President Edward Fenech Adami and Mrs Mary Fenech Adami together with Health Minister Louis Deguara and Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly Helen D’Amato on Friday attended a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Paul Cremona to mark the official reopening of the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at St Vincent De Paul.

Following the Mass, a musical concert was held by the workers of St Vincent De Paul and their families, under the direction of Maestro Charles Pace.

Tenors Joseph Aquilina and Vincent Farrugia, soprano Catherine Frances Farrugia, singer Yorika Attard and Cantate Domino choir from Zurrieq also participated in the concert.

Mrs Catherine Gonzi and former parliamentary secretaries for the elderly John Rizzo Naudi and Antoine Mifsud Bonnici were also present.

The church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was extensively restored from the outside and inside. The restoration formed part of a larger project that was inaugurated in September 2006 that included the new block Mother Theresa and the Padre Pio ward.

The project, which cost a total of Lm4 million, also included new paving between the Padre Pio and Mother Teresa blocks.

The restoration of the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus cost around Lm220,000. The church is accessible from both wards and can accommodate up to 600 people. The latest technology was installed in the church allowing the residents to follow Mass from the comfort of their wards.

Particular attention was given to the Padre Pio and Mother Teresa wards to help the elderly residents feel at home.

As a result, the chapel is at the centre of the two wards and helps the residents feel as though they are in a typical village with the church at the centre.