Adds society's reaction

A court this afternoon overturned a request by the Lourdes Philharmonic Society of Paola not to allow the Paola parish priest to organise the locality's feast.

The society yesterday filed a warrant of prohibitory injunction against parish priest Fr Christopher Galea, calling on the court to keep Fr Galea from organising the external festivities of Our Lady of Lourdes, including band services, the morning march and the procession with the statue.

The society had argued that it wanted to stop the feast because for the past three years it had been excluded from taking part in it as it had done for the past 30 years.

It accused the parish priest of breaching a contract signed in 2007 in which he had agreed to pay the society an agreed sum of money for its services.

SOCIETY'S REACTION

The society said that in the coming days it will be launching a court case against the parish priest on behalf of the parish, for breach of contract signed in February 2007, holding Fr Galea responsible for damages.

It said that to ensure that to avoid trouble, provocation and fights during the feast this weekend, its premises would be kept closed and would reopen on Monday.

The society said it was not excluding organising a separate feast unless a suitable agreement was reached with the parish priest.

This was being done so that it would not lose the functions it was created for according to its statute, it said.