I refer to the letter by Joseph Farrugia, (The Sunday Times of Malta, November 27), regarding the ‘Milestones of Paola parish church’.

Mr Farrugia is quite right in stating that “in 1905, Paola was made a vice-parish of Tarxien” and “in 1910 when Paola was made a parish on its own, Tarxien was its mother church (il-matriċi)”.

This is a historical fact which was never denied, and various celebrations, even as recent as the ones held on the occasion of the centenary of the Paola parish in 2010, are evidence of the high regard in which the Tarxien parish is held in Paola as its mother church.

It is, however, also a historical fact that the Archives of the Order of the Knights of St John recorded in Latin that on July 20, 1626, the Council of the Order, by a secret vote, conceded to the Grand Master Antoine de Paule parcels of land  known as ‘Tal-Għerien’ which formed part of  Marsa and which were not suitable for agricultural purposes, to be used for the building of houses, and that a  new village  be set up under the patronage of the same Grand Master, which will bear the name Paula, after his family name. (A.O.M. Liber Conciliorum, no. 108, Anno 1626, f 193r).  It is very evident that the date in the feature published in The Sunday Times of Malta on November 20 refers to the setting up of Paola as a village in 1626 and not to the parish, which was founded in 1910.

It is regretted that the quotation of the date of the founding of Paola seems to have been confused with the founding of the parish dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (later dedicated to Christ the King).   I would like to reassure Mr Farrugia that it was never the intention of the Anniversary Celebrations Committee to “twist history”.

Both facts mentioned above are historically correct.