The feast of St Paul's Shipwreck will be celebrated at Marsalforn church on Sunday, February 9.

On Saturday, February 8, eve of the feast, vespers will be sung at 5pm, followed by the translation of the relic, led by Mgr Joe Zammit, at 5.30pm. Mgr Zammit will celebrate a concelebrated mass at 6pm.

On Sunday, masses will be said at 8, 10 and 11am. The Victory Band of Xagħra and the Santa Marija Band of Żebbuġ will perform band marches along the streets of Marsalforn at 3.30pm. The church functions will start with vespers, accompanied on the organ by Malcolm Caruana, at 3.30pm.

The procession with the statue of St Paul will start at 4pm. It will be led by the Gozo diocese vicar general Mgr Tarcisju Camilleri. The Victory and Santa Marija bands will take part. After the procession, at around 6pm, Mgr Camilleri will lead a concelebrated mass.

On both days, the choir and orchestra will be under the direction of Colin Attard.

On Monday, February 10, the liturgical feast of St Paul, masses will be said at 8, 10 and 11am. Vespers will be sung at 5.30pm, followed by concelebrated mass by Fr Mikiel Borg at 6pm. The music will be directed by Ivan Attard.

Marsalforn church, dedicated to St Paul, dates back hundreds of years. A plaque on the façade says a church dedicated to St Paul existed since 1300. A tradition holds that St Paul, after his three-month stay in Malta, left the island from the tiny port just beneath the church. It is the closest port of the islands to Pozzallo in Sicily.

The present church was built in 1878 through the initiative of Gozo Bishop Pietro Pace. The author of the main altarpiece, depicting St Paul’s shipwreck, is not known.