Bishop of Gozo
Born in Valletta, Giovanni Maria Camilleri, the son of Giuseppe and Carmela née Borg, joined the Augustinian Order in 1861 and was ordained priest on 30 November 1867 by the Augustinian Bishop Mgr. Gaetano Pace Forno.
In 1870 Camilleri obtained a doctorate in theology (DD) and was appointed lecturer of dogmatic and moral theology in Bracciano, Italy. He was appointed regent of studies in 1875, rector and provincial (superior general) of St Augustine College in Valletta in 1886, professor of theology at the International College of St Monica, Rome in 1884, and consultor of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and of Regulars in 1887.
On 11 February 1889 Pope Leo XIII nominated him bishop of Gozo and he was consecrated on 24 February 1889 at St Augustine church in Rome by Cardinal Rampolla. He was installed bishop of Gozo on 30 March 1889.
As bishop, Camilleri made substantial reforms at the Gozo seminary. He inaugurated and consecrated several churches in Gozo, including Ta’ Pinu Basilica. He was the mastermind who erected the sanctuary, and was the one who laid and blessed the foundation stone of Ta’ Pinu. He used to go on foot twice a week to visit the Blessed Virgin at the little chapel at Ta’ Pinu. Through his devotion Mgr Camilleri decided to build a new church. He appointed a rector and, to encourage the faithful to visit the sanctuary, he obtained a brief from Pope Leo XIII to give plenary indulgence on some feasts of the Madonna.
On January 1924, after 35 years as bishop, Camilleri retired to the Augustinian priory, Rabat, Malta where he died. His funeral at Mdina cathedral was led by Bishop Dom Mauro Caruana OSB, while Bishop Michael Gonzi celebrated a funeral ceremony at the Gozo cathedral, where a monument to him was erected and blessed in December 1973 by Rev Albert Borg, Augustinian Provincial.
During his term as bishop, Camilleri published his homilies and pastoral letters in eight volumes.
This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.