Roman Catholic Diocese of Gozo

Diocese of Gozo

*Dioecesis Gaudisiensis*

Djoċesi ta' Għawdex
Diocese of Gozo; Dioecesis Gaudisiensis; Djoċesi ta' Għawdex
Location
Country	Malta ; Gozo
Territory	Gozo and Comino
Ecclesiastical province	Malta
Metropolitan	Archdiocese of Malta
Statistics
Area	67 km2 (26 sq mi)
Population; - Total; - Catholics	(as of 2021); 34,430; 32,954 (95.7%)
Parishes	15
Churches	48
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	22 September 1864
Cathedral	Cathedral of the Assumption
Patron saint	Saint George ; Saint Ursula
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Anton Teuma
Metropolitan Archbishop	Charles Scicluna
Vicar General	Tarcisio Camilleri
Judicial Vicar	Joe Zammit
Bishops emeritus	Mario Cardinal Grech
Map
	; The Diocese of Gozo marked in red.
Website
	gozodiocese.org

Last updated October 26, 2024

The Diocese of Gozo (Latin : Dioecesis Goulos-Gaudisiensis)^[1] is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Malta, and the only suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Malta, together covering the insular state.

History

On a central plateau the ruined fortifications of an ancient town contain the cathedral church and public buildings, outside of which is a large suburb.

Up to the year 1864, Gozo formed part of the then Roman Catholic Diocese of Malta, but Pope Pius IX, acceding to requests by the clergy and the people, erected it into a separate, then exempt diocese, i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See. On 16 March 1863, Michael Franciscus Buttigieg, a native of Gozo, was appointed titular Bishop of Lita and deputy auxiliary of the Archbishop-Bishop of Malta, for the Island of Gozo. He was consecrated at Rome on 3 May of the same year, on 22 September 1864, was created first bishop of the new Diocese of Gozo, and on the 23rd day of the following month made his entry into the new cathedral. This Church, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, is the oldest parish in Gozo. It was already working as a parish in 1241 and goes back to Byzantine period. Through the efforts of Pietro Pace, vicar-general of the diocese, a diocesan seminary was established on the site formerly occupied by the San Giuliano Hospital, the revenues of which were appropriated to the new institution. This seminary was inaugurated 3 November 1866, and by the express desire of Pius IX placed under the direction of the Jesuits.

On the death of Buttigieg, Paolo Micallef, Superior General of the Augustinian Order, was made Bishop of Città di Castello and appointed administrator of the Diocese of Gozo. He left Gozo in May, 1867, and in 1871 became Archbishop of Pisa. His successor to the administration of the diocese was Antonius Grech Delicata Testaferrata, titular Bishop of Chalcedon, a native of Malta, who in 1868 was appointed Bishop of Gozo, and as such assisted at the First Vatican Council. Grech Delicata's divested himself of his own patrimony in favour of the poor; he died on the last day of 1876.

On 12 March 1877, Pietro Pace, native of Gozo, was appointed to succeed Grech Delicata, and was consecrated in Rome by Cardinal Edward Henry Howard. Under his administration the seminary was augmented by the installation of a meteorological observatory, which was inaugurated by Padre Denza, director of the Vatican Observatory. During this administration an episcopal educational institute for girls was also established, under the care of the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul, to whom was also entrusted the direction of the annexed orphan asylum. The same bishop provided the diocese with a new episcopal palace and new monasteries, besides laying out large sums of money on the cathedral.

In 1889 Pace was promoted Archbishop of Rhodes and Bishop of Malta. His successor in the See of Gozo was G. M. Camilleri, a native of Valletta (b. 15 March 1842). Under Camilleri's administration the first diocesan synod was celebrated, in October, 1903. This synod was necessary as the diocese was still governed under the outdated rules of the Synod of Malta of 1703. Constitutions and decrees were also promulgated and published.

In May 1990, it was visited by Pope John Paul II.

Bishops of Gozo

	Name	from	to	Notes
1	Michael Franciscus Buttigieg (1864-1866)	1864	1866
	Paolo Micallef, Administrator of Gozo	1866	1867	Administrator of Gozo
2	Antonius Grech Delicata Testaferrata	1868	1876
3	Pietro Pace	1877	1889	Became Bishop of Malta
4	Giovanni Maria Camilleri	1889	1924
5	Mikiel Gonzi (1924-1943)	1924	1943	Became Coadjutor Bishop of Malta, Bishop of Malta, and subsequently Metropolitan Archbishop of Malta
6	Giuseppe Pace	1944	1972
	Nikol Joseph Cauchi, Administrator of Gozo	1967	1972	Administrator of Gozo
7	Nikol Joseph Cauchi	1972	2006
8	Mario Grech	2006	2019	Became Pro-secretary of the Synod of Bishops
	Mario Grech	2019	2020	Administrator of Gozo
9	Anton Teuma	2020	-

