Gozo Bishop Giovanni Maria Camilleri was man of people
Gozo Cathedral Chapter, Order of St Augustine of Malta commemorate his 100th death anniversary
The Gozo Cathedral Chapter, in collaboration with the province of the Order of St Augustine of Malta, commemorated the 100th anniversary of the death of Gozo Bishop Giovanni Maria Camilleri (1889 and 1924).
Mass was led by Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma, assisted by archpriest-elect Emanuel Saliba, Augustinian Provincial Leslie Gatt OSA and Gozo Augustinian convent prior Adeodato Schembri. For the commemoration, a portrait of Bishop Camilleri by Lazzaro Pisani was placed near the main altar.
Prior to mass, Gozo historian Mgr Joseph Bezzina delivered a short speech highlighting Bishop Camilleri’s main achievements. During his long incumbency, Bishop Camilleri carried out 10 pastoral visits.
His constant presence among the faithful identified him as a pastor ready to nourish, protect and comfort the congregation. He was renowned for his eloquence in preaching and the contents of his sermons at the cathedral, published in eight volumes, reflect his profound knowledge of the Bible and Patristic writings.
Mgr Bezzina said Bishop Camilleri’s main achievement was the holding of a diocesan synod at the cathedral in 1903. Its decrees under 15 different titles endeavoured to project the Church in Gozo into the 20th century. Composed in an elegant style and without ambiguity, it was hailed by commentators as a Magna Carta for the Gozo diocese.
Bishop Camilleri overcame two major crises during his bishopric. In 1909, he tackled the decision by the Society of Jesus to quit the seminary. By September, the institution was ready to receive students once again.
The second was a several-years-long struggle to overcome the many obstacles that cropped up in the building of Ta’ Pinu shrine. He had the satisfaction to lay its foundation stone on May 30, 1920.
Due to his poor health, Bishop Camilleri retired on January 20, 1924. He died on December 7, 1925 and was buried at St Mark church, Rabat (Malta). On December 29, 1973, his remains were reinterred at the Gozo cathedral in a memorial with his bust by Carlo Pisi.
At the end of mass, Bishop Teuma blessed his memorial, while Fr Gatt expressed his great appreciation to Mgr Teuma and the Cathedral Chapter for the commemoration and presented the Bishop with an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Good Counsel, an image venerated by the Augustinian Order and very close to the heart of the Augustinian Pope Leo XIV.
A commemorative booklet, Giovanni Maria Camilleri. L-Isqof Agostinjan ta’ Għawdex (1843-1925), with the full speech by Mgr Bezzina, published jointly by the Gozo Diocese and the Augustinian Province, was distributed to the congregation.