The Maltese Capuchin Friars

The Franciscan Capuchins came to Malta in 1588/89. We do presently have 8 friaries .The first Friary was built by Grand Master Hugh Loubens de Verdalle outside the walls of Valletta (nowadays Floriana). About 150 years later, two more friaries were built: one outside Vittoriosa in 1736 (nowadays Kalkara)and another one in Rabat, Gozo, in 1737. They formed part of the Capuchin Province of Sicily till 1740, when by a Decree of the Minister General of the Capuchin Order, Fr. Giuseppe M. of Terni, issued in Rome on the 25th June 1740, the Custody of Malta was established.

Exactly 100 years after the establishment of the autonomous Maltese Capuchin Custody, the then Minister General of the Order, Fr. Eugene of Rumily, found it fit to raise the three existing Friaries to the status of an independent Province, with an added responsibility of a Prefecture Apostolic in Tunis. They continued to work in Tunisia till 1891. The Maltese Capuchin Province was officially established by a Decree issued on 27th August 1840.

During the current century, the Maltese Capuchins founded five more Friaries: two at Marsa, "Holy Trinity" in 1912; and "Maria Regina" in 1958 (1961); one at Xemxija , St.Paul's Bay in 1935 (1961); one in San Gwann in 1938 (1940); and one at Ghajn Dwieli, Paola, in 1953.

In Malta we are currently 96 Friars.

During the years we undertook apostolic work in India. The first missionaries went to India in 1923 and stayed till 1979, founding in the process the diocese of Jhansi, and for more than ten years also helping in the Archdiocese of Bhopal.

Since 1974, we are engaged in missionary work in the Diocese of Garissa, Kenya , while at the same time we are responsible for the running of the Capuchin Vice-Province in Kenya. A new missionary work was launched some years ago Cuba. Other friars work in United States of America and again in Tunisia.

Our mission takes us to the most difficult places and we work with the poor, in the hospitals namely the elderly in St. Vincent De Paul Hospital, Ruzar Briffa Residence and other residences for old people, the sick, in St. Luke's Hospital and the New General Hospital, St. Philip's Hospital - a private owned hospital, Sir Paul Boffa Hospital - which cares for people suffering from cancer and other terminal sickness and Mount Carmel Hospital where mentally sick people are cured. We work also with the Police Corp , in the prison and in the cemetry.

A newly formed foundation of our Province is the "Fondazzjoni Suret il-Bniedem". The aim behind the foundation is the provision and assistance mainly shelter for homeless people.

The above are just a few milestones in over four hundred years of Capuchin presence in our Islands. They are, however, only impersonal heartaches, the grim determination, the toil and sweat and selfless zeal and devotion to duty of very many of our Friars who bore the heat of the day to make what our Capuchin Province of St. Paul the Apostle is today: A landmark in the history of the Order and the Church in our fatherland and beyond.