Be the first to comment!Liturgical feast of St George celebrated today in Victoria
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The Liturgical Calendar of the Diocese of Gozo celebrates the Feast of St George, Patron Saint of Gozo today..
At 7.00pm, Mgr Charles J. Scicluna, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of Malta, will preside over a Pontifical High Mass at St George’s Basilica. Prior to that 6.30pm, the Collegiate Chapter celebrates the Second Solemn Vespers at 6.30pm.
The Vigil of the Martyrdom of St George was held yesterday at 8.00pm at Independence Square, for this occasion, the titular statue of St George was taken out from the Basilica at around 7.30pm, accompanied by the La Stella Philharmonic Band playing religious hymns, under the direction of Mgr Sigmund Mifsud.
The statue was welcomed with the singing of the Georgius natus est by a large crowd in the main square of Victoria. The vigil liturgy took an hour – the beautiful and rich text was written by Rev. Dr Richard N. Farrugia, who also animated the congregation, as the Laudate Pueri Choir sang psalms and parts of the Litany to St George. Archpriest Mgr Pawlu Cardona presided.
A 44-page pocket book, containing readings and prayers to our Patron Saint, was distributed to all those present in Independence Square. Following the concluding Eucharistic Benediction, the whole congregation – ranging from children to much older members of the community – returned to St George’s Square to accompany the statue back inside the Basilica singing with the Band the Innu Popolari “Lill-Kbir Martri San Gorg”.
The choice of Independence Square as the venue for this year’s Special Vigil stems from the historical and social significance of the important commission, 175 years ago, of the artistic statue of St George to Pietru Pawl Azzopardi for the titular procession of the Patron Saint of the island.
It-Tokk, as the square is known among the locals, represents the civic centre of Gozo, hosting, among others, the old headquarters of the Universitas Gaudisii, the local Government of Gozo up to the nineteenth century, now used as the seat of the Victoria Local Council.
