The feast of Santa Marija will be celebrated at the Comino chapel on Saturday. Although celebrations will be restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year a new event is being added to the programme – the blessing of ferries, yachts and traditional boats (dgħajjes).

Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma will be riding on a dinghy to bless all marine motors which happen to be at San Nikola bay at 5pm and Santa Marija bay at 5.30pm. All marine drivers will be given a memento. A solemn mass will be celebrated in front of the chapel at 6.45pm. Seats will be available.

The Saturday Mass at the chapel is very popular with Maltese and Gozitans who happen to be on their boats or camping on Comino, especially in summer.

Mgr Joseph Attard, the rector of the chapel, says that to cross over to Comino with helpers to celebrate the Holy Eucharist is quite an encouraging experience. “We are made holy by the very act of participating in the Eucharist,” Mgr Attard said.

The chapel of St Mary was first mentioned in a map dating from 1296. However, the location of this original chapel is not known. The present chapel may have been built on the exact site of the medieval chapel. The original chapel must have been ravaged on numerous occasions by pirates that attacked the island due to its defenceless shores.

In fact, there was no defence on Comino prior to 1618. As a result, its population abandoned the island and went to live in Gozo.

In 1618, the knights built a defence tower, St Mary’s Tower. This encouraged some people to return to Comino. Consequently, the chapel of Comino was rebuilt in its current site.

The exact date of its construction is unknown. However, it is known that in 1667 Bishop Bueno deconsecrated the church but it was opened again for worship in 1716, after it was enlarged and refurbished and re-dedicated to the Return of the Holy Family from Egypt.