The Parish of St George in Victoria, Gozo, will be holding the funeral and burial process for four people who had nobody to organise this for them.

Writing in the parish magazine, St George’s Parish said that, “all of us were shocked to hear that persons may die and no one turns up to commission a funeral. Our Parish wished to do her best for such people to have a funeral within a community.”

This Wednesday, the 29th of January at 4pm the Parish will hold the funeral of four people: Raymond Balzan, Anthony Borg, Valerie Jean Austin, and Albert Tanti.

“Two months since their death and with no one turning up to make the funeral, we have decided to ‘adopt’ them ourselves,” St George’s Parish said. “With the assistance of the Ministry for Health and Active Ageing and the Superintendent of Public Health we have managed to find a way by which the Church and the parishes may start performing this Act of Charity.”

“This means that the Parish would take up the organisation and expenses of the funeral of these brethren,” it said. “Apart from this, we will also arrange for them to be buried in our Parish graves in the Santa Marija cemetery. This is an act of charity.”

St George’s Parish thanked everyone for their assistance towards this funeral, and encouraged people to attend and celebrate the Eucharist for the repose of their soul on their funeral, which will also be broadcast live on its Facebook page.

Meanwhile, the Victoria Local Council has written to all catering establishments and shops in St George’s Square and St Joseph Street “to remove tables, chairs, umbrellas, signs and any other hindrances from 2.30pm to 6pm so that the four hearses can enter the square.”

Photo: St George’s Parish

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