Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish church, Sliema, better known as Sacro Cuor, is this week marking 100 years since it became the second of Sliema’s four parishes on September 24, 1918. It was preceded by the church of Our Lady Star of the Sea (Stella Maris), which became a parish church in 1878, and was followed by St Gregory the Great church, which became a parish in 1943, and Jesus of Nazareth parish church in 1973.

The church owes its origin to Dun Pawl Vella, a priest from Valletta. Seeing Sliema’s ever-increasing  population in the 19th century, and the opening of Prince of Wales Road, which led to new residences in the area, around 1874 Fr Vella felt a call to build a new church for the Maltese province of the Order of Friars Minor to cater for the spiritual needs of residents in the area.

He formed a committee including himself, Pietru Pawl Galea, Giacchino Ellul, who owned the Imperial Hotel, Kalċidon Schembri and Pawlu Souchet. The committee drew up plans to raise funds and commissioned architect Giovanni Domenico Debono, who designed a church in a Roman-Ionic style. Builders volunteered to work for free on Sundays and feast days to help build the church.

The committee submitted a petition to the Curia, and on May 16, 1877, Archbishop Carmelo Scicluna and the Cathedral Chapter approved the building of the new church. A mere four days later, a ceremony was held on the site chosen for the church to mark the start of construction work.

Fr Vella recommended that the new church be given the title ‘Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus’, or ‘Sacro Cuor’, as a national monument marking the 50th anniversary of the episcopal ordination of Pope Pius IX. The first stone of the church was laid on June 3, 1877, to mark his episcopal jubilee.

The altar is surrounded by five paintings by Maltese artist Giuseppe Calì, one of which is his masterpiece representing St Gerome half naked in the grotto in Bethlehem

The church was built between 1877 and 1881. However, construction work was hampered by a shortage of funds, and suffered a setback on October 22, 1879, when one of the main pillars on which the church roof, and eventually the dome, was to rest, cracked. It was realised that the pillars should have been built using hard Coralline limestone rather than the softer globigerina limestone. After this incident, the four main pillars and those of the aisle were dismantled and rebuilt.

The church was decorated with gilded sculptures and paintings. The dome features paintings of Franciscan saints and the ceiling depicts joyful episodes from the life of the Virgin Mary. The altar is surrounded by five paintings by Maltese artist Giuseppe Calì, one of which is his masterpiece representing St Gerome half naked in the grotto in Bethlehem.

Artist Gerolamo Darmanin was commissioned to create the statue of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, which was ceremoniously brought to the church on June 26, 1881, the day it was consecrated and opened for worship. A convent for the Franciscans was also built next to the church.

Designed in a Roman-Ionic style by Architect Giovanni Domenico Debono, the church was opened on June 26, 1881, and enlarged in 1930. Photo: Shutterstock

At the church opening, the Archbishop presented the committee with five conditions: firstly, that the church and its property be passed on to the Franciscan Order; secondly, that the usufruct of the altar of St Joseph be retained by the Archbishop; thirdly, that the Archbishop deliver panegyric on the eve of the titular feast; fourthly, that the superior of the Franciscan community donate not less than two rotolos of candles to the Archbishop every year on June 1; and finally, that if the church needed to become a parish, the Franciscans must accept. These conditions were accepted by the Council of the Franciscan Order on November 12, 1881, and the Order took possession of the church the day after.

An incident took place on the feast day on June 19, 1910, when, during the singing of vespers, a group of men and youths grabbed the titular statue of the Madonna and quickly took it on a spontaneous procession and left it on the church parvis. In the subsequent days, a total of 39 men and youths, all feast enthusiasts, were charged over the incident. Giovanni Micallef, known as ir-Rabti, was condemned to three days’ imprisonment and Giovanni Suda two days, while Ġużeppi Schembri, George Bundy and others were fined.

The following year, two requests were made to the ecclesiastical and civil authorities to give permission for a procession with the statue to take place. Both were refused. Finally, a petition signed by 1,150 parishioners was submitted to the Franciscans. The Father Guardian, Fr Feliċ Grima, presented it to Archbishop Pietro Pace who accepted it on April 21, 1911.