Special churches

Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Victoria - The cathedral church of Gozo was built in 1697–1703, by Lorenzo Gafa. Its ground plan is in the form of a Latin cross. The cathedral is also the annual pilgrimage site of the Grand Priory of the Mediterranean of the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem. Its interior is adorned with fine paintings. The "Massagiere di Maria", an Italian periodical, is recognized in the Diocese of Gozo as the official organ of the sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu.
Basilica and Collegiate Parish of St George in Victoria
Rotunda of Xewkija in Xewkija
Basilica and National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu in Għarb
Basilica and Collegiate Parish of the Visitation in Għarb
Basilica and Collegiate Parish of St Peter and St Paul in Nadur
Basilica and Collegiate Parish of the Nativity of Mary in Xagħra

Important dates

22 June: Feast of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu
15 August: Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary - Patroness of the Maltese Archipelago and of the Gozo Diocese
16 September: Anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese
11 October: Dedication of the Diocesan Cathedral
21 October: Memorial of Saint Ursula - Patron Saint of the Diocese

Parishes

Parish	Location	Date established
Parish of the Cathedral of the Assumption, Gozo	Victoria	pre-1241
Saint George's	Victoria	1st August 1951
Sacred Heart of Jesus	Fontana	27 March 1911
Our Lady of Loreto	Għajnsielem	26 January 1855
Parish of the Visitation of Our Lady	Għarb	29 August 1679
Corpus Christi Parish	Għasri	16 December 1921
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and St Gregory the Great	Kerċem	10 March 1885
Parish of Saint Paul's Shipwreck	Munxar	12 December 1957
Parish of Saint Peter and Saint Paul	Nadur	28 April 1688
Parish of the Immaculate Conception and Saint Joseph	Qala	3 February 1872
Saint Laurence's	San Lawrenz	15 March 1893
Saint Margaret's	Sannat	28 April 1688
Parish of the Nativity of Our Lady	Xagħra	28 April 1688
Parish of Saint John the Baptist	Xewkija	27 November 1678
Parish of the Assumption of Mary	Żebbuġ, Gozo	28 April 1688

Related Research Articles

Għarb is an administrative unit of Malta, located at the westernmost point of the island of Gozo, with a population of 1,539 people.

Victoria, also known among the native Maltese as Rabat or by its title Città Victoria, is an administrative unit of Malta, and the main town on Gozo. Victoria has a total population of 6,901, and is the most populous settlement in Gozo.

Żebbuġ is a village and an administrative unit of Malta, in the northwest coast of the island of Gozo. It is located close to Għarb and Għasri and is built on two hilltop plateaus, Ta' Abram and Ix-Xagħra taż-Żebbuġ. The fishing port and tourist resort of Marsalforn lies within the Żebbuġ Council. The village has a population of 2,956, which makes it the fifth largest in Gozo, after Xewkija.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine located some 700 metres (2,300 ft) from the village of Għarb on the island of Gozo, the sister island of Malta.

Għasri is a village and an administrative unit of Malta, in the western part of the island of Gozo, with a population of 525 people. By population, it is the smallest village in Gozo after San Lawrenz, and the third-smallest in the Maltese Islands, after Bidnija and Mdina. Għasri, however, has a relatively large area.

Xewkija is an administrative unit and village of Malta, on the island of Gozo. The population of Xewkija is 3,300 as of March 2014.

St. George's Basilica or the Basilica and Collegiate Parish Church of Saint George, also simply known as San Ġorġ in Maltese, is a historic Baroque church situated in the middle of Gozo, the second largest island in the Maltese archipelago, and is surrounded by a maze of old narrow streets and alleys. The church had been rebuilt numerous times during the Middle Ages. Today's basilica was built between 1672 and 1678.

In the small Mediterranean island nation of Malta, the predominant religion is Roman Catholicism.

The Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu, or as it is known in Maltese, "Il-Madonna ta' Pinu" is a religious devotion which originated on Gozo, the sister island of Malta. The many Maltese and Gozitans living abroad have managed to spread this devotion in many other parts of the world. The Ta' Pinu Basilica, is based in Għarb.

Karmni Grima was a Maltese peasant whose mystical religious experience led to the constructions and services as an apostle of Our Lady of Ta' Pinu.

Antonius Grech Delicata Testaferrata was a Maltese bishop who became the second Bishop of Gozo in 1868.

Miguel Jerónimo de Molina y Aragonés was a Spanish prelate who was Bishop of Malta from 1678 to 1682 when he was transferred to the Diocese of Lleida in Catalonia, Spain.

Lorenzo D'Astiria was a Spanish Roman Catholic bishop of Malta in the 17th century.

Pawl Cardona was a Maltese Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Episcopal vicar for the Clergy for the Diocese of Gozo. Prior to this he was the Archpriest of the Basilica of St George in Victoria, Gozo from 2007 to 2016.

Ġużepp Portelli was a Maltese Roman Catholic prelate who founded the present Ta' Pinu Basilica in Gozo.

Mario Grech is a Maltese Catholic prelate who has served as Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops since 2020. He was previously Bishop of Gozo from 2005 to 2019 and Pro-Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops from 2019 to 2020.

St Publius' Chapel is a small Roman Catholic church located in the village of Għasri in Gozo, Malta. Even though the chapel is in the village of Għasri, it is under the jurisdiction and administration of the parish of Għarb, its neighbouring village.

Michele Busuttil was a Maltese painter, son of Clemente Busuttil and Rosa Magro.

References

↑ Diocese of Gozo - from Catholic Hierarchy ^{[ self-published source ]}
↑ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Gozo". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.