Our Founder

Joseph de Piro

When people dream things happen. Born as part of the nobility of Malta at the turn of the 20th century (b. 1877), the Servant of God Joseph De Piro was shaped by the missionary movements sweeping Europe at the time in the Catholic Church, to which he was exposed in his seminary training in Rome.

After turning his back on his myriad possibilities stemming from his noble birth, both as a career person and within the church itself, he dared envision a new role for priests and brothers, in his country Malta, by setting up the Missionary Society of St. Paul, as a new congregation with a specific goal of evangelizing. Whilst actively involved in multiple roles -philanthropy with orphanages, politics at a time of turbulence and conflict in Maltese society, church roles such as the rectorship of the Seminary, and the appointment as Dean of the Cathedral Chapter – Mgr De Piro clung to his first dream: the setting up of the Society.

He nurtured his little plant through its early beginnings, begged authorities to approve it, and endured the disappointments of its early struggles with members joining and then leaving. He saw through the first missioning of a member, Br. Joseph Caruana in 1928, and made plans to visit him in Abyssinia, in 1933.

When he died suddenly in 1933, he left the Society he founded still in its infancy. Yet, because it was not a monument to him, but a charism of God’s spirit, De Piro’s Society has survived, grown, and branched out.

Today the name of De Piro graces mission posts such as the Philippines, Pakistan, Malta, Peru, Cuba and Australia. But more than the name of the man, it is the dream which he dreamt which lives on: a dream from a nobleman, with a noble heart.

Visit the official site of Canonisation at www.josephdepiro.com

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    This is what I pray for: to come to know the will of God and fulfil it wholeheartedly.

    Joseph de Piro
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    During sorrow and disappointments, even in the face of death itself, I try to raise my mind and heart towards the heavenly father and tell him “Thy Kingdom come.”

    Joseph de Piro
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    Do you know what is the most important thing? It is to listen and follow God’s word that is much more worthy than the whole world with all that it can offer.

    Joseph de Piro
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    We must be ready to follow God’s Will with a real generous heart convinced in our motto “We follow you whenever you go”.

    Joseph de Piro
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    Jesus prefers those who wish to remain hidden. When He chose me to be one of his ministers, He found me among sinners.

    Joseph de Piro
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    Every member of the Society should do his very best to be able to deliver the Word of God as worthily as possible. His way of life should be in conformity to what he is preaching.

    Joseph de Piro
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    Missionaries must be careful not to neglect the advance of their own soul by thinking of saving that of others

    Joseph de Piro
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    The spiritual life must be the aim of all external actions, otherwise little or nothing will be obtained from missionary work.

    Joseph de Piro
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    Charity is treasure above treasures. It is the queen of virtues, the fullness of perfection, God himself. And who is like God? Man’s first and greatest obligation is to love first and above all else the great God our Lord because we owe it only to Him what we are and what we have. We have been created just to love him. We love God our Lord, if we hate what He hates and love what He loves; in other words if we shun sin and behave virtuously. Just as light and darkness do not stay together, likewise charity and sin are not found in one soul at one time.

    Joseph de Piro
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    After the love of God there is the love of our brethren. We are all brothers, sons of one Father. My second great duty is to love my brothers and love them as much as I love myself, for so wants God my Lord. He who says that he loves God and at the same time does not love wholeheartedly even his enemies, he would be saying an untruth…

    Joseph de Piro
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    According to our judgement, this year has been a year of misfortune. This is our way of looking at it, because God does nothing that is not perfect, and his works cannot be but good. On this occasion I can say without fear that the consolations we have experienced have been greater than the grief caused through our great loss.

    Joseph de Piro

Prayer for Beatification
of our Founder

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Lord Jesus, let my heart be similar to yours, inflamed with your love, so that I may
be your disciple and follow you wherever you go. Help me to spread in the world
the fragrance of your love. Give me the gift of your Holy Spirit as my companion
and guide. Through the intercession of your Servant Joseph De Piro grant me the
grace I am asking … and continue to inspire and guide me so that I too may be
generous and a missionary according to your heart.
Amen.

Señor Jesús haz que mi corazón sea como el tuyo, inflamado con tu amor, para que
yo pueda ser tu discípulo y seguirte a donde quiera que vayas. Ayúdame a difundir
la fragrancia de tu amor en el mundo. Dáme el don de tú Espíritu Santo qué es mi
compañero y guía. Por la intercesión de tu Siervo José De Piro dame la gracia que
te pido…. Y sigue inspirándo y guíandome para que yo también sea generoso y un
misionero según tú corazón.
Amen.

Signore Gesù, fa che il mio cuore sia simile al tuo, infiammato con il tuo amore,
per poter essere tuo discepolo/a e seguire te ovunque tu vada. Aiutami ad irradiare
la fragranza del tuo amore nel mondo. Dammi il dono del tuo Santo Spirito come
mio compagno e mia guida. Per l’intercessione del tuo servo Giuseppe De Piro, ti
supplico di concedermi la grazia …. e continui ad ispirarmi e guidarmi in modo
che anch’io possa essere d’animo generoso ed un/a missionario/a secondo il tuo
cuore.
Amen.

Mulej Ġesù, agħmel li qalbi tkun tixbah lil tiegħek, imkebbsa bl-imħabba tiegħek,
sabiex insir dixxiplu tiegħek u nsegwik kulfejn tmur. Għinni biex inferrex fid-dinja
l-fwieħa ta’ mħabbtek. Tini d-don tal-Ispirtu Qaddis tiegħek biex jakkumpanjani u
jiggwidani. Bl-interċessjoni tas-Serv tiegħek Ġużeppi De Piro aqlagħli l-grazzja li
qed nitolbok… u kompli ispirani u mexxini sabiex jiena wkoll inkun ġeneruż/a u
missjunarju/a skont qalbek.
Amen.

Panginoong Hesus, itulot mong ang puso ko ay maging tulad ng puso mo, pinag-
aalab ng iyong pag-ibig, nang sa gayon ako ay magiging alagad mo, sumusunod

sa’yo saan ka man magtungo. Tulungan mo akong ipakalaat sa mundo ang tamis
ng iyong pag-ibig. Ipagkaloob mo sa akin ang biyaya ng Espiritu Santo bilang
aking kasama at gabay. Sa pamamagitan ng iyong lingkod, Jose de Piro,
ipagkaloob mo ang biyayang hinihingi ko…. at patuloy mo akong pukawin at
gabayan upan ako rin ay maging bukas-palad na misyonero ayon sa bunsod ng
iyong Puso.
Amen.

Lạy Chúa Giêsu, xin làm cho trái tim con bừng cháy lên bằng tình yêu Chúa và được trở nên giống trái tim Chúa hơn, để nhờ đó, con có thể trở nên môn đệ của Chúa, bước theo Chúa trên khắp mọi nẻo đường. Xin giúp con truyền rao hương thơm của tình yêu Chúa cho mọi người được biết. Xin ban cho con quà tặng Thánh Linh, như là bạn đồng hành và là Đấng chỉ lối cho con. Qua lời chuyển cầu của Tôi tớ Chúa là cha Giuse Đờ-Pi-rô, xin ban cho con ơn mà con đang khấn xin…(xin nêu ơn khẩn cầu). Xin Chúa tiếp tục thôi thúc và hướng dẫn con, để con cũng trở nên quảng đại hơn và để có thể làm người truyền giáo như lòng Chúa ước mong. Amen.