Manifestation of thanks at the Granaries

Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

The large crowd that filled the Granaries in Floriana yesterday was a manifestation of thanksgiving for the canonisation of Dun Gorg Preca last Sunday.

All the 8,000 chairs laid out in the open space were taken and many members of the public were left standing.

Although windy, the weather was much kinder than in Rome on Sunday where about 5,000 Maltese pilgrims who attended the canonisation ceremony were drenched to the bone with the heavy, unremitting rains.

In his homily, Archbishop Paul Cremona called on Christians to follow the teachings of St Gorg Preca, who had rightly been described as a prophet. What he had taught was needed now much more then it was in his time. Mgr Cremona called on priests to imitate St Gorg, who had not been given any official work by the Church.

His mentioning the members of the MUSEUM, the Society for Christine Doctrine set up by St Gorg to spread the faith, was met by loud applause.

The members of that society, the Archbishop said, had inherited St Gorg's charisma.

These members had another mission - to provide the public with more teachings by St Gorg so that all the Maltese would come to know the saint better.

Mgr Cremona pointed out that St Gorg had started his work with adults who could spread the word. This, the Archbishop said, was a message one should continue to emphasise and propagate.

In the past days, the Maltese had celebrated and learned more about St Gorg. They could now either continue living the memory of these past days or else look to the future.

"Had St Gorg been here, he would have said: 'Continue the mission I have started.'"

St Gorg's memory was an enormous heritage to the Church in Malta and to society.

To embark on his work, St Gorg had asked some youths for a cigarette. He did this so that he could then give them Christ. St Gorg went through difficult times. In 1909, he had to close the branches of the MUSEUM he had opened.

In 1914, he was attacked by the media but he did not react. The bishops then had called an inquiry into his work but the inquiry had instead, approved the MUSEUM society.

In a message at the end of the celebrations, postulator Mgr Charles J. Scicluna said the Maltese had found their luck in St Gorg and St Gorg had found his in the Maltese. The Maltese, he said, had become promoters of St Gorg and of his treasures.

"St Gorg had loved the Maltese and Gozitans and had given them all he had but the Maltese and Gozitans loved and love St Gorg."

Yesterday's celebrations started with a procession from St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta to the Granaries in Floriana with the reliquary holding a tube of blood of St Gorg.

Concelebrating with Archbishop Cremona were Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mercieca, auxiliary bishop Annetto Depasquale, Apostolic Nuncio Felix del Blanco Prieto, Gozo bishop Mario Grech, postulator Mgr Scicluna and judicial vicar Arthur Said Pullicino.

The congregation was led by President Eddie Fenech Adami.

(TIMES 08.06.07)

Procession marks transfer of St Gorg Preca reliquary to Hamrun parish

Politics knows no colours when it comes to religion, as evidenced yesterday by the procession marking the transfer of the reliquary holding the blood of St Gorg Preca to the Granaries in Floriana and to the MUSEUM chapel in Blata l-Bajda.

All political and social creeds joined together yesterday evening in a demonstration of adoration for Malta’s first saint.

Some 8,000 seats had been prepared at the Granaries, while some 40 priests were assembled to give Holy Communion.

Amongst the thousands on hand for the occasion were Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Opposition Leader Alfred Sant, President Eddie Fenech Adami, Speaker of the House of Representatives Anton Tabone and Chief Justice Vincent Degaetano, as well as various ministers and parliamentarians.After being returned from Rome following the canonisation of St Gorg Preca, the reliquary had been brought to a number of Gozitan parishes for veneration by Gozo Bishop Mario Grech.

It was returned to Malta on Wednesday, when it was handed over to Archbishop Paul Cremona by Gozo Bishop Mario Grech. The reliquary was then brought to St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, where it had remained until 7pm yesterday evening.

