Speech for the Official Opening of St Roque Centre on 1st November 1999.
“W e have met here tonight for two reasons. The first is as a remembrance of when Can. Alfred Camilleri became Archpriest in this parish. The second reason is to officially launch and bless this centre that will be used in this parish for the years to come. This house was historically part of one of the foundations of Sodalita dei Preti, St Paul’s Collegiate; the Naves Foundation, as written on the door’s inscription. Around fifty years ago, this property was passed on to the Knights of St John to use as their headquarters and also as a Blood Bank. When the Bank was transferred elsewhere, the Knights built their quarters near the Church of Our Lady Of Victory, leaving this building for abandonment. It is at this stage that St Paul’s parish decided to take what was theirs.
As the Secretary of the Parish Pastoral Council, and one who has witnessed a lot of the work that has been done, I would like to illustrate the process of how, in a little more than a year, this big and abandoned house was transformed into the building you see here today. It is worth mentioning that if it were not for the sacrifices that the people working made, as well as the push and perseverance of the Archpriest to finish this work, the project would not have seen an end.
When the Archpriest came to know about this place, he immediately began to work to acquire it for the use of the parish because he had already seen the potential in it being under the parish’s ownership. Finally this place fell into the hands of the church on 11th December 1997. I still remember the Archpriest telling me this good news with so much joy a few moments after finding out. Around a year and a half ago, I came to visit this place myself. To tell you the truth, I had almost given up ever seeing this place renovated due to its abandoned state, as well as the financial restrictions of the parish.
During the renovation process of this building the Archpriest never gave up when faced with problems, partly due to his perseverance, but also because of the experience he had gained from previous parishes where similar projects had already been done. The work began in August last year. The initial plan was to begin working on the stairs and the upper hall first, in order to use these first. It was decided that the staircase which was to be painted, would be sanded down first. This involved attention to detail and thought due to the height of the walls. The hall and top of the staircase were painted in colours that matched the rest of the building. During the first months of this year, the painting of the facade was done, as well as extensive maintenance work to the roof, balconies and apertures that had been left in a grave state. The toilets and electricity were done from scratch and ceiling fans were installed in the rooms.
In summer this year, the walls of the courtyard were sanded down to remove the multiple coatings. The main entrance was repainted as well as the rooms of the first floor to be used for meetings. Finally, a small fountain with the statue of Our Lady, gifted by the Archpriest to the parish was done.
To conclude, one must thank God for His providence, the benefactors, the workers and the Archpriest who made it possible for us to have a house for the parish that will continue to be used in the near future.”
Robert Cassar
Secretary for the Parish Pastoral Council
St Paul’s Shipwreck, Valletta
