Perseverance is virtue which is very often underestimated. For this reason, it may not be out of place to celebrate one’s success wherever this has been earned through hard work and good will.

Gozo’s periodical Il-Ħajja f’Għawdex is still with us after three-quarters of a century; it seems it has survived the vicissitudes of time.

Today, it commemorates the 75th anniversary since it was first published on June 10, 1945,  June 10 being also Jum il-Belt Victoria (Victoria Day).

The first edition of Għawdex, published on June 10, 1945.The first edition of Għawdex, published on June 10, 1945.

Founding father

Patri Akkursju Xerri OFM, a Franciscan friar from Victoria, can be considered the founding father of Il-Ħajja f’Għawdex (Life in Gozo).

Xerri, born on June 16, 1915, had studied at the Gozo Seminary and the Franciscan Seminary in Malta and then proceeded to the prestigious Università Cattolica of Milan where he studied the humanities.

Ordained to the priesthood in 1939, he had to leave Italy for his native island due to World War II, since the Maltese people were strictly speaking British subjects and, therefore, enemies of Italy.

It was in the period after the war that he developed his brainchild Il-Ħajja f’Għawdex. One can imagine the poverty in which the Maltese islands found themselves after the war, especially Gozo with its reality of double insularity.

Being an intellectual with a keen mindset, Xerri wanted to help in the education of his fellow Gozitans.

At that time, no parish on the island had its own magazine or periodical and being out of the way, Gozo was almost forgotten by the central government.

However, Gozo was in a certain sense, experiencing some sort of renaissance.

Lawyer Francesco Masini established the short-lived Gozo Party in April 1947 and, later on, in the early 1960s, the Gozo Civil Council was established.

It was within this milieu that Gozo’s first ever periodical was founded by the Church in Gozo, giving a voice to the Gozitans.

The cover of the special May 1990 issue for John Paul II’s visit to the islands.The cover of the special May 1990 issue for John Paul II’s visit to the islands.

Under the auspices of the Church

With its 15 parishes and 50 chapels spread all over the island and its towns, one can understand the context in which this periodical became a reality.

Gozo has been a separate diocese since 1864; with the founding of this new periodical, although published by the Church, the entire island was going to have a voice of its own.

The name of the periodical does not give away its religious roots; starting as a journal, it was named simply Għawdex in June 1945 to be later changed into Il-Ħajja f’Għawdex in 1965 when the editor was Dun Nikol Cauchi, the future bishop of Gozo.

The new name was more reflective of the contents since the various articles published in it focussed on the different activities that were taking place in Gozo. Activities of a social, religious, cultural, historical, political and economic nature feature in the thousands of pages that make Il-Ħajja f’Għawdex a modern encyclopaedia about Gozo and the Gozitans.

It was thanks to the various hard-working editors and the faithful subscribers that the periodical could continue to be published and is now commemorating its 75th anniversary.

Patri Akkursju Xerri OFM, the magazine’s first editor.Patri Akkursju Xerri OFM, the magazine’s first editor.

There is no doubt that the greatest event ever to be commemorated by Il-Ħajja f’Għawdex during its long life was that of May 1990 when Pope John Paul II became the first pope in history to visit the Maltese islands and specifically the island of Gozo. During its turbulent past, Malta had two inquisitors who climbed the papal throne: Fabio Chigi, who became Pope Alexander VII, and Antonio Pignatelli, who chose the name of Innocent XII. However, no future pope had ever set foot on the island of the three hills.

History was made when on May 26, 1990, the Polish pope celebrated Mass on the parvis of Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary in the presence of thousands of jubilant Gozitans. He also visited the Assumption Cathedral in Victoria.

The periodical today

Il-Ħajja f’Għawdex is commemorating its 75 years today. Considering that up to 2015, the Maltese were living an average of almost 82 years of age, three years more than they lived 15 years ago, this Gozitan periodical has fared well.

However, like any other magazine, it has had its ups and downs and there were moments where it struggled to survive.  But challenges have never held back its editors from looking into the future with resolve. Inspired by the fervour of its editors and collaborators, Gozo’s ‘voice’ has managed to move with the times and adapt to the needs of the ever-growing world of technology.

As from last year, it is now being published in full colour  and new young faces (or pens) have joined the strong team of contributors.

May this publication continue to bring the world to Gozo and Gozo to the world in the years ahead.

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