The city of Victoria is celebrating St George’s Feast this weekend, however because of the Covid-19 mitigation measures issued by the health authorities, this year there are none of the usual external celebrations, including processions or the popular band march on Sunday morning.

The island will be welcoming many visitors over from Malta for this celebration weekend, coming mainly from Qormi where St George is also Patron Saint.

Gozo also celebrates St George on the official day – April 23rd is St George’s Day all over the world and his festive memory is kept in Gozo and all over the Maltese islands as it is held in the homes and churches of the Christian East and West, in Istanbul, Canterbury and Rome, as well, very probably, as in the most distant regions of the globe.

St George’s Day is perhaps not kept in all the regions of the world in the same manner, nor does the Martyr’s memory necessarily convey a uniform religious significance.

In Gozo, both April 23rd and the Third Sunday of July are primarily religious festivities although they have different, albeit complementary, emphasis.

While the April day is exclusively devotional and practically confined to the day’s internal church celebrations, the July feast is normally spread out over several days of external festivities, cultural fare and popular entertainment.This evening there will be a musical programme in Independence Square from 8.30pm with the Banda Cittadina and La Stella Band under the direction of Dr John Galea. Attendance is by reservation only. The organisers said that there will be no admittance to the square if a reservation has not been made in advance.

SUNDAY 18 JULY SOLEMNITY OF ST GEORGE

Mass will be at 5.00, 6.00, 7.00, 8.00, at 9.00, 11.00am, 12.00, 5.00pm and 6.00pm.

8.30am: Solemn singing of the Third by the Chapter of the Collegiate.

9.00am: Pontifical Concelebration presided by H.L. Mgr Anton Teuma, Bishop of Gozo and Dean of the Collegiate assisted by the Chapter and clergy of the Basilica, and members of the secular and religious clergy. The Bishop delivers a homily with words of praise and glory to St George.

Mass in D is performed in honour of St. George “Princeps Martyrum” (1976) for soloists, choir 4 voices and orchestra, composition by Prof. Joseph Vella.

7.00pm: Solemn Celebration of the Second Vespers of the solemnity, by the Chapter of the Collegiate, presided by E.T. Mons. Alfred Xuereb, Apostolic Nuncio to Korea and Mongolia.

The psalms of the Second Vespers of St. George are performed, composition of Prof. Joseph Vella, from the Laudate Pueri Basilica Choir.

8.00pm: SOLEMN CELEBRATION OF PRAYER, SINGING AND PRAISE AROUND THE STATUE OF SAINT GEORGE, ANTIPHONE, AND EUCHARISTIC BLESSING, AS A CONCLUSION TO THE FEAST IN HONOUR OF SAINT GEORGE.

Photos by Maggie Bajada – St George in the Basilica and a sea of red in St George’s Square

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