Away from the maddening crowds, at the medieval church of Bir Miftuħ, representatives of the various organisations in Gudja gathered for an evening in the quiet and relaxing environment. The occasion was the launching of a very interesting book entitled Mother of many children, edited by Bertram Portelli and dedicated to the hard work and the boldness shown by past generations.

The book provides a detailed account of our forefathers’ religious faith from 1436, when the then bishop of Malta Senator De Mello declared the church of Bir Miftuħ as one of the first 10 major parishes of the Maltese Islands, until 1656 when, after much turbulence, the present parish started being constructed in the heart of the village.

The responsibility of these 10 new parishes was to look after the religious needs of the nearby villages and Bir Miftuħ was entrusted to look over Luqa, Kirkop, Mqabba, Ħal Farrug, Safi, Tarxien and Birżebbuġa. That’s why the Gudja parish is up to this very day referred to as ‘The Mother of Many Children’.

Naturally, as time went by, all these villages increased in their populations and as was to be expected, they asked the authorities concerned for their release from the parish of Bir Miftuħ and to congregate in their respective villages.

This information and much more can be gleaned from the book, a treasure especially for Gudja residents.