Bishop Giovanni Cefai is in Gozo on his first visit since he was appointed by Pope Francis as the first Bishop of the territorial prelature of Apóstol de Huancané, Peru.

Bishop Cefai, who is from Zebbug, Gozo, is the first Maltese Bishop of the Missionary of St Paul. His appointment was announced in April and the Episcopal consecration of Mgr. Giovanni Cefai MSSP took place at the Arequipa Cathedral, Peru, on the 22nd of June.

On Sunday morning a cortege with the Bishop left from Stella Maris House of the Missionary Society of St Paul, in his native village of Zebbug.

Bishop Cefai was accompanied by children of the first Communion and Confirmation, the Santa Marija Band and the people of Zebbug to the Parish Church of the Assumption, where he celebrated a solemn Pontifical Mass, which was attended by the Minister for Gozo Dr Justyne Caruana and her husband Silvio Valletta.Bishop Cefai was born on the 5th of August 1967 in Zebbug, Gozo, gave his solemn vows in 1994, and was ordained a priest in 1997. He holds a licentiate in pastoral theology from the University of Malta.

He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including director of the De Piro youth centre in Malta and parish priest of Santa Cruz and San Pablo Apóstol in Arequipa, Peru. He was also regional superior of the Missionary Society of Saint Paul in Peru.

The territorial Prelatura of Santiago Apostol de Huancané, is formed of twenty parishes in which just over 200,000 people live, with about 85% of them Catholics.

In the territory, there are fifteen priest spread over eighteen thousand square metres of land.

Photographs: MGOZ/George Scerri

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