BREAKING NEWS: Nadur has new archpriest from St George's parish

The happy tolling of bells, earlier today at 6pm, not only reminded the faithful of tomorrow’s feast of Il-Gandlora, but also announced the long-expected news: Mgr Jimmy Xerri, a priest from our parish, who has been a missionary in Brazil for the last fifteen years, has just been nominated the seventh archpriest of St Peter and St Paul’s parish in Nadur.  Dun Jimmy, as we know him, succeeds Mgr Salv Muscat, who, for the last twenty-seven years, has led the community of more than 4500 people.

Jimmy Xerri was born on August 30, 1957, in New South Wales, Australia, the son of Frank and Ġeswalda née Vella.  He was baptised on September 15, 1957, at the parish church of Our Lady of Mt Carmel, of the Carmelitan friars of Wentworthville, where he was named James George.  Though born in Australia, where he received his primary education in a school led by the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Fr Jimmy grew up in Gozo.  When his family returned to the island, young Jimmy continued his studies at the Sir Arturo Mercieca Primary School in Victoria, and later on at the Ninu Cremona Lyceum Complex.

In 1974 Jimmy started his formation towards priesthood at the Gozo Major Seminary.  In the same year with him, also from our parish, was Effie Masini, who today heads the Oratorju Don Bosco in Victoria.  Jimmy started his pastoral activity – which later on was to become a trademark of his zealous priestly ministry – as a seminarian of St George’s parish, where he dedicated his free time to children and youth ministry, and in fact was engaged actively at the new parish centre which had just been built by archpriest Mgr Emanuel Mercieca.  He was, in fact, instrumental in the setting-up of a new Children’s Mass, which has now been revived by young volunteers at St George’s.  Together with fellow seminarians Joseph Farrugia (later archpriest at St George’s), George J. Frendo and Effie Masini, Xerri was also involved in the creation of the basilica’s Laudate Pueri Choir.

In 1976 both he and Effie left the diocese to spend an intermediary year abroad; they were the first to do so!  The experiment, launched by bishop Nikol Ġ. Cauchi, proved to be a success.  Jimmy chose to travel to Melbourne, Australia, where he worked at the parish of St Bernadette, in North Sunshine.  Ordained to priesthood by bishop Cauchi at the Cathedral church of Gozo, on June 27, 1981, Fr Jimmy celebrated his First Solemn High Mass at his parish church of St George, Victoria.

After his ordination, Fr Jimmy went to Rome to continue his post-graduate studies in Philosophy.  Back in Gozo he was appointed director of the St Joseph Orphanage, in Għajnsielem, were he spent four years.  At the same time he also lectured in History of Philosophy at the Gozo Major Seminary.  For eight years he was also pastoral secretary to Mgr Nikol Ġ. Cauchi, the diocesan bishop, retaining also his secretarial work at the minor seminary.  His experience alongside a gifted bishop as Mgr Cauchi was, strengthened Fr Jimmy’s own commitment and faithfulness towards the Church.

For many years Fr Jimmy was very active in pastoral work at Taċ-Ċawla, one of the peripheral areas of Victoria, were many families from St George’s parish have their home.  In the late eighties and early nineties young people populated the streets around the newly-built Good Shepherd church, and even today many of them remember with nostalgia the charismatic and inspiring figure Fr Jimmy was in those fruitful years.  He was very popular for his good homilies and kind heart, and in fact was very much loved by the young, who flocked to his Masses and other activities he organised on a regular basis, including drama and sport.  He also propagated the mission of the Catholic Action movement in the area.

When, in 1995, Fr Jimmy was called to leave Gozo and start a new life in the missionary world, he was greatly missed by all and sundry.  He started as an assistant, and subsequently served for several years as the pastor in various parishes in Brazil, the last one being Maceió, until, in 2001, he was called to be rector at the Seminário Provincial de Maceió, an inter-diocesan major seminary responsible for over eighty seminarians.  The archdiocese, covering some 8,545 kilometres, is home to the provincial seminary for the training of priests, an academic institution that exists alongside the Federal University of Alagoas.  In 2006 Fr Jimmy was also honoured with the title of “monsignor”.  His last activity in Brazil has been that of parish-priest of St Sebastian, Messias, in the Alagoas state.

Being a prolific writer and a popular pedagogical figure, Mgr Jimmy Xerri has authored several works of a pastoral character in both English and Portuguese.  His book, published in 1993, Lejn kultura Nisranija, served for many years as the best syllabus textbook in Malta for the study of Religion on advanced level, and in Brazil Fr Jimmy has published five other books.

Mgr Jimmy’s mother, Ġeswalda, lives at the family house in 8 December Street, facing the Museum’s male section premises of Victoria.  The last time he travelled to Gozo for a holiday was in August 2006, when, together with Fr Masini, he celebrated his silver jubilee of priesthood with a special concelebrated Mass at his parish church, St George’s basilica.

The news of Mgr Xerri’s appointment as the new parish-priest of Nadur was communicated to St George’s archpriest, Mgr Pawlu Cardona, by the Gozo Curia earlier today.  Then it was archpriest emeritus Mgr Joseph Farrugia who announced the happy news to the public during his 6pm Mass, which was also broadcast on parish radio station Leħen il-Belt Victoria, asking the congregation to pray for him.

The parish of Nadur was established by bishop Davide Cocco-Palmeri on 28 April 1688.  The church of the Immaculate Conception in Qala, then in the same territory, was the seat of the parish for some years, and the present church was consecrated on May 12, 1867.  It became archipresbyteral on 19 December 1893, and the following year the third collegiate of Gozo was established in it.  The church was bestowed the title of minor basilica in June 1967.

Now Mgr Xerri joins Canons Joe Zammit and Tonio Galea, the other two parish-priests from St George’s, in the diocese’s College of Parish-Priests.  We repeat here the beautiful words this website wrote on Mgr Jimmy on the occasion of his silver priestly jubilee, three years ago, calling him a “testimony to the fruitfulness of St George’s parish as a cradle of priestly vocations, missionary generosity and disposition to service wherever God’s call beckons”.

Photos: Joe J.P. Zammit

Printer Friendly Version Send Article to a Friend

Name A value is required. Invalid format.	Email Address: A value is required. Invalid format.
Please enter the text above exactly as it appears (case sensitive)
When you click on "Submit Comment", a confirmtion email is automatically sent to the address you specified above. You will then be required to confirm this comment by clicking the link provided in this email that you will receive. Comments also need to be confirmed by the administration.