. Also present were Ministers and Members of Parliament from both sides of the House, delegations representing the main political parties, various personalities and representatives of constituted bodies who also took time to answer the phones.
After a pause of two years, the auction of works of art donated by various Maltese and foreign artists was held online and raised the sum of €28,605.
As has now been the custom, various parishes in Malta and Gozo made special collections during church celebrations that were donated to the Home on behalf of the community some of them also using Skype.
In the morning, Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna celebrated Mass in the Home’s chapel on the first day of the year dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and the World Day for Peace. He was assisted by Mgr. Charles Cordina, Episcopal Vicar for Diaconia, Fr Martin Micallef, Director of Dar tal-Providenza, Fr Trevor Fairclough, Spiritual Director, and Fr Josef Mifsud, Archpriest of Siġġiewi.
In his homily, the Archbishop said that at the beginning of a new year, he wanted to convey his greetings to all with the same words that the Lord passed on to Moses. “May the Lord lift his face toward you and give you peace.” He said that the Lord’s look at us is one of love because love and mercy go hand in hand. How nice it would be if we were to teach ourselves to pray for the Lord’s protection. We also pray to him to give us wisdom so that we can find the true peace.
Mgr Scicluna augured that the choices we make during this new year would be the right ones because what good is there in recreation that we think would fulfill our heart’s desires: drugs in all their forms, abuse of alcohol and other choices that alienate us for a little while and do nothing but harm?
At the start of a new year, Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna wanted to convey his greetings to all with the same words that the Lord passed on to Moses. “May the Lord lift his face toward you and give you peace.” The Archbishop was concelebrating mass in the chapel at Dar tal-Providenza on new year’s day dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and the World Day for Peace. He was assisted by the Episcopal Vicar for Diacony, Mgr. Charles Cordina, Fr Martin Micallef, Director of the Home, Fr Trevor Fairclough, Spiritual Director and Fr Josef Mifsud, Archpriest of Siġġiewi.
Archbishop Scicluna said that the Lord’s look at us is one of love because love and mercy go hand in hand. How nice would it be if we were to teach ourselves to pray for the Lord’s protection. We also pray to him to give us wisdom so that we can find the true peace.
Mgr Scicluna augured that the choices we make during this new year would be the right ones because what good is there in recreation that we think would fulfill our heart’s desires: drugs in all their forms, abuse of alcohol and other choices that alienate us for a little while and do nothing but harm.
He appealed to all Maltese to be generous once again with Dar tal-Providenza that cares with so much love and dedication for the persons with disability residents of the Home.
The Festa ta’ Ġenerożità is being broadcast live on all local TV stations between noon and midnight from the WE Media studios in Qormi. For the convenience of the public a drive-through has been set up in the Home’s parking lot in Siġġiewi allowing donations to be made without the need to alight from the car.
Photo: Archdiocese of Malta
€22,630 were raised for Dar tal-Providenza during a 30-hour music marathon on 103 Malta’s Heart.
The marathon kicked off at 6am on Thursday 30 December, with Arthur Caruana accompanied by two other well known presenters Ron Briffa and Ian Busuttil Naudi. Arthur expressed his satisfaction at the show of solidarity through the sum raised and thanked all the listeners for their donations.
At various times of the music marathon there were messages of support and appeals for much needed funds. Amongst them were those from Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna, Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi and Fr Martin Micallef, Director of the Home.
One can make a donation by using the various facilities outlined hereunder.
€10 5160 2012
€15 5170 2013
€25 5180 2014
€50 5190 2085
€100 5130 2022
SMS €7 5061 8922
BOV Mobile 7932 4834
Paypal or bank accounts that Dar tal-Providenza has with the main Banks: APS Bank, BOV, HSBC, Lombard Bank, BNF Bank.
One can also make a donation by cheque and send it to Id-Dar tal-Providenza, Lapsi Road, Siġġiewi SGW2822. However, a directive of the Central Bank of Malta says that cheques for €20 or less are not allowed and will not be cashed by the banks.
Other donations can be made at Dar tal-Providenza’s office in St. Paul Street, Valletta right behind the old market Tuesday to Saturday between 9.00am and 12.00pm, at the Paola Catholic Bookshop as well as in Rabat’s main square in Malta.
The workers at Dar Pirotta in Birkirkara and flat San Ġużepp in Siġġiewi were Dar tal-Providenza’s nominees for the Award for Team of the Year in a ceremony during which awards were given to six individuals, three organisations and a team.
The ceremony of the National Award for the Worker of the Year 2021 took place on the 20th December under the distinguished patronage of H.E. Dr George Vella, President of Malta. In an address for the occasion, Dr Vella said that this activity is a very special one not only because various prizes were distributed but above all because it celebrates the hard work and the important role that work has in man’s life. He mentioned the various challenges and repercussions that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the work place and to the encouragement of entrepreneurship.
The Award for the Worker of the Year 2021 went to Roseanne Camilleri, Chief Executive of Primary Health Care.
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
OKLearn moreWe may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, you cannot refuse them without impacting how our site functions. You can block or delete them by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website.
These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.
If you do not want that we track your visist to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds: