President Myriam Spiteri Debono opened Malta's festa season on Sunday morning with the launch of St Publius’s feast day at the Vilhena Band Club in Floriana.
Expressing pleasure at attending the first feast of her tenure in Floriana, Spiteri Debono congratulated the club on celebrating 150 years since its founding and for its continuous work in preserving the locality’s cultural heritage.
She encouraged the club to continue its efforts despite mounting pressure.
“Floriana has had its difficulties - be it the ageing population and the further take-up of space by office buildings,” she said.
“But throughout all this time, the Vilhena Band Club breathed life into the Floriana community and did its utmost to preserve its traditions.”
The President affirmed that band clubs remained an important pillar in communicating heritage in Maltese localities.
“I strongly believe that band clubs must be sustained because they are an important outlet of expression and refuge for people of all ages - be they the youths who shape our future or the elderly of our communities,” she continued.
“Such groups are the vehicle through which we foster unity, as they teach the enduring importance of helping each other out and the nobility of voluntary work.”
Photo: Matthew MirabelliArchbishop Charles Scicluna also attended the reception and congratulated the club on its efforts to retain the heritage and values of its community.
He also called on patrons to remember the values imparted by their patron saint.
“We cannot claim to be celebrating St Publius if we do not do our utmost to share our love and mercy as he did,” Scicluna said.
“So as we wish each other a happy feast day, we must remember to be a bastion of solace and a well of goodness to our fellow man, as this is the heart of what we learn from St Publius.”
Vilhena Band Club president Christopher Vella said that despite being stewards of the locality’s heritage for the past 150 years, it was increasingly difficult to carry out this work in the face of mounting costs and an ageing population.
He encouraged the authorities to take heed of the pressures faced by the locality and undertake measures to revitalise traditional life in the localities around the port area.
Photo: DOIMTA to co-finance restoration of Floriana church facade
Meanwhile, the Malta Tourism Authority said on Sunday it will be co-financing the facade restoration of the St Publius church in Floriana.
The works will include a restoration of the masonry as well as the installation of new lighting.
A memorandum of understanding was signed between the MTA and the Archdiocese’s Foundation for Cultural Heritage, shortly before the pontifical feast mass on Sunday.
Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said the agreement marked further investment in the heritage that strengthened Maltese identity.
“Through such investments, we also ensure our tourism product is more diverse and of a higher quality in our towns and villages,” he said.