SENGLEA THROUGH THE AGES – 50 & 51

Senglea prepares for the solemn crowning of the statue of Marija Bambina

Two Committees

     Since the elevation of Senglea’s church to Basilica and the crowning of the statue of Marija Bambina occurred much closed to each other, there had to be proper preparations to celebrate both occasions. While preparations were in hand for the crowning of the statue, preparations were also in hand in the church to make it worth the new little it had just been bestowed.

     Two committees were set up. As expected one to take care of the functions in the church, which had the Archpriest Canon Guzepp Adami as President. The other members of the committee were five canons, three priests, a lawyer and six laymen.

     The other committee which was in charge of the external celebrations had as its president Mons Ignazju Panzavecchia, who was regarded as a patriot and who was also the leader of the Maltese Popular Party. He had with him on the committee five architects.

Spiritual preparations

     On the 8^th of each month starting from October 1920, a solemn Mass was said and all those present were encouraged to receive Holy Communion. During these Masses, a sermon about Our Lady of delivered. On the 8^th October 1920, the statue of Marija Bambina was exposed on the altar but then it was removed so that the statue could be prepared for the crowning.

Golden crown and the gilding of the statue

     The greatest expense incurred was the golden crown full of diamonds and precious stones. The decoration of the church was going on in full swing too. The gilding of the statue was left in the hands of the firm Farrugia. The precious stones were prepared by the firm Darmanin and the firm Muscat took it in hand to put the diamonds in place. Ganni Farrugia paid the expenses for golden sandals with diamonds and which were placed on the feet of the statue of Marija Bambina.

Altar and canopy

     An altar was prepared to be placed in front of the statue of Our Lady. It was designed by Mikiel De Giovanni. The altar was made of walnut and was made by Pawlu De Giovanni.

     The canopy was designed by the Architect Indri Vassallo and was put up just before the coronation.

Preparations for church functions

     The Chapter of the Collegiate appointed five delegates from its members to organise the church services and functions. Canon Manwel Galea was the Secretary of the delegation and he took great care in his correspondence and in the minutes he kept of the meetings held. All three Bishops were invited so that each could lead one of the many ceremonies being organised. The only difficult was caused by the Bishop of Gozo, Mons Gwanni M. Camilleri who was not well in that period of time. So the Archbishop Spiridione Palomeni was invited instead. Unfortunately the latter had to drop out at the very last moment because of ill health.

     The Archbishop Mawru Caruana was personally delegated by the Pope himself to crown the statue of Our Lady. His assistant was Bishop Angelo Portelli. Bishop Camilleri of Gozo made a great effort and attended the functions when he realised that the delegation could not find adequate replacement instead of him.

     All the Capitols of Malta; all the Parish Priests and all Religious Orders were invited for the coronation. It was a very difficult job to organised. The delegation set up was optimistic that all would turn out well and that this ceremony would be a unique occasion.

     The people of Senglea was in the meantime, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the 4^th of September of 1921.

SENGLEA THROUGH THE AGES – 51

75* years ago: Our wish was finally granted when we saw you with the crown on your head

     All whoever loves Our Lady represented by the statue of Marija Bambina heartily sings the above excerpt taken from the hymn specially prepared for the occasion by the national poet Dun Karm Psaila. Notwithstanding that over seventy five years have passed since the crowning in 1921, this hymn, set to music by Maestro Giuseppi Caruana, is still a great favourite with the people of Senglea.

Our wish has been fulfilled

     Our forefathers always had great love for Our Lady and rightfully considered Her as their Heavenly Queen and saw in Her a loving mother and therefore this crowning had very special significance for them. In the words of the poet we all make the works of the hymn as our own and proudly sing: ‘You loved us O child from heaven ….. We heard you whispering in our brothers’ ears ….. You are sweet, you are beautiful, you are kind’. Hence it was obvious that we had to repay, as we humans know how, for that entire She did and is still doing with us: ‘You know we chose you as our Mother …. We put you on guard of all that we possess’. We pray and hope that these sentiments with keep on for ever. We keep on trusting Her and say: ‘O Mother, look after us as have always asked You to do’.

A legacy of centuries of love

     Senglea was always at its best for the feast of Marija Bambina, but for the 4^th September 1921 it put on something special. The people of Senglea wanted to show everyone the great joy they were feeling to celebrate an occasion they have been preparing for since 1618. For just over three hundred years, even since the statue of Marija Bambina providentially arrived in our city, the bond between the statue of Our Lady and the people of Senglea grew stronger as time went by. The joy of the than Parish priest Kosmo Talavera and the generosity of the ship’s captain Nardu De Marija proved to be the beginning of a great event which is endorsed in the heart of whoever lived in the city of Senglea.

     The street decorations were something special in 1921. An arbour of lights and grass roofed Victory Street. Fireworks were even important from Germany. But above all the people of Senglea were also spiritually prepared for this unique event. One of the most renowned preachers of those days, Dun Nerik Dandria, was one of the main orators during the festivities held.

