San Gorg in the hearts of Maltese-Canadians

San Gorg Preca's canonisation is a unique occasion not only for the Maltese in Malta, but also for those who emigrated to other parts of the world. In all probability San Gorg Preca's apostolate and that of the Society of Christian Doctrine has had a definite impact on most of the Maltese population, as acknowledged by many of us.

No sooner had the date of the canonisation been released within the Maltese community in Toronto, that already the wheels were been set in motion to celebrate this joyous and unique event. Not even 12 hours after he was proclaimed saint, members of the Maltese community filled to capacity the church of St Paul the Apostle, a Maltese-Canadian parish, on Dundas Street West. The reason for this was to celebrate and express our gratitude to God for giving us San Gorg Preca as our model of Christian living, commitment, as well as his new earned role, as our intercessor, as he mediates for us with God.

The celebration started with the Malta Band as the image of San Gorg Preca was then placed next to the altar and blessed by the Pastor, Fr Karm Borg MSSP. The framing of this image was sponsored by the Bank of Valletta representative in Canada, Emmanuel Ciappara.

During the homily, Fr Karm highlighted sequentially what made San Gorg a saint and then invited the members of the Maltese community to recognise the responsibility they received in the sacrament of baptism. This included the actual listening to the Word of God and therefore, its evangelisation as proclaimed so effectively by our very own San Gorg Preca. Essentially, this call stirs us to emulate the same yearning as "Dun Gorg" had when he coined his famous caption: Master, may the whole world follow the gospel.

After Mass, various members of the Maltese community met at the De Piro Hall and after a hearty spaghetti dinner, they watched a video about the life of San Gorg.

The Maltese community in Toronto is proud that Dun Gorg's holiness was finally recognised by the Catholic Church and is already planning to start celebrating on a yearly basis his feast in Toronto.