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The first parish
priest Dun Frangisk
Vella was installed
on the 10th June
1689; he had already
been vicar in the
old church of the
Immaculate Conception.
He died enjoying
the fame of sainthood
on the 27th October
1743 at the age
of 82 – from these;
he had spent 54
years as parish
priest. His mortal
remains are still
revered in the chapel
of the Immaculate
Conception. The
old and precious
painting which is
in the same chapel
where he lies buried
was very much to
his heart. He left
all he owned to
the church and to
other benefices
of charity.
The second Parish
Priest was chosen
by Bishop Alpheran
de Bussan; the choice
fell on Dun Vincenz
Tabone. He was installed
on the 10th January
1744. He remained
at the helm of the
parish until he
died. Dun Vincenz
died on the 6th
November 1765. He
was buried in the
Parish Church. During
the 21 years of
his tenure as parish
priest he did his
best to embellish
the parish church
and to be of service
to his parishioners.
The third Parish
Priest was Dun Guzepp
Speranza. He was
installed on the
25th of March 1766.
He remained parish
priest for 41 years.
He died on the 17th
April 1807 at the
age of 78 years.
The fourth parish
priest was Dun Karlu
De Giovanni Inglott.
He hailed from Senglea
(Isla); he was originally
a Capuchin friar.
He was chosen in
1808 by Bishop Ferdinando
Mattei. He led the
parish until the
29th October 1816.
Later on he was
made parish priest
of Zurrieq in Malta.
De Giovanni Inglott
was parish priest
for eight years.
He died at the age
of 90 in his native
Senglea on the 29th
November 1858.
The fifth parish
priest was chosen
by Bishop Mattei.
Dun Nikola Spiteri
was installed as
parish priest of
Zebbug on the 6th
July 1817. He remained
parish priest until
the 2nd of September
1828. The Bishop
sent him to become
parish priest of
Nadur where he remained
until he died on
the 19th of October
1853. He was parish
priest for eleven
years.
The sixth parish
priest was Dun Mikiel
Grima; he was installed
on the 24th February
1829. He led the
parish priest for
nine years. He died
on the 31st December
1838 at the tender
age of 50. He was
buried in the parish
church.
The seventh parish
priest was Dun Guzepp
Hili and was installed
on the 3th August
1840. He remained
in office for 22
years. During his
time as parish priest,
the two paintings
in the sanctuary
of the church were
commissioned; they
depict the Nativity
and the Presentation
of the Virgin respectively.
The damask
of the church was
also commissioned
while he was parish
priest. After he
left Zebbug, he
was installed canon
of the Gozo Cathedral
Church.
The eight parish
priest hailed from
Nadur; it was Bishop
Gaetano Pace Forno
who chose Dun Gwann
Camilleri to be
the parish priest
of Zebbug. He was
installed on the
8th of March 1863.
He will always be
remembered as one
of the most significant
of Zebbug’s parish
priests because
it was he who commissioned
what was to be the
titular statue of
Saint Mary for the
Parish of Zebbug.
The Assunta
of Zebbug is the
third titular statue
of Gozo and therefore
the first statue
of the Assumption
for the island of
Gozo. Dun Gwann,
as he was known,
remained in Zebbug
for only two years;
later on he became
the parish priest
of Nadur.
Dun Bartilmew Busuttil
was the ninth parish
priest of Zebbug.
This time it was
the first bishop
of the newly-erected
diocese of Gozo
who installed him
as parish priest
since Gozo had become
a diocese in its
own right in September
1864 by Blessed
Pope Pius IX with
Dun Frangisk Mikiel
Buttigieg as the
first bishop of
the new diocese.
Busuttil hailed
from Ta’ Sannat
and became parish
priest in 1866.
He remained in office
for 52 years. Busuttil
died on the 16th
July 1918.
The tenth parish
priest was Dun Anton
Grima of Victoria.
Grima hailed from
a family of priests
and the family was
known among Gozitans
simply as Ta’
Guliermu. He
remained in office
from 1918 to 1920
because in 1920
the Bishop sent
him to Xewkija.
While he was parish
priest of Zebbug,
the statues of the
Passion were commissioned;
they were made by
the renowned statuary
Wistin Camilleri.
Dun Michelangelo
Cauchi was the eleventh
parish priest. He
had already some
experience since
he was parish priest
of Qala. He was
installed in Zebbug
in November 1920
and at the beginning
of his time in Zebbug,
Ghasri was made
a parish thus making
the Zebbug Parish
a Matrice Church.
In 1922 the remains
of Saint Fortunatus
Martyr which were
once the property
of the family of
Maltese politician
Fortunato Mizzi
were given by the
Mizzi Family to
the Parish. A translation
of relics was made
which came out of
St George’s Parish
in Rabat and brought
processionally to
the Zebbug parish
church. Cauchi also
commissioned the
church organ, the
main bell of the
church and other
projects. He also
began the building
of the parish cemetery.
The Cemetery was
blessed in 1935.
In 1937 a new project
was launched – the
enlargement of the
parish church. After
he left Zebbug,
he became parish
priest of Xaghra.
The twelfth parish
priest was Dun Frangisk
Mercieca from Fontana.
He was installed
on the 22nd May
1938. In 1963 the
parish was given
the honour of the
arcipretura
through his work
and so Dun Frangisk
became the first
parish priest of
Zebbug to be called
“archpriest”. The
document with the
new designation
came from Rome.
Mercieca remained
at the helm of the
parish until his
death on the 27th
of November 1964.
He oversaw the making
of the new altar
and the new sanctuary;
both were made in
marble. Mercieca
was 74 years old
when he died. He
was buried in the
parish cemetery
and he was thus
the first parish
priest of Zebbug
to be buried there.
After a few days,
the chapel of the
cemetery was built
and his remains
were transported
there.
The thirteenth parish
priest was Dun Alwig
Vella, a nephew
of Dun Frangisk.
He was installed
as parish priest
on the 8th of December
1964, Solemn Feast
of the Immaculate
Conception. Archpriest
Alwig Vella continued
to embellish the
parish church of
Zebbug. He remained
parish priest until
he retired in 1996
when on the 29th
of September of
that year, Fr. Noel
Saliba, a priest
from the parish
who was ordained
a few years before
was chosen by Bishop
Nikol G. Cauchi
to become Dun Alwig’s
successor. Canon.
Noel Saliba oversaw
the restoration
works on the organ
of the church and
also the old
tuzzell which
is used during the
kwindicina
as part of the festivities
of Saint Mary.
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