The feast of Saint Andrew will be celebrated in Fontana on November 30. Days of Triduum will be held between November 26 and 28 at 6pm. The sermons will be delivered by Canon Emmanuel Saliba.

On the eve of the feast, the translation of the relic will take place at 4pm, followed by vespers and High Mass led by Mgr Edward Xuereb. On November 30, the solemnity of the martyrdom of Saint Andrew, vespers will be sung at 5.30pm, followed by High Mass presided over by parish priest Simon Mario Cachia. The Chorus Urbanus, directed by maestro John Galea, will animate the liturgical functions.

The devotion to Saint Andrew in Fontana goes back many decades. The residents of the locality were mainly fishermen and nearby Xlendi bay was their port. Since Saint Andrew is the patron saint of fishermen, it was only natural for the fishermen of Fontana to consider the saint as their heavenly protector. Andrew was a young fisherman from Galilee.

The confraternity of Saint Andrew (Fratellanza ta’ Sant’Andrija) was founded in October 1906. In 1909, Karlu Mallia was commissioned to make a statue of Saint Andrew.

In the beginning of the 20th century, the local fishermen expressed their wish to dedicate their church to Saint Andrew.

However, Bishop Giovanni Maria Camilleri decided to dedicate the newly-built church to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. But Saint Andrew still enjoys a great devotion and is still considered as the patron saint of the community.

During Nero’s persecution of Christians, around the year 63, Andrew suffered martyrdom by being tied to an X-shaped cross.

Meanwhile, due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year, the feast will be limited to indoor celebrations. The Fontana community is being urged to invoke Saint Andrew’s intercession against the pandemic.