The liturgical feast of St Publius, Malta's first Bishop and first saint, was celebrated yesterday, January 22. This year, the feast was celebrated with added enthusiasm due to the fact that 2010 is the 400th anniversary of the declaration of St Publius as one of the patron saints of Malta, together with St Paul and St Agatha.

It is very true that St Publius is highly associated with Floriana. However, it is interesting to note that the declaration made in 1610 came before the creation of Floriana as a town in the 18th century. This shows that Malta's devotion to St Publius has very deep roots and, though Floriana and St Publius are highly associated, devotion to the latter was not initiated by the Floriana people but by the Maltese in general.

Due to this, a new effort is being made to extend this devotion among all Maltese people in our present day. This centenary will be celebrated in various ways throughout the year. The celebrations include high Mass yesterday at St Publius parish church in Floriana, Mass celebrated at Ta' Pinu in Gozo tomorrow and a Cantata at St John's Co-Cathedral next Friday. Everyone is invited to attend.