Bishop of Gozo Anton Teuma led a Mass in the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu, to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of the Servant of God Don Mikiel Attard, who was laid to rest in the same church in August 2022.

At the end of the Mass, Mons. Joseph Grech, Postulator of the Cause, said that “if God wills, within another year the Diocesan Process of the Cause of the Beatification of this Servant of God will be closed.”

In his homily, Bishop Teuma said that “one of the important characteristics of the man of God – as was Dun Mikiel Attard – is the ability to see good where others see only bad. In a person, in an experience, in an event where everyone sees only the negative, the man of God is able to see the beautiful and the positive. We can say this without any doubt about Dun Mikiel.”

The Bishop continued, “with whom did Dun Mikiel not try and deliver the Word of God? With politicians? With the sportsmen? With the priests? With the seminarians? With the inmates? With those far away in the mission? With those who do not know about Jesus? With whom did Dun Mikiel not try to convey in a concrete way the love and the Word of God? And so this priest should be a model for all of us, especially for us priests, in this contact he had with God, close contact, in this identification and in ‘this his likeness to the heart of God; and in that he loves everyone, and instead of judging and condemning, he tries to lift, help, encourage everyone, no matter who he is and in what situation he is.”Bishop Teuma said, “I pray to Dun Mikiel tonight to give us priests a little of this big heart, give us a little of this infinite heart, which was so great that it loved and worried for everyone. We ask Dun Mikiel to give us priests a little of God’s heart that resembles the Heart of Jesus!”

The cause for the Beatification of Fr Michael Attard was launched on a Diocesan level in August 2014.

Dun Mikiel was born in Nadur, Gozo, on the 1st of October 1933, the first of 12 siblings. He was the son of Coronato and Anna neè Tabone. His father used to work in Malta as a contractor and builder and he moved with his family to Hamrun, Dun Mikiel spent his first 6 or 7 years living in Malta.

In 1940, after the second world war started, Coronato decided to return with his family to Nadur

He was ordained at the Gozo Cathedral on April 12, 1959. Dun Mikiel was very devoted to Jesus in the Eucharist and to our Lady of Ta’ Pinu and to her he offered all his pastoral work.

On the 1st of August 2012 at Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary, in a Solemn Mass presided by Mgr Mario Grech, Bishop of Gozo. Right after the Rite of Introduction, Mgr Salv Debrincat, Chancellor of the Bishop’s Curia, read the edict which announced to the Catholic community that the diocesan process of the Beatification Cause of the Servant of God Dun Mikiel Attard was officially opened.

Photos: Diocese of Gozo / Betty Bugeja

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