Cooling systems in churches are a must

It is no longer capricious nowadays to install air conditioners; it’s strongly needed and no one can do without. Temperatures are always rising and it’s a priority that air conditioners are installed in churches.

Only a few are available in Malta and only three churches in Gozo have them. If one wants to hear the Word of God, it is not right that the listener says “May mass be finished soon” because he cannot stand the excessive heat. It could also be that a passer-by who does not normally attend mass might enter the church while the priest is preaching the Word of God. No one knows how God works; and this person might convert.

We are giving priority to the restoration of churches, organs and paintings but we are not investing in the persons who attend our churches. We were always taught that we are the Church. However, in this case, the building is the Church because we are giving it more importance. Who is going to heaven? The persons or the paintings?

We must be aware that, on our judgement day, we might have to pay our debts for this negligence. There are persons who do not attend mass and are not receiving the sacraments of confession and communion, especially on Sunday. What a great responsibility.

The church in Iklin is one of the few that has both cooling systems and solar panels. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

These systems should have been installed a long time ago. But I still believe a church in need of restoration, because of some danger, is to be given priority.

The parish priest should first seek the help of an architect, an electrical engineer and a contractor to carry out the installation of the air conditioners and, if possible, solar panels to avoid excessive electricity bills. He will be given an estimate, following which he should inform the parishioners about the plan and the price. He could say that, before all the expenses are covered, the work won’t start. This means that neither the church nor the curia would spend a cent because all the expenses of the project would be collected from among the parishioners. Then what’s the problem?

I appeal to our archbishop, the Curia and the parish priests of Malta and Gozo to make sure this message does not fall on deaf ears and to start taking the installation of air conditioners more seriously. In this way we would be pleasing God more for we would be taking care of our neighbour physically and, even more, spiritually, as the Word of God would be heard properly.

Mario Micallef – Mosta