     As it was the norm in those days, a programme of all the activities which were going to be held was printed in Italian. In this programme one could find details of all that was going to be held between the 27^th August 1921 and the 8^th September 1921. The crowning of the statue on the 4^th September 1921 was the start of five days of festivities which reached their climax on the 8^th September 1921, the day of the liturgical feast of the Birth of Our Lady.

Not only in Senglea

     The 4^th September 1921 fell on a Sunday and a slight breeze compensated for the hot summer weather. The people of Senglea made it a point to start the day by attending Mass and receiving Holy Communion.

     There were so many people coming to Senglea that it looked like one big procession, when one keeps in mind that public transport in its infancy than. Pontifical Mass was said by Bishop Mawru Caruana. Even though he was not born in Senglea he made it a point to extenuate the very close links he had with Senglea. He spent his childhood here and it was from Senglea that he left Malta to join the Benedictines.

     Senglea was too small to take in the great amount of people who came for the crowning ceremony. In the morning, the presence of very important persons showed how this day was greatly welcomed by many. By early afternoon Senglea was thronged with people who came from all over Malta.

Extraordinary and unique enthusiasm

    Many people were climbing on top of roofs to get to the best vintage points. The same could be said for the balconies – all full to the brim. The Grand Harbour presented a unique sight. Boats, ferries and small ships were everywhere. People were also observed on the roof tops in Vittoriosa and Cospicua from where they could get a glimpse of what was going on in Senglea’s marina.

     The procession from the Basilica to the marina was led by Bishop Caruana himself. As assistants he had Bishop G.M. Camilleri of Gozo and Mons Angelo Portelli, Auxiliary Bishop of Malta.

    Tremendous rounds of applause greeting the arrival of the statue of Marija Bambina at the marina, but the climax of the ceremony was reached when the Arch bishop Caruana, under a canopy specially prepared for the occasion put the golden crown on top of the head of the statue of Our Lady. At that instance all churches all over the island started pealing their bells to announce the great occasion to all. Many of those present started to wave their hats or handkerchiefs and others openly cried with joy. All the people at the marina had eyes only for the statue of Marija Bambina, whose look attracted the faithful. The singing, the pealing of the bells, the fireworks all together increased the extraordinary enthusiasm of that day.

I was there

     I used to hear my father express with great satisfaction: ‘I was there with the people of Senglea for the crowning of the statue of Marija Bambina.’ These same words were uttered by many to their children. They were all of the same opinion, that there was never a feast as memorable as that of the crowning of the statue of Our Lady in Senglea. It was the only time that in their lifetime they saw a statue of Our Lady being crowned.

     All facades and rooftops of Senglea and of all the churches in Malta were lit up. Freemasons and Protestants were so taken in by the enthusiasm being shown by the people of Senglea that they even made financial contributions so that the festivities could be a success. The story of this particular day has been told time and time again and it always brings fond memories of those heady days.

25, 50, 75 years have passed this then

     On the 25^th anniversary of the Coronation, in 1946, the Arch priest was Canon Manwel Brincat. The people of Senglea were happy because the war was finally over. Senglea had changed a lot in those twenty five years. Many people passed away, some during the tragic war years. The Basilica was completely destroyed and the statue of Marija Bambina was temporarily being held at St Philip’s Church. No proper celebrations could be held. Discussions were still in hand on how the Basilica could be re constructed.

     In 1971, on the 50^th anniversary of the crowning of Marija Bambina, the Arch priest was Can Gwann Sladden. He was a Senglean true and true and dedicated all his life for the well being of the city. The anniversary was celebrated with all the solemnity as was proper for such an occasion. The Cardinal of Bologna, Giacomo Lercaro placed a golden rose at the feet of the statue of Marija Bambina. The Malta Government issued a set of commemorative stamps to mark the occasion. Many Bishops came from abroad for the celebrations. A plaque was placed at Senglea’s marina to commemorate the arrival of the statue in Senglea and of its crowning.

     Canon Vincenz Cachia was Arch priest in 1996 on the 75^th anniversary of the crowning of the statue of Marija Bambina. Preparations started in earnest and this time many Maltese could partake in the festivities held. The celebrations went on for a whole year. Whoever participated could feel the bond the people of Senglea had with Our Lady. All Maltese were invited to join forces with the Sengleans and give due respect to Marija Bambina. The message of the celebrations was a call for continual reform and conversion.

     Without doubt, whether we admit or not Our Lady is forever our Heavenly Queen. If we show Her the love and respect She deserves we will be in a better position to understand how wonderful it is for us to be close to Her. We can always feel Her giving us a helping hand not just to rule us, like earthly queens do, but to help us, comfort us and give us all the help necessary to obtain eternal life with Her in heaven.

(*the original article was written on the 75^th anniversary of the crowning of Marija Bambina in 1996)

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