Yesterday’s procession followed the reliquary as it was transported from St John’s Co-Cathedral to the Granaries in Floriana, where a Thanksgiving Mass was celebrated by Mgr Cremona. Other concelebrants included Gozo Archbishop Mgr Mario Grech, Archbishop Emeritus Mgr Joseph Mercieca, Mgr Annetto Depasquale, Mgr Felix del Bianco Preto and Mgr Pawlu Giglio.

The reliquary was then transported to the MUSEUM chapel in Blata l-Bajda for public veneration, where will remain until this evening, after which the reliquary will be brought to the St Gaetano Hamrun parish, where it will be permanently held.

Activities marking St Gorg Preca’s canonisation will continue next week, including an oratorio on the evening of Friday, 15 June at St John's Co-Cathedral, while another oratorio will be held on the evening of Sunday, 17 June.

(MALTA INDEPENDENT 08.06.07)

Sibna Qaddis li jghaqqadna

minn Brian Meli

Il-Fosos tal-Floriana, li normalment aktar nassocjawhom m’attivitajiet tal-massa li jifirduna kif se jigri ftit taz-zmien iehor, minflok il-bierah laqghu wiehed minn dawk l-avvenimenti rari li fihom il-poplu jaghzel li jinghaqad ghax ihoss li l-okkazjoni tkun wahda li ghaliha ghandu jappartjeni kulhadd.

Xiehda ta’ dan kienet il-prezenza ta’ eluf ta’ Maltin u Ghawdxin li honqu l-Fosos biex iccelebraw l-gharfien universali li l-Knisja Kattolika tat lil wiehed minn hutna ghall-qdusija tieghu, biex issa ghandna l-ewwel qaddis Malti - San Gorg Preca.

Ghaldaqstant il-manifestazzjoni tal-bierah, li wasslet ghall-qofol tac-celebrazzjonijiet li kien ilhom ghaddejjin sa minn jiem qabel il-kanonizzazzjoni tieghu li saret il-Hadd li ghadda fil-Belt tal-Vatikan, ma kenitx biss avveniment rari ghall-fatt li ghaqqad il-poplu, imma wiehed uniku fih innifsu ghax ma nafux jekk ghadx qatt jerga’ jkollna iehor bhalu.

Filwaqt li n-nies bdiet tingabar minn sighat qabel, folla kbira ghazlet li l-ewwel tmur il-KonKatridral ta’ San Gwann biex minn hemm akkumpanjat lill-kleru fil-purcissjoni li saret lejn il-Fosos bir-relikwija ta’ San Gorg Preca.

Ma setax kien aktar floku li biex inghata bidu ghall-koncelebrazzjoni ta’ radd il-hajr, tkanta l-innu “Maghqudin b’Fehma Wahda”. L-Arcisqof Pawl Cremona mbaghad introduca c-celebrazzjoni billi waqt l-att petenzjali qal lil dawk prezenti li l-okkazjoni li kienu migburin ghaliha kienet biex ifakkru “l-hwejjeg kbar li Alla wettaq fostna bil-hidma ta’ l-Ispirtu s-Santu fil-qaddej habrieki San Gorg Preca. Hu stinka biex iwassal fil-Knisja t-taghlim ta’ Kristu, il-Verb maghmul bniedem, u ghall-istess ghan waqqaf is-Socjetà tal-MUSEUM biex, fi xtutna u barra minnhom, tghallem u tifforma nies, tfal u zghazagh l-aktar, fil-fidi.”

Kif kien jixraq ghal din l-okkazjoni l-qari tal-liturgija sar miz-zewg Superjuri Generali – Victor Delicata u Phyllis Falzon – li fil-prezent qeghdin imexxu s-Socjetà tal-MUSEUM. Waqt li t-talbiet tal-fidili nqraw minn zewg deputati, wiehed minn kull naha tal-Kamra tar-Rapprezentanti, Silvio Parnis u Jason Azzopardi.

