On the occasion of the feast of Our Lady of Health (Salus Infirmorum) celebrated in Qala last Sunday, the new archpriest, Mgr Edward Xuereb, urged parishioners to seek refuge under Our Lady’s protection, knowing that she will help us in this current moment of crisis.

As a sign of faith in Our Lady, a miraculous image of the Madonna with Baby Jesus is being exposed in a prominent place at Qala parish during the month of October.

According to historians, many Maltese and Gozitans used to visit the church at any point in time to pray in front of the image asking for a particular miracle or as a thanksgiving for graces received.

The painting of Our Lady was donated to the Qala Immaculate sanctuary by the second Gozitan Bishop, Anton Grech Delicata, in 1873. He had great devotion to Our Lady and ordered several pilgrimages be held to the sanctuary.

The image was executed by Italian painter Pietro Gagliardi, who has several other works in Malta and Gozo. The painting is a copy of the miraculous image of Our Lady found at the church of Santa Maria Assunta al Gianicolo in Rome.

The painting was commissioned by Mgr Delicata when the original one in Rome was desecrated during the Capture of Rome (Presa di Roma) on September 20, 1870. It was the final event of the long process of Italian unification also known as the Risorgimento, marking both the final defeat of the Papal States under Pope Pius IX and the unification of the Italian peninsula under King Victor Emmanuel II of the House of Savoy.

Once the painting arrived at the Immaculate Conception sanctuary, it drew great devotion by the Gozitans and the Maltese.