“Dun Mikiel Azzopardi fulfilled the mission the Lord entrusted to him.”

“Dun Mikiel totally fulfilled the mission the Lord entrusted to him.” Fr Martin Micallef, Director of Id-Dar tal-Providenza said this during a Mass that the Malta Catholic Action and id-Dar tal-Providenza celebrated to commemorate the death of Mgr. Mikiel Azzopardi who fifty years ago founded the Home in Siġġiewi for persons with disabilities. In his homily, Fr Martin said that by commemorating Dun Mikiel we are remembering a holy priest, a dynamic person that was capable of dreaming and achieving. God sent him to be the good shepherd of His people and that’s exactly what he did with lots of love firstly with the Malta Catholic Action where amongst a lot of other things he founded the Commission for the Sick and Persons with Disability. Then, Dun Mikiel went on to found the Dar tal-Providenza, exactly fifty years ago, to provide a home for persons with disability who were hidden in cellars sidelined by society.

This celebration was held at the chapel of the Home to commemorate twenty-eight years from the death of Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi. Dun Mikiel, as he is more popularly referred to, was born in Valletta on February 10th 1910 and died on May 13th 1987.

The Mass was concelebrated by Fr Reuben Gauci, Ecclesiastical Assistant of the youth arm of the Catholic Actiion (ZAK), together with Fr Martin Micallef. At the end of the celebration, short speeches were delivered by Fr Martin and Mr Dennis Buttigieg, General President of the Malta Catholic Action, who recalled the work of Dun Mikiel at the Catholic Action as well as at Id-Dar tal-Providenza which with his dedicated leadership followed by that of his successors is today celebrating fifty years of its existence. Fr Martin presented Mr Buttigieg with a silver plate that commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Home.

Later, the congregation that was mainly persons with disability residents of the Home as well as those who came from various parts of the island, assisted to the blessing of the grave where Mons. Mikiel Azzopardi is buried.

10th May 2015