The reliquary holding the blood of St. Laurence, arrived in Gozo on Friday evening, after having first been in the Parish of St Laurence in Vittoriosa, where it arrived on Thursday.

This is the first time that the reliquary had been to Gozo and Malta. This reliquary is highly venerated in Amaseno in the provenance of Frosinone in Italy. It will be on the islands until this Monday, the 28th of July.

The Parish of San Lawrenz said that whilst they were on the ferry to Gozo on Friday evening, the blood began to liquify. They said that this sometimes been known to happen during an important occasion or occurence. “The last known case in which the liquefaction of the blood took place, apart from the 10th of August, was in December 2001, when a group of pilgrims were praying before this relic.

Those parishioners that travelled on the ferry said that they “started to notice that the composition of the blood was changing. It was if the Blood of San Lawrenz was like taking life, and the dark colour began to fade. The dark particles became clear in the bottom of the ampule, while the white particles disappeared.”

“Oggi Abbiamo facto Storia”- today we write an important page in the history of the Relic of the Blood of St. Lawrence, the Priest of Amaseno said.

St. Mary of Amaseno, in the small village of Amaseno, set in the mountains of the Province of Frosinone, near Rome, has a reliquary vial enshrined there, said to be that of the blood of St Lawrence, the ancient Roman deacon martyred in the 3rd Century.

St. Mary of Amaseno was consecrated in 1165 and due to its situation among the mountains, the village is known as the ‘Valley of St. Lawrence.’

The relic is so popular due to the fact that on the 10th of August every year, the feast day of St Lawrence, the blood liquefies. Scientists have verified that the vial contains true blood, along with a piece of skin and some fat and ash.

This unexplainable phenomenon was registered since the 1600s. Another document which goes back to 1177, states that the blood in this reliquary belongs to St. Laurence.

The Parish of San Lawrenz, Gozo said that it worked hard in order to bring this reliquary over and together with the Parish of St Laurence in Vittoriosa issued a programme, giving an opportunity to the faithful to note the martyrs who lost their lives for Jesus Christ.

Both parishes proclaim a message of faith linked to the life of the saint who was martyred in 258AD because of siding with the Church Treasures which were the poor in his society.

The reliquary will arrived in Mgarr, yesterday evening when the San Lawrenz Parishioners accompanied it to their Parish, where it was taken in procession to the church, followed by a Mass.

Today, Saturday, visits to view the reliquary by various parishes in Gozo were organised. These was followed by a Mass for the old and sick particularly for those residing at the Residential homes. At 8pm there will be a Prayer Vigil lead by Archpriest Ignazio Borg.

On Sunday 27th July there will be masses at 5.30am, 7am and at 10.30am. The church will remain open through the day.

At 6pm, there will be a Pontifical High Mass officiated by H. L. Mgr. Mario Grech, Bishop of Gozo, together with Fr. Charles Sultana, Parish Priest of San Lawrenz and Don Italo Cardarilli, Amaseno Parish Priest.

At 8.30pm, there will be the official inauguration of the main Square and the signing of an agreement regarding a special friendship between the Mayors of San Lawrenz and Amaseno. The ceremony will continue with the sharing of typical Maltese food.

For more information please visit the official Parish website or contact the Parish of San Lawrenz, Gozo.

Top photograph by Alain Salvary and below the photograph is by CVC

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