The Diocese of Gozo was established on 16 September 1864, and the National Statistics Office is marking this 150th anniversary today with data on ordinations within the diocese.

In absolute terms, Gozo’s resident population practically doubled since 1864. During the same period, the population on the mainland has more than trebled.

There were 613 priesthood ordinations under the tenure of eight bishops and two apostolic administrators within the Gozo Diocese over the past 150 years.

Of the 613 ordinations that took place in Gozo since 1864, 28.2 per cent, or 173, were registered in the last fifty years. This is in contrast to 217 ordinations between 1864 and 1913, and a further 223 between 1914 and 1963.

A third of all those ordained are still alive, of whom 48 per cent are over 64 years old. The majority of those ordained in the last decade are living abroad.

Gozo’s population 150 years ago accounted for 11.5 per cent of the total population; the latest Census puts the share at 7.5 per cent.

Data from the episcopal archives show that a third of all those ordained came from Victoria, while a further 29 per cent hailed from Nadur (15 per cent) and Xaghra (14 per cent).

Bishop Giovanni-Maria Camilleri, who was responsible for the diocese for 35 years, ordained 169 priests, or 28 per cent of the total. At their ordination, 84 per cent of priests were under 28 years of age.

On 16 September 1864, Blessed Pope Pius IX established Gozo and Comino as a separate Diocese from Malta through the Papal Bull Singulari Amore (“With Remarkable Love”). On 22 September, Michele Francesco Buttigieg was chosen as the first Bishop of Gozo.

Since its foundation, the diocese has been governed by eight Bishops, including the current one, and two apostolic administrators.

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