Today marks the 140th anniversary of Our Lady ‘calling out’ to Gharb resident Carmela Grima at a village chapel.

This miraculous event led to the eventual building of the iconic Ta’ Pinu Church.

The story goes that Carmela was passing by the chapel one morning when she heard a mysterious voice saying: “Come, ... come today. For a whole year, you will not be able to return".

Carmela was terrified but entered the chapel nonetheless. It is said that she then heard the Virgin Mary’s voice calling out from the chapel’s central painting which depicted the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The voice told Carmela to “recite three Hail Marys in honour of the three days that I stayed within the tomb”.

After this momentous calling, Carmela got extremely sick and could only return to the chapel after a whole year, just like Saint Mary predicted.

She eventually told a local priest what happened to her during confession. He then informed the Bishop, Pietru Pace, who concluded that the events were true.

Carmela also shared the news of her calling with her friend, Francesco Portelli, who claimed that just a few days earlier he had a similar calling that resulted in the miraculous healing of his mother.

Word soon spread around and people from villages across the country started journeying on pilgrimages to the small chapel. As a result of this, the sanctuary we know of today was built, with the first stone being placed almost 40 years later in 1920.

Carmela did not live to see the completion of the church, as she passed away after being bed ridden for 15 years.

To this day, the pilgrimage to Ta’ Pinu remains a popular one, with many Maltese and Gozitans Christians frequenting the church to pray for the healing of their loved ones.

Facebook/The National Archives of Malta