As part of the Pauline Year commemorating the two thousandth anniversary of St Paul’s birth, you may find on this website daily citations from the Pauline letters. These are both in English and in Maltese.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008:
A Movement founded at St George's travels the missionary world
The month of October is dedicated to the missionary work being conducted in many third-world countries afflicted by poverty and misery.During that month several Gozitan missionaries visited our parish and said the 9am Mass, after which many people went to the sacristy to hand them a donation.The three Gozitan priests –Fr Anthony Zammit from Victoria, Fr Giovann Cefaimssp from Żebbuġ, and Fr MarċellPortelli mssp from Fontana –, all of whom are in Perù,expressed their gratitude for our parishioners’ generosity.Yet, even though October is over, we should still be concerned about helping these poor nations and people all year round!
Monday, November 17, 2008:
Parish feast of St Clement and St Pacificus
The month of November brings with it yesterday’s parish feast of St Clement and St Pacificus, two “anonymous” saints whose holy relics are conserved at St George’s basilica.It was in the 17th century that the bones of several Christian martyrs of the third century Roman persecution, which had been found during archaeological research, were distributed to many parishes around Malta and Gozo.
Sunday, November 16, 2008:
Parish announcements for the week commencing on 16 November 2008
These are the parish announcements for the following week. Monday and Tuesday, there is the Lectio Divina. Thursday, there will be the adoration in silence. Saturday, the meeting of our Altarboys and the meeting for the adoloscents. The announcements follow in Maltese, while further notices may be found in the Coming Events section on this website.
Friday, November 14, 2008:
Latest issue of Il-Belt Victoria recalls great Basilica anniversary
The latest issue of Il-BeltVictoria (No 164) which has just been published, covering the period from September to October 2008, is especially dedicated to the fiftieth anniversary of the proclamation of a new basilica for St George’s protoparish in Victoria. As always, this issue is downloadable in PDF format from the Multimedia section on themain menu of this website, by clicking on Bi-Monthly Review.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008:
Franklin Vella: a warm presence much felt at St George's
His journey twice a week is not too long… only a six-minute drive from Xewkija to Victoria!Those who are more than just passive spectators in the life of St George’s parish cannot but notice his presence at weekends.For those who do not know who I am referring to, take a look at the photos.Coming to St George’s on a Saturday evening or every other Sunday, in one way or another you will come across the friendly character of seminarian Franklin Vella.
Monday, November 10, 2008:
The Dedication of St John Lateran solemnly feted at St George's
Yesterday, November 9, St George’s basilica joined in a special way the cardinal vicar of Rome Agostino Vallini, the clergy as well as the Christian community gathered at St John Lateran in the joyful celebration of the latter’s dedication. This commemoration is, indeed, kept throughout the Catholic Church, but it is marked quite solemnly at St George’s, because this Gozitan basilica has liturgical and honorific ties with the Lateran basilica, which is the cathedral of the pope, the bishop of Rome. UPDATE: Bishop Grech's homily in Maltese.
Friday, November 7, 2008:
Amedeo Minghi and the Laudate Pueri choir at the Astra
On Saturday 1 November 2008 it was a first-ever for the basilica choir, as the Laudate Pueri joined popular Italian canta-autore Amedeo Minghi, in the heart warming omaggio to the late John Paul II, the Great, Un uomo venuto da lontano.Incidentally, the choir had sung the motets Tu es Petrus and Ave Maria in the Sala Paolo VI in the Vatican way back in November 1988, in a private audience granted by H.H. Pope John Paul II to delegates hailing from all over the globe in the first meeting of the Salesian pastpupils.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008:
All Souls' Day: a Christian call to remembrance and prayer
This year’s All Soul’s Day turned out quite evenful for archpriest Mgr Paul Cardona as he had to celebrate the Holy Eucharist on two different occasions outside the parish precincts.On Sunday morning at 10.15 he said Mass for the repose of the twenty-three Gozitans who drowned near Ħondoq ir-Rummien bay in 1948,on board the Gozo Channel’s Ta’ Pinu quayed at Mġarr harbour. At 15.30 Mgr Cardona led a parish pilgrimage to Victoria’s cemetry, where he celebrated Mass for the repose of all deceased parishioners of St George’s.
Monday, November 3, 2008:
All Saints' Day: a universal Christian call to holiness
The month of November set off last Saturday with the Catholic festivity of All Saints whichwas established to honour all those – whether known or unknown – who had attained the beatific vision in heaven, thus atoning for any shortcomings in the celebration of the saints’ feasts during the year.
Thursday, October 30, 2008: Turandot: Puccini's triumph at the Astra
As the saying goes, “nothing succeeds like success”.That sums up gracefully the staging ofPuccini’s masterpiece at the Teatru Astra.Success, however, does not come by without serious professional commitment, indispensable team spirit and selfless dedication.These three characteristics have guaranteed high level productions in recent years, and may they continue to do so for the benefit of high culture in our island.The numerous patrons and cognoscenti, who packed the Astra for the two nights, witness not only to the excellence of the productions, but also to the undimmed interest for grand opera in our islands.
Sunday, October 26, 2008:
Folla mdaqqsa ta' missjunarji tkompli titħejja għall-Missjoni
Kompliet il-Ġimgħa fil-għaxija s-serje ta’ laqgħat organizzati mid-djoċesi Għawdxija fl-okkażjoni tal-Missjoni Djoċesana, imnedija uffiċjalment xi ġimgħat ilu fil-pjazza ewlenija tal-Munxar, bit-tema “L-Imħabba ta’ Kristu ssuqna” (2 Kor 5:14).Folla mdaqqsa ta’ xi mitt ruħ imliet il-bażilika għat-tieni laqgħa ta’ formazzjoni, wara li l-ewwel waħda saret fuq livell djoċesan fis-santwarju Ta’ Pinu l-Ġimgħa li għaddiet, 17 ta’ Ottubru 2008.
Friday, October 24, 2008:
Relic of St Paul's arm welcomed at St George's basilica
Yesterday and today St George's basilica joined the rest of the parishes of the Maltese islands in hosting for one day the precious relic of the arm of St Paul the Apostle, which is one of the treasures that adorn the collegiate parish church dedicated to him in Valletta.As part of the special celebrations commemorating the Pauline Jubilee 2008-2009 in our two dioceses, a joint initiative is promoting a pilgrimage of the relic around the parishes of Malta and Gozo.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008:
New lectionary makes Word of God more "readable"
During a Mass attended by a crowd of about 1,000 Gozitans and eighty priests and religious from all around the diocese of Gozo, the bishop of Gozo Mgr Mario Grech inaugurated the Missjoni Djoċesana 2008-2009.The Mass took place on Friday 10 October 2008 at the square in front of the Munxar parish church dedicated to the Shipwreck of the Apostle Paul, an event commemorated annually on 10 February.