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¤ The feast of St George is being celebrated in Victoria today.

Bishop Nikol Cauchi will concelebrate pontifical Mass at St George's Basilica at 8.30 a.m., with the Cathedral Chapter, members of the Lateran collegiate chapter, and the clergy. The panegyric will be delivered by Archpriest Mgr Dr Joseph Farrugia. The Mass in D in honour of St George, by Joseph Vella, director of La Stella Band, for soloists, choir and orchestra, will be performed.

St George's Band of Qormi and St Margaret Band of Sannat will play marches at 11 a.m.

Vespers will be sung at 6 p.m., presided over by the vicar-general, Mgr Giovanni Bosco Gauci.

The procession with the statue of the saint, led by the Apostolic Nuncio, Mgr Felix Del Blanco Prieto, leaves the basilica at 7 p.m., accompanied by the La Stella Band.

The Nicolò Isouard Band of Mosta will perform on St George Square, while the Mnarja Band of Nadur will perform on Independence Square.

At the end of the procession the antiphon and the Te Deum will be sung, followed by Eucharistic benediction.

The La Stella Band will play marches from Republic Street to St George's Square at 11 p.m.

¤ A week of activities is being organised to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the martyrdom of St Margaret, patron saint of Sannat.

The Sannat drama group is performing the musical Margerita in Xamghan Street, Sannat (next to the Museum premises), tomorrow at 9 p.m. The musical is co-ordinated by Francis X. Buttigieg; script and music are by Daniel Borg.

The traditional dinner is being held on the parish square on Wednesday at 8.30 p.m.

The holy relic of the saint will be brought over by air from Montefiascone in Italy to Malta on Thursday and will arrive by ferry at Mgarr at 5.45 p.m., where it will be greeted by the St Margaret Band. It will then be taken to Sannat parish church.

Concelebrated Mass led by Mgr Pietro Concioli, vicar-general of Viterbo/Montefiascone, will be held at 7 p.m.

Mgr Ephrem Joseph Younan, bishop of the Syrian community in the United States and Canada, with lead a concelebrated pontifical Mass on Friday at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, Don Agostino Ballarotto, Archpriest of the Co-Cathedral of Montefiascone, will celebrate Mass at 10.30 a.m., followed by the Te Deum.

The translation of the relic of St Margaret led by the Archbishop of Moscow, Mgr Tadeusz Kondrusiewiez, together with Bishop Younan, will be held at 6.30 p.m., accompanied by the St Margaret Band. The Gozo Cathedral Chapter and the Chapter of the Co-Cathedral of Montefiascone will also take part.

Various bands will take part in the festivities.

¤ A diocesan Marian manifestation will be held in Marsalforn on Thursday at 7.30 p.m.

A procession with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, during which the Rosary will be recited, will proceed to the promenade where Bishop Nikol Cauchi will lead a concelebrated Mass.

¤ The Cathedral Parish is organising high tea and tombola at the Crystal Palace, Marsalforn, on Friday at 7.30 p.m. Transport will be provided from Savina Square at 6.45 p.m. Tickets, at Lm1.25, may be obtained from Grace Debono (tel. 2155-1460).

¤ The Ghaqda Armar Santa Marija of Victoria is organising a barbecue at Hondoq ir-Rummien bay, Qala, on Saturday at 7.30 p.m. Tickets, at Lm3.50, can be obtained from Coney Island Bar (tel. 2155-1289), Tommy Schembri, Larry Vella or John Schembri.

¤ Week-long celebrations to mark the first centenary of Qala parish start today at 10 a.m. with concelebrated Mass led by Bishop Sylvester Magro, OFM, Apostolic Vicar of Benghazi.

A musico-literary evening with the participation of representatives of different religious denominations, led by the former Archbishop of Catania, Mgr Luigi Bommarito, will be held at the parish church tomorrow at 8 p.m. The St Joseph and St Monica choirs will take part.

Archbishop Bommarito will conclude a sumposium at the sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday at 7.45 p.m. Certificates will be presented to those who attended the formation course.

A monument to mark the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception will be unveiled at 8.45 p.m. The monument will also mark the 50th year of the coronation of the alter-piece of the Immaculate Conception and the inauguration of the Dun Mikiel Buttigieg Hall and the new vestry of the sanctuary.

On Wednesday, concelebrated Mass on the sanctuary square will be held at 7 p.m., followed by a pilgrimage aux flambeaux with the miraculous painting of the Immaculate Conception from the sanctuary to the parish church on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Youthfest will be held on the parish square on Friday at 9 p.m.

Mgr Oscar Rizzato, elemosiniere of the Holy Father, will concelebrate Mass on Saturday at 7 p.m. and administer Confirmation to the children of the parish.