Kerċem will celebrate the feast of St Gregory the Great between March 10 and 14. Fr Franklin Vella will celebrate Mass with a reflection on the pastoral writings of the saint on the days of triduum at the parish church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Perpetual Succour and Pope St Gregory the Great at 6pm, while Fr Eddie Vella will celebrate Mass on Saturday, eve of the feast, also at 6pm. On Sunday, March 14, Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma will lead a concelebrated Mass at 6pm.

This year, the feast of St Gregory is more significant since the people of Kerċem are seeking the saint’s help against the COVID-19 epidemic. When Gregory was elected Pope on September 3, 1590, a terrible plague raged through Rome and its environs. It had even claimed the life of his predecessor, Pope Pelagius II. Pope Gregory led a massive procession around Rome, inviting everyone to pray to God.

As of 1592, on March 12 of each year, members of confraternities  and most of the population of Gozo walked in a votive procession from the Matrice (the Cathedral), to a chapel dedicated to St Gregory at Għar Gerduf, on the outskirts of Rabat, later Victoria. The procession must have begun in thanksgiving to St Gregory for his intercession against plagues and natural catastrophes.

Another interesting historical aspect related to the feast of St Gregory is that, in bygone times, one condition prior to a marriage in Gozo was a promise by the bridegroom to take his future wife to the feast of St Gregory on March 12 every year. After the feast of Santa Marija, the feast slowly became one of the most important feasts in the religious and cultural calendar of Gozo. Eventually, the day became a regional public holiday.