This masterpiece statue was presented to the Society by the De Paule Supporters Section on the occasion of the Society's Centenary celebrations in July 1998.

The statue, sculpted in wood  by the renowned Maltese artist Chev. Alfred Camilleri Cauchi, has recently been decorated by master gilder Mr. Horace Farrugia  of Mdina. 

 

DETAILS OF THE STATUE

Saturday 19th July 2003 - The Statue of Christ the King given an enthusiastic welcome back home

A very special event in the Society's  recent history happened on Saturday, 19th July 2003 when the Society's statue of Christ the King was warmly welcomed back home after it had been refined and gilded.

The artistic two-metre statue, commissioned by the Partitarji De Paule (the Society's Supporters Section) was sculpted by the well-known Maltese artist Alfred Camilleri Cauchi in 1998 from a solid tree trunk of acajou mahogany from Guinea in Africa. On July 25th of that same year the supporters donated the statue  to the Society to mark the 100th Anniversary of its foundation.

Some time later the statue was taken back to the sculptor's studio in Fgura for refinement. On the 25th November 1999 it was transported to the studio of Mdina gilder Horace Farrugia who had been commissioned to carry out the gilding. Mr. Farrugia completed his task in 2003. In a masterly way he applied a magnificently intricate design on the statue, a design fit for a statue representing Christ as a King.

On Saturday 19th July 2003 everything was ready to give the artistic masterpiece representing the Patron of Paola an enthusiastic welcome.

The Banda Kristu Re started playing festive marches at eight in the evening. From the upper part of Piazza Antoine De Paole the band marched down to Cospicua Road where it met the Statue after it had been transported from the sculptor's studio.

Accompanied by the band playing religious hymns, the statue was borne shoulder high up to the Society's bandstand that had been set up in Paola's main square between the Parish Church and the Society's premises. There the band played a fanfare to salute the statue.

The program that followed consisted of the following:

 

	"Lil Kristu Sultan" - a poem by Malta's national poet Dun Karm, read by Alfred J. Chetcuti
	"Maestuz" - a religious hymn, sung by Annalise Busuttil Azzopardi accompanied by the Band
	"Lil Kristu Re" - a poem by Immanuel Mifsud, read by Anthony Boffa
	"Innu lil Kristu Re" composed by Mro. Francesco Busuttil and written by Dun Frans Camilleri. This hymn was sung by a children's choir, tenor Andrew Sapiano and baritone Joe Huber who were accompanied by the Banda Kristu Re.

After brief speeches by the Society's Secretary and President, framed pictures of the Statue were presented to the sculptor, the gilder and Martin Grima. Then the statue was triumphantly carried shoulder high to the Society premises while Esmeralda Galea sang the hymn "Tigi Saltnatek" from the Lord's prayer "Our Father"

 

From left: Gilder Horace Farrugia, Sculptor Alfred Camilleri Cauchi, Society President Joseph Boffa, Artist Aaron Camilleri Cauchi	Guest statue bearers from Valletta and the two artists
The Band playing the Hymn "Innu lil Kristu Re"	Christ the King blessing the band dedicated to Him
In front of the Society premises	Unveiling the commemorative plaque