How has Mount St Joseph Retreat House embraced the call to Care for our Common Home?

Though many associate Mount St Joseph with retreats, the house is also on another mission... to care for our Common Home by embracing our mission in the field of ecology. Ringing beautiful birds with Birdlife Malta, conserving habitats for the Maltese honey bee, planting trees and inviting people to participate in the care of the garden's flora and fauna, all this and more is unfolding in its gardens.

HEADER PHOTO SOURCE: Foundation for the Conservation of the Maltese Honeybee

Though many associate Mount St Joseph with retreats, the house is also on another mission… to care for our Common Home by embracing our mission in the field of ecology.

Ringing beautiful birds with Birdlife Malta, conserving habitats for the Maltese honey bee, planting trees and inviting people to participate in the care of the garden’s flora and fauna, all this and more is unfolding in its gardens.

Conservation of the Maltese Honeybee

Mount St Joseph Retreat House in Mosta has officially joined the Custodians of the National Insect Initiative as a Proprietor, further strengthening Malta’s growing conservation network dedicated to safeguarding the endemic Apis mellifera ruttneri.

By becoming a Custodian of the National Insect through the support of the Foundation for the Conservation of the Maltese Honeybee, Mount St Joseph Retreat House has committed to hosting an apiary on its grounds as part of this nationwide initiative. The retreat house will provide a designated and secure area for the responsible rearing of Maltese Honey Bee colonies, contributing directly to biodiversity protection, ecological balance and long-term genetic conservation. Read more about our role here.

Ringing of birds

BirdLife Malta regularly visit the gardens of Mount St Joseph Retreat house to ring birds as part of their research, protection and conservation efforts. It is amazing what beautiful birds pass through!

Tree planting

Hundreds of trees have been planted in the grounds with the help of volunteers and generous donations by Ambjent Malta.

The gardens are brimming with life, with a vast array of flora and fauna which appear during the different seasons (see the gallery below for some snaps from our garden).

Work Experiences in the Gardens of Mount St Joseph

Periodically a call is made for volunteers to help with keeping the gardens in good shape. Work Experiences in the Gardens of Mount St Joseph offer a unique opportunity to connect with nature by gently tending and maintaining the beautiful and peaceful gardens of Mount St. Joseph. We welcome you and your friends to join us for seasonal hands-on experiences ranging from the popular and much anticipated olive picking to pruning, watering, sweeping and other garden work. Gardening skills aren’t required – just a willing pair of hands and a big heart! As a gesture of appreciation, the retreat house compliments participants with a delicious and well deserved “ftira biż-żejt” enjoyed in conviviality.

“The call for a helping hand in the gardens of Mount St Joseph Retreat House says it all,” said Fr Godwin Preca SJ, a member of the Jesuit community residing at Mount St Joseph. He is very enthusiastic about the care of the gardens around the house.  “

“However I would like to stress even more the experience of relating. Psychological research nowadays shows that there are, way above everything else, three things that give meaning and fulfillment to life: our relationships with one another, bonded by shared values and beliefs; our relationship with nature, out of which we come and to which we will return; and our relationship with – however we conceive it – the divine cosmos (The Tablet 16th May). That’s exactly why the whole idea started. I am convinced that bringing people together, coming in touch with nature and sharing a little our experiences, work miracles in peoples’ lives. After each working morning, the gardens of Mt St Joseph, look cleaner, healthier and even more beautiful and colourful.”

The organising team for the work experiences in the grouds is made up of Maria Miller, Marie Therese Portelli, Jackie Saliba and Fr Godwin.

Should you wish to volunteer with the upkeep of the gardens at Mount St Joseph please contact Fr Godwin Preca SJ on 21416916

Click here to learn more about the retreat house