Shipwreck of St. Paul

                     
February 10 is the celebration of the Shipwreck of St Paul on the shores of Malta. It is a holy day in Malta, even though the traditional procession with the statue will not take place, because of Covid.. The main church dedicated to the shipwreck of St Paul that happened in 60 AD, is situated in Valletta, the capital city. The above painting is the painting of the apse of the same church, and below is a painting of St Paul appointing St Publius as the first Bishop of Malta, from the church of St. Publius in Floriana. The account of this event is recorded with minute detail by St Luke in chapters 27 and 28 of the Acts of the Apostles. 

The most popular verse in the entire Bible for all of the Maltese people is certainly this one: "Once we were on ground, we realized that the island was called Malta. The inhabitants showed us extraordinary kindness by lighting a fire and gathering us all around it." And the kindness and generosity of the Maltese people is highlighted by the last verse in this memorable chapter for us....’they showed us great kindness, and when we were leaving they provided us with all that we needed.’ And besides the food and other basic necessities, they must have given them an entire vessel, big enough to carry the 276 people who were on the ship that had crashed in the rocky shores of Malta.