Province of St. Mark

Augustinian Presence in Hal Tarxien

The building confined by four roads in Hal Tarxien, before being handed over to the Augustinian Province, served as a place for imparting sound doctrine to youths. This was the aim for which the founder, Fr. Gwann Mamo, an active priest from Bormla, worked so hard. Fr. Gwann spent all his wealth to build an institute where the youths of those neighbourhoods could learn a trade, which could be useful for them in the future. He also didn’t want his youths to abandon their religious duties. Thus, together with the institute, in 1910, Fr. Gwann built a small semi-public chapel, dedicated to St. Louis, protector of youths. For some reason, after being used for 23 years, the Church authorities’ felt that the institute was no longer in conformity with the aim for which it was founded and in 1933, Fr. Gwann’s work had to stop. From 1935 onwards, after the local school was closed, in agreement with Fr. Gwann, the institute was handed over to the Maltese Government and started to be used as an elementary school.

Some days before he died, Fr. Gwann revealed his wish to the Provincial Fr. Lawrenz Agius OSA to entrust the institute to the province, so that if possible, it could continue the mission, which he had started. This request was accepted. As soon as the property passed into the hands of the province, on 18th February 1936, the Provincial informed Archbishop Mons. Mawru Caruana and at the same time, requested the permission to open a chapel to cater for the spiritual needs of the people, living in the vicinity, together with a residence for a religious community. With the approval of the Archbishop in his hands, the Provincial in March 1936 wrote to the Governor of Malta to get an exemption from the mortmain law and to the Curia Generalizia in Rome to canonically open a religious residence. These two requests were granted. However, although all the necessary permits to open the residence were in hand, the building remained in the Government’s hands as an elementary school. Between September 1939 and 1945, throughout the Second World War, St. Louis’ Oratory started to be used as a centre for Air Raid Precaution and after the war ended, it was transformed into a government secondary girls' school, entitled St. Theresa Secondary School. Part of the school was transformed into a public chapel, with a few temporary rooms set aside for the friars. On 1st February 1948 the new chapel, dedicated to St. Nicholas of Tolentino, was blessed. In October 1953, the Government gave the keys of the secondary school to the Augustinian province so that plans could be drawn up for the continuous activity in Hal Tarxien.

As soon as the Second World War ended and the priory in Valletta was considered to be very small for the new needs of the secondary college and as soon as all the building at Hal Tarxien were in the hands of the Augustinian Province, Provincial Fr. Pawl Spiteri started thinking of transferring the college to Hal Tarxien. For this reason, he thought of making the necessary repairs and changes in the building so that the new college would open without delay. The same provincial also started the construction of a new priory, where the friars, who were teaching in the college as well as those who had to take care of the chapel, could live. Although the building of the priory was still not all ready (initiated in March 1954 and completed in July 1955), in the beginning of October 1954, the students of the college were transferred from Valletta to Hal Tarxien. In May 1955, the Provincial Chapter examined the new vocational activity in our province. It was agreed that a boarding school should once again be opened for all those youths who were inclined to embrace the religious Augustinian state of life. During those meetings, it was decided that the new boarding school would be at Hal Tarxien, near the college, where the youths could continue their studies. The boarding school at Hal Tarixen remained in use for six years. In a period of twelve years, from 1954 till 1966, the number of students grew so much that once again, a need was felt to find a bigger space. In fact, on 18th April 1966, St. Augustine’s College was transferred again, this time to Pieta’.

Two years after the college was transferred to Hal Tarxien, Fr. Gulju Bonnici OSA wanted to gather the youths who were running around the streets of Paola and Hal Tarxien and wanted to present them with a new programme of activites, built on three aspects – religious, educational and recreational, which covers the entire youth – body, soul and heart. A special motto Pie ac Laete – goodness and happiness, was chosen by Fr. Guze Delia SJ, which reveals the idea behind the whole programme for which the oratory was erected. The first meetings in the “Augustinian Oratory” took place in May 1956 and included two categories of youths – from 8 to 16 years and from 16 years onwards. The official opening took place in St. Nicholas’ chapel on 8th July 1956. Throughout the years, the oratory kept on serving the aim for which it was founded, with the number of youths always increasing. By time, as a more spacious place was needed, the Augustinian community had to provide more rooms and whatever was necessary. The blessing of the new residence took place on 24th June 1962.

Although St. Nicholas’ Chapel was small, it kept on serving the spiritual needs of the people in the vicinity for many years. The construction of a new large hall underneath the church, had already begun three years earlier and now, everything was prepared for the commencement of the building of the new church over the new hall. This had to be a bigger church with a simple modern style. On 23rd April 1967, the ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone was celebrated by Provincial Fr. Ugolin Gatt OSA, while on 18th April 1970, the new church was blessed and a mass was celebrated. Archbishop Mons. Michael Gonzi consecrated this church on 10th May 1975. The Church was renovated again in 2005, on the centenary of St. Nicholas of Tolentino.

Since in 1966, the college was transferred to a bigger place in Pieta’, those rooms which were formerly used as classes, were abandoned and lacked attention. The superiors of that time felt the need of doing something so that the residence would not remain in such a bad state and at the same time, be used for some other provincial activity in aid of the Maltese society. For this reason, a decision was taken to transform the residence into a youth hostel, consisting of 50 beds. The youth hostel continued to welcome people until the province thought of a greater and more useful project for society in 1983. Part of the youth hostel was knocked down to make place for those youths who left the institutes and the reformatories and didn’t have any place to live in. The residence, led by the members of the Legion of Mary, had to be similar to Fatima House in Sliema, although this residence had to welcome males only. However, since a place like this required at least one resident person, who could dedicate his energy there throughout the whole day, they did not find the persons, they needed and thus, this project ended before it started. Some time later, part of the building was used to welcome homeless youths. Although the youth hostel was reaching the aim for which it was erected, the friars gathered in the Provincial Chapter of June 1982, thought that the residence could be used for something better. In a decision taken by the Provincial Council on 12th July 1983, it was established that the youth hostel and the section that had been earmarked for the Legion of Mary was given to the Ursoline Sisters for their use as a children’s’ place, with a commodatum title. From that day, the nuns are still serving this virtuous mission with immense Christian love.

Nowadays, we can say that the priory at Hal Tarxien is very actively involved in pastoral work. Here, the Augustinian friars offer their service not only by celebrating mass and hearing confessions, but also by leading various vocational meetings and movements. In fact, in 2006, work on the construction of a new Augustinian vocational centre was started and nowadays, it is equipped with a turf ground, with the latest computers, playstations and other games. All the activity related to vocations is coordinated by this community and this includes formative and recreational meetings for children and youths of all ages. In this priory, the teaching of the Doctrine for children in preparation for the First Holy Communion as well as for Confirmation, also takes place. A large number of children and youths meet regularly to animate all masses, which take place every Sunday morning, while a number of other children give their service as altar boys.