In the heart of the tourist and entertainment centre of Malta’s nightlife there stands an oasis of peace :- THE MILLENNIUM CHAPEL and WOW , (Wishing Others Well), These are two pit stops in the hustle and bustle of Paceville – considered the mecca of young people and foreign tourists who visit the Island of Malta.
The Millennium Chapel is a place where all are welcome in the greatest respect of the human person and the beauty of each other. This has been the response of the Maltese Augustinian Province at the start of the new millennium to a fast changing world.
It is a modern architectural gem of a sacred space created by Richard England to provide a sanctuary where everyone who visits feels that they are not alone, for in spite of the fact that people in the outside world are together, they are still fragmented and dying of loneliness. This prayer space provides a destination beyond space and outside times; a place where one is invited to seek shelter from the strident chaos of to day’s discordant world and enter into a silent meditative oasis.
Open day and night, with the Blessed Sacrament permanently exposed it provides solace to many a lost soul. But the unique pastoral approach of this project is the fact that it caters not only for the soul but also for the body. The Millennium Chapel/Wow has a twinning agreement with two significant institutions : The St. Clare Cloister Nuns Monastery and The Youth Football Association. The former to join in prayer as no less than three nuns found their vocations by frequenting the Chapel before they entered the Cloister Monastery and the latter, to promote the value of the body and the material world created by God through the sports values.
Fr.Hilary, the Augustinian founder of the Chapel happens to be also the Founder of the Youth Football Association that brings together in the practice of sports thousands of children and young Maltese players . The education of young people through sports values is the prime aim of the YFA.
The Chapel also offers free counseling sessions by professionals to various people afflicted in addictions of drugs, gambling, alcohol, sex and other problems of relationships, solitude and depression. A big number of needy families and single mothers collect food bags regularly from Wow (Wishing Others well)
The project is run by a Foundation of mostly lay people chaired by Dr. John C Grech who meet regularly to coordinate and monitor the work of over one hundred volunteers called “Welcomers” who are in charge of creating a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere.