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Parish Church of St. Joseph the Worker, Birkirkara

The Parish Church of St. Joseph the Worker (Maltese: Il-Knisja ta' San Ġużepp Ħaddiem) is a Roman Catholic Church in Birkirkara, Malta, dedicated to St Joseph the Worker.

History
As the population of the village of Birkirkara began to grow in the 1960's, the Chapter of St Helen's Basilica together with the Provost Arch-priest Injazju Sciberras Psaila, began to search for a plot of land on which to build a new church.

The benefactor of this land was Mr Joseph Zerafa who offered a plot of land between Anglu Mallia Street (now known as F. S. Caruana Street) and Bwieraq Street. Church plans were designed by architects Mortimer and Degiorgio and were implemented by Mr Abraham Schembri. On 12 September 1965, the foundation stone was placed during a ceremony led by Archbishop Mikel Gonzi. On 1st May 1967, the church celebrated its first mass and was officially blessed on 29th April 1968 by Archbishop Mikel Gonzi.

The titular Statue
The titular statue depicting St Joseph the Worker and his Son, was carved by Vincenzo Moroder in Ortisei, Italy. The deign for the sculpture was made by Maltese artist Chev. Emvin Cremona. The statue was displayed for the first time on 6th June 1972. The pedestal depicting 4 kneeling angels was also made in Italy in 1983. In order to retain the same style the same artist was commissioned to design this later addition. The statue is carried in a procession held every year on the 1st May.

The statue was restored by Pierre Bugeja/ PrevArti in 2018.

Parish Priests who served the Parish
Dun Karm Aquilina (May 1973 — August 1979)

Dun Mifsud Bonnici (Administrator up to December 1979)

Dun Salvin Micallef (January 1980 — November 1989)

Dun Vinenz Delicoli (December 1990 — September 1996)

Dun Mario Tong (October 1996 — August 2003)

Dun Michael Bugeja (September 2003 — December 2010)

Dun Josef Mifsud (December 2010 — April 2019)

Dun Charlon Muscat (April 2019 —)