Earlier this month the Maltese Embassy in Rome celebrated the Solemnity of the Shipwreck of Saint Paul in Malta with a Holy Mass at Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina together with the Maltese and Gozitan community living in Rome.

The Eucharistic concelebration was led by His Eminence Cardinal Mario Grech, and a good number of Maltese priests.

The Community was welcomed by the Ambassador of Malta to Italy, H.E. Carmel Vassallo and Mrs. Mary Anne Vassallo.

He said that “this Concelebration served so that together with the Maltese we commemorate this feast, that commemorates the coming of the Christian faith in Malta. Essentially, in a spirit of unity and fraternity, on this occasion we renewed together our faith and the value of solidarity. The solidarity with which the Maltese who welcomed Paul, remained synonymous with Malta.”

In his homily, his Eminence Cardinal Mario Grech derived the aspect of hope from the story of Saint Paul, as it was described by Saint Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. During that night, in the midst of a severe violent storm where all those on board the ship were convinced that they were going to drown, St Paul twice invited them not to lose hope. The hope that Paul gave his friends was crucial for them to set sail and overcome all the obstacles of the journey.

In this regard, His Eminence Cardinal Grech supported the importance of hope on an individual as well as a collective level. The courage and the conviction that we can overcome the challenges we are facing are fundamental in the journey of our lives. Peace and unity cannot flourish without hope, aspiration, and determination.

He stressed that these values ??should remain central in our lives. “It is important that as a people we cherish and increase the spirit of hope woven into the hearts of the Maltese by Paul, so that in a national context as well as the international one we the Maltese continue to resist so that peace reigns, especially in these times when conflicts around the world are again prevailing.”

Cardinal Grech exhorted the community no to loose hope in life. “Let the fire of hope burn in you – don’t give up on your dreams, never give up on anybody. No one is ever really lost.”

The Embassy of Malta in Rome thanked the administration of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina for their assistance in organising the event.

After the Mass, the congregation sang the National Anthem and attended a small reception to mark the occasion.

Photo: The Embassy of Malta in Rome

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