The Gozo Cathedral and the Leone Philharmonic Society are commemorating the 125th anniversary of the arrival of one of their most cherished possessions, the statue of Santa Marija in Gozo. Acquired in Rome by the society in 1897 from the Fabbrica di Statue Religiose, it arrived in Gozo in July 1897 and was blessed by Bishop Giovanni-Maria Camilleri at the parvis of the church of St James at It-Tokk, Victoria, on August 13. Every August 13, the statue was paraded along the streets of Victoria and then raised on a plinth at It-Tokk. On April 29, 1956, the society donated the statue to the Gozo cathedral.

The celebrations commemorating the arrival of the statue and its donation to the cathedral opened on April 24, when the Leone Band marched from its former premises to the cathedral. The statue was then brought out of its niche and placed next to the presbytery for public veneration.

Urged by cathedral archpriest Joseph Sultana, parishioners have for the past two years been contributing for the procurement of a new canopy (pavaljun), under which the statue is placed on the feast of the Assumption. The canopy, inaugurated in August 1957, started to wear out due to the thickness of its fabric and the cumbersome task to hang it. The new royal blue, gold-embroidered canopy was executed by the firm Gamma di Felisi srl of Capannori, Lucca, a firm that specialises in liturgical vestments, through their local agents Scerri Art Studio. An equally rich, but less thicker fabric, was used so that it would be easier to handle. The canopy was given its finishing touches in Gozo by parishioners Marlene Portelli and Maria Cardona.

Today, Friday, April 29, Bishop Anton Teuma will lead a concelebrated Pontifical Mass at the Cathedral, followed by the blessing of the new canopy. The Aurora Youth Choir, accompanied by the Leone Band, will take part. On Wednesday, May 4, Bishop Emeritus George Frendo will celebrate Pontifical Mass at the cathedral on the occasion of the opening of the devotion of the 15 Wednesdays leading to the feast of Santa Marija on August 15.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.