The first outdoor feast was celebrated on July 2, amid great enthusiasm. The procession with the statue proceeded from the church along Strada San Trofimo, Prince of Wales Road, Strada San Piju V and back up Strada San Trofimo. Since that day the procession has been held for 117 consecutive years on the first Sunday of July, except for two years during World War II.

As Sliema’s population continued to expand, the need was felt for Sacro Cuor to be made Sliema’s second parish. The official designation was issued on September 24, 1918, and on September 29, the church started functioning as a parish with four baptisms being held.

In 1930, the church was enlarged to cater better for the parish’s increasing population.

On the feast day on June 19, 1910, a group of men and youths grabbed the titular statue of the Madonna and took it out on a spontaneous procession

On June 9, 1940, Italy declared war on England, and Malta heard an air siren wail for the first time. The parish church suffered two tragedies during the war. One took place on March 17, 1942, at about 8am, when bombs fell on the area near the Sliema police station. Twenty-two people died buried under the rubble, including Albert Mifsud, a young altar boy who had just served at Mass at Sacro Cuor church. These victims and another 22 residents who were injured in the incident are commemorated by a plaque on the wall of the police station.

Fifteen days later, on Ash Wednesday, April 1, 1942, at 3pm, a series of bombs hit the church and houses on either side of it. The Franciscan convent and the chapel of the Madonna of Pompeii were destroyed, while the church was heavily damaged. In this incident, another 28 Sliema residents were killed and 23 others injured. Among those who perished in the attack was Franciscan father Diegu Galdes. The names of the fallen are listed in the parish church’s chapel of the sacrament.

After the war, the church and convent were restored, chapels dedicated to St Paschal Baylo and St Francis of Assisi were built, as well as a new sacristy. These were inaugurated by Archbishop Michael Gonzi on November 30, 1950.

Acknowledgement
This article is based on research conducted by Tony Terribile.

Actors playing Dun Pawl Vella, Pietru Pawl Galea and other committee members discussing the idea of building the new church around 1874.

Church altar servers to perform play based on parish history

Ġrajjiet Imġedda is a one-and-a-half hour play in Maltese being performed by a group of 30 to 35 altar boys and girls at Sacro Cuor parish church on Saturday, September 22 at 7.30pm.

A scene from the play depicting a tragedy on March 17, 1942, when altar boy Albert Mifsud was killed after bombs fell near the Sliema police station. Also seen are actors playing fellow altar boy Charles B. Grech and Fr Diegu Galdes, who would himself die 15 days later.

The script, written by Sliema resident and researcher Tony Terribile, is based on 10 of the most significant episodes of the parish’s history, including the building of the church in the latter part of the 19th century, through to the 1910 incident that led to the start of the procession with the statue of the titular saint the following year, to the elevation of Sacro Cuor as a separate parish in 1918, to the two tragic air raids on the neighbourhood in World War II and ending with the celebration of the church restoration in 1950.

Preparations for the play started immediately after the last Good Friday passion play. The director, Sliema resident and actor Robert Pulis, told the Times of Malta that rehearsals had been taking place every Saturday morning since mid-April.

“Now rehearsals are taking place almost every day and enthusiasm is high among the altar servers, whose ages range from four to 18, so much so that more youths are seeking to join,” he said.

One of the altar boys, Jake Bruno, who plays the part of Mgr Feliċ Cutajar, is continuing rehearsals despite recently breaking his leg and having to walk around on crutches with his leg in a plaster cast. Apparently members of the audience watching the rehearsals thought it was part of the script since the monsignor he is playing had been injured in one of the two tragic wartime raids on the parish during World War II.

The play will be performed in the space around the church altar and the presbytery. Many of the actors will wear period costumes, including some kindly provided by the Salesian community of Sliema.

Attendance is free and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Another play at the church is already in the pipeline for the Christmas period, entitled Dawl tal-Milied.

Girls playing Sliema women discussing the tragedies in the parish.