St Theresa Sanctuary, described by many as “the space ship” due to its size and shape, was not big enough to house thousands of elderly people who made their way to Birkirkara to participate in a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Mgr Paul Cremona yesterday morning.

Many were disappointed because of what some said was simply “bad organisation”. This church is huge, but yesterday’s crowd surpassed that seen in Mdina and Valletta on Thursday and Friday, said one elderly person.

The least the organisers could have done, this person said, was to install a public address system outside the Church “so that everyone could follow”.

Mgr Cremona – who kept his homily as short as possible due to the large congregation inside and outside the church, and because a number of elderly people remained seated inside coaches, buses and mini-vans parked outside the church – spoke about two different situations faced by elderly people.

“The first thought I would like to share with you is that about suffering; for many elderly, growing old may mean severe suffering.

“When you think about Jesus’ suffering, you realise that it was shocking, also because he died at such a young age; it is very difficult for us to realise that we are not here forever, but think about Jesus, about the way he lived and understand that the Lord will never leave you,” he said.

On the other hand, Mgr Cremona also spoke about the elderly who are still in good health but realise that they do not have much to do. He referred to Mary, who was alone when Jesus died, but when she was with the apostles and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, she was asked to take care of the Church.

“Can you, like Mary, offer your energy to help the Church to grow? I encourage you to offer your help to the parish,” said Mgr Cremona.

A number of groups from homes for the elderly and day centres were disappointed since they were meant to have places reserved, but ended up lost in the crowds in the huge church and it was a headache for their leaders to find them at the end of the Mass.

One angry group leader said the organisers had asked her how large her group would be so that seats could be reserved for them. However, they had to stand up throughout the Mass that lasted over an hour and a half.

Many of those present said that although St Theresa’s Sanctuary is a very large church, the activity with Mgr Cremona should have been organised in a larger venue, like the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre (MFCC) in Ta’ Qali.

The Archbishop had met over 4,000 children a few days before his episcopal ordination. He will be meeting families there on Sunday.

As he arrived yesterday morning, Mgr Cremona was welcomed by a large crowd of elderly people and by a group of school children. Another group of children inside the church performed an animated song at the end of Mass, while a teacher from St Francis School in Balzan presented a bouquet of flowers to Mgr Cremona’s mother.

A bouquet of roses was also presented to the Archbishop on behalf of all elderly people as a token of their appreciation, love and loyalty towards him.