One hundred years ago, the Servant of God Ġużeppi De Piro opened the first orphanage in Għajnsielem, Gozo, and became its first director. This orphanage was named House of St. Joseph.
The idea of establishing a boys’ orphanage in the Diocese of Gozo had been circulating since the time of Bishop Pietru Pace, but it truly began to take shape under Bishop Mikiel Gonzi. The archpriests and parish priests of Gozo expressed their heartfelt desire for this project to the Bishop, who embraced their request and issued an official decree on November 6, 1924.
Following this, the next step was to decide who would lead the initiative. The parish priests wished for the orphanage to be affiliated with the House of St. Joseph in Ħamrun, which was under the care of Ġużeppi De Piro. This affiliation was formalised by a decree on April 18, 1925.
The parish priests also hoped that Ġużeppi De Piro would serve as director of the new House of St. Joseph in Gozo. In Christmas of 1924, Dun Ġużeppi Hili, secretary to the parish priests, wrote to De Piro to discuss this vision. To bring this dream to life, many meetings and official requests had to be made to both Bishop Mauro Caruana of Malta and Bishop Mikiel Gonzi of Gozo. After extensive negotiations, Ġużeppi De Piro agreed that he and the members of the Missionary Society of St. Paul would take responsibility for the new orphanage.
The official opening was planned for May 8, 1925, the feast of Our Lady of Pompeii. However, just days before, while De Piro was resting in one of the upstairs rooms, the floor beneath him gave way, causing him to fall to the lower level. Though slightly injured, he recovered, but the opening had to be postponed until Thursday, May 21, 1925—the feast of the Ascension of the Lord.
On this special day, numerous ecclesiastical and civil dignitaries were invited. Governor Congrieve and Bishop Gonzi arrived together by car. Ġużeppi De Piro warmly welcomed the guests with two speeches—one in Italian to the Bishop, and another in English to the Governor.
Although De Piro was the overall director, he entrusted the daily management of the orphanage to Dun Mikiel Callus, who would later become the first Superior General of the Society. Later on, Dun Karm Azzopardi, another member of the Society of St. Paul, also joined in helping with the orphanage’s leadership.
Challenges at the House of St. Joseph in Gozo were constant, but the Servant of God always placed his trust in God’s providence. At this orphanage, De Piro also founded a children’s band, which grew over time to become the Banda San Ġużepp of Għajnsielem. This was a remarkable achievement, especially considering that, until then, Gozo had only two bands in Rabat. To this day, the Banda Filarmonika San Ġużepp of Għajnsielem proudly acknowledges Ġużeppi De Piro as its founder.