It is with sadness that we hear of the passing, this morning, of Mgr Carmelo Grech known by one and all as Dun Karm tas-Siku.
Mgr Carmelo Grech was born on 28 November 1931. He studied at the Lyceum and the Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood on 15 April 1956. He celebrated his First Solemn Mass at St George’s the following 6th of May. As soon as he was ordained, he was chosen to be Vicar for Archpriest Mgr Michael Cefai. For seventeen years he was spiritual director for the Legion of Mary. Together with others, he founded and directed the ‘Teenagers Group’ from 1963 to 1970. For a long time he published a leaflet entitled Bejnietna t-Teenagers (Between us the teenagers). He was a teacher at the Boys’ and Girls’ Secondary School and a member of the Diocesan Presbyteral Council. When in 1975 Diocesan Bishop Mgr Nikol Ġ. Cauchi founded the Collegiate of St George, he was one of the first groups of canons to be installed.
Dun Karm will be remembered as the author of Il-Ġuri tal-Ħaddied in defence of his late father. It was on July 15, 1938 that a man called Frenċ Caruana known in Victoria as Il-Kalies was fired at and killed. In the absence of a culprit, inspector Carol Saliba accused innocent Wenzu Grech – the father of the late Mgr Carmelo Grech. Ex-President of the Republic Anton Buttigieg had studied the case. Mgr Grech is also the author of the monograph entitled Il-Knisja Arċimatriċi tal-Belt u tal-Gżira ta’ Għawdex.
Mgr Grech was a reserved priest respected by the entire community and loved by all.
The funeral of Mgr Grech will be presided by the Bishop of Gozo Anton Teuma at St George’s Basilica on Wednesday. More details to be announced soon on our Facebook Page.