Fost dawk li tellghu l-offerti kien hemm it-Tabib Lawrence Spiteri, li kien it-tabib privat ta’ San Gorg Preca u li bis-sahha tieghu, ghax gharaf sa minn dak iz-zmien il-qdusija ta’ dan is-sacerdot, ghandna r-relikwija li tikkonsisti f’demm tal-Qaddis.

San Gorg Preca jistedinna nkomplu l-missjoni li beda hu

Fl-omelija tieghu l-Arcisqof Pawl Cremona qal li f’dawn il-granet il-poplu Malti u Ghawdxi ghex ferh kbir, ghexna mumenti ta’ celebrazzjoni kemm fil-Vatikan kif ukoll fil-gzejjer taghna li permezz taghhom sirna nafu aktar min kien San Gorg Preca.

“Imma fuq kollox dan il-mument huwa stedina ghalina biex jew nibqghu nghixu fil-memorja li ghexna f’dawn il-granet, inkella nharsu lejn il-gejjieni. San Gorg Preca zgur li qed jistedinna biex inkomplu l-missjoni li beda hu, biex b’hekk nac- certaw li nibqghu nzommu l-memorja tieghu hajja. Din hi l-isfida li issa ghandna quddiemna bhala poplu”, sahaq l-Arcisqof.

Waqt li qal li t-triq lanqas ma kienet facli ghal San Gorg Preca, huwa fakkar fi tliet episodji minn hajtu li kienu mumenti iebsin u ta’ tbatija u li fihom spikkat l-ubbidjezna mnebbha mill-qdusija tieghu. L-ewwel episodju kien dak ta’ l-1909 meta l-Isqfijiet ta’ dak iz-zmien kienu gieghluh jaghlaq l-oqsma li kien digà fetah. Imbaghad hames snin wara, fl-1914, segwa episodju iehor ta’ tbatija fejn f’dik is-sena l-gazzetti kienu mimlijin b’kitbiet kontrih u kontra dak li kien qed jaghmel.

Dan wassal biex l-Isqfijiet talbu li ssir inkjesta fuq il-hidma li kien qed iwettaq San Gorg Preca, liema nkjesta mbaghad serviet ta’ grazzja ghax minnha harget proprju l-approvazzjoni tas-Socjetà tal-MUSEUM mill-awtoritajiet ekklesjastici.

Hawnhekk l-Arcisqof Cremona rringrazzja lis-soci tal-MUSEUM, li sejhilhom bhala l-werrieta tal-karizma ta’ San Gorg Preca, u zied jappellalhom biex jaghtu aktar taghlim halli l-poplu jsir jaf ahjar lill-fundatur taghhom. Appell iehor indirizzah lis-sacerdoti biex dawn jimitaw lil dan il-Qaddis fis-sacerdozju tieghu, waqt li fakkarhom kif dan qatt ma hares lejn titli.

L-Arcisqof Cremona ghalaq l-omelija billi ghamel sejha lill-insara Maltin u Ghawdxin biex jaghrfu jghixu dak li ghallem San Gorg Preca, u dan billi jghixu hajja li ma tkunx ibbazata fuq dak li hu estern imma bbazata fl-ispirtu. Temm jghid li dak li ghallem San Gorg Preca jidher li aktar hemm bzonnu fiz-zminijiet tal-lum, milli kien hemm bzonnu fi zmienu.

Wara c-celebrazzjoni fuq il-Fosos, li ntemmet bil-kant ta’ l-Innu Malti segwit mill-innu ddedikat lill-Qaddis Malti, l-Arcisqof rega’ ghadda minn qalb in-nies bir-relikwija ta’ San Gorg Preca u rikeb f’karozza miftuha li haditu Blata l-Bajda biex wassal ir-relikwija fil-Kappella tal-MUSEUM.

Illejla, fis-7.00 p.m., r-relikwija tittiehed lura fil-Knisja Parrokkjali ta’ San Gejtanu, il-Hamrun, biex terga’ titpogga fil-post originali taghha ghal hafna snin.

(orrizont 08.06.07)