The 59th edition of Il-Għid tal-Assunta, the annual publication of the Gozo Cathedral, has just been published, on the occasion of the feast of Santa Marija.

Among others, the publication includes an interesting article about how the Gozo Cathedral belfry might have replaced the minaret of a mosque in 1425. Professor Stanley Fiorini reckons that the campanile replaced that year might have originally been the minaret of a mosque that stood on the same spot in the 12th century. The minaret was transformed into a campanile when the mosque was handed over to Christian priests around 1127. The 1424 belfry is pictured in the altarpiece of Ta’ Savina church executed in 1622. The cathedral’s present belfry was built on a design by Lorenzo Gafà in 1711.

Gozo historian Joseph Bezzina delves into a hitherto unknown role of the cathedral archpriest, the right of giving up abandoned babies for adoption – a process that in 1822 took only 46 days to conclude and at no cost, in stark comparison to the present day lengthy and costly procedures.

The publication gives ample coverage of the private audience that the Gozo Cathedral Chapter had with Pope Francis last December on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of its re-foundation.

It also carries detailed descriptions of the many pastoral activities that Archpriest Joseph Sultana and his assistants hold at the cathedral throughout the year. The several pastoral structures and groups within the parish are also featured.

There is a detailed chronicle of the salient events that took place at the cathedral during the past year. Other interesting contributions include a list of important anniversaries that fall this year and a biography of Mgr George Tabone and Anton F. Attard, listing their great contribution to the cathedral and the Leone Band Club.

The cover depicts the solemn entry of the statue of Santa Marija into the cathedral at the end of feast day procession.