Villagers of Għarb gathered in their parish church yesterday to bid farewell to their neighbour and spiritual leader, former Gozo Bishop Nikol Cauchi who died early on Monday morning.
Dressed in black, the residents sang prayer hymns while Mgr Cauchi’s body lay in state in the church located a few metres away from his childhood home.
“We’re here to bid our final farewell. He was our neighbour and many knew him as a priest,” one woman whispered in church.
“I’ve known him all my life. He presided over my First Holy Communion and my Confirmation,” the 63-year-old woman said as tears welled her eyes.
Then, a smile took over and, after a pause, she looked up and recalled: “I remember his mother recounting the story of how, when Mgr Cauchi was a young boy, he sat on the lap of his uncle who was a priest while he was on the pulpit and pretended to be preaching.”
That young boy, she said, grew up to be Gozo’s seventh residential Bishop – a role he filled between 1972 and 2006 – during which time he gained a reputation for his homilies that were “easy to follow but rich in meaning”.
Mgr Cauchi, 81, died at Mater Dei Hospital after suffering respiratory problems. His death shocked friends and relatives who were hoping he would soon be out of hospital as he had shown signs of recovery after suffering from pneumonic and heart failure on October 27.
The ceremonies yesterday, in preparation for his funeral today, were held in honour of “Gozo’s father”, known for his intellect and jovial character.
The funeral cortege left Mater Dei at 12.30 p.m. and headed to Marfa from where it boarded an Armed Forces of Malta patrol boat. The boat left at 1.30 p.m. and berthed in Mġarr, Gozo, about half an hour later.
Gozo Bishop Mario Grech, his pastoral secretary Fr Eddie Zammit, Vicar General Fr Giovanni Gauci and Mgr’s Cauchi’s pastoral secretary and assistant for 19 years, Fr Renato Borg, accompanied the coffin on the boat.
On arriving in Gozo, the cortege was greeted with applause by seminarians and priests who were joined by a handful of Gozitans.
“He really used to know how to deliver a homily in a clear way and would throw in a joke somewhere,” an 83-year-old woman recalled.
The coffin was then placed in a hearse by six AFM officers from the maritime squadron and the cortege headed towards Għarb.
Groups of people gathered along the main road leading to the village and some carried yellow and white flowers. Throughout Gozo, flags flew at half mast as a sign of respect.
When the cortege arrived in Għarb square, the hearse stopped in front of Mgr Cauchi’s childhood home, a few metres away from the parish church.
Fireworks were let off and the village band club played solemn hymns as villages carried the coffin into the church where Mgr Cauchi’s body lay in state.
Inside the church, packed with people from the small village of about 1,000 people, a choir sang and the congregation joined in with ceremonial songs of prayer.
The cortege left Għarb at 4.30 p.m. and headed towards the Gozo Curia in Victoria where Mgr Cauchi’s body again lay in state.
“He was a good man who, above everything else, was approachable... He used to sum up an hour’s worth of messages into a nine-minute homily. He was like a father to many of us,” one man said, as he walked up the steps of the Curia.
Mgr Grech then led a vigil at 9 p.m. in honour of his predecessor.
People can pay their last respects to Mgr Cauchi at the Curia between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. today.
The cortege leaves the Curia at 3 p.m. and the funeral Mass will be celebrated in the Gozo Cathedral at 3.30 p.m. followed by a private burial in the cathedral.
Donations can be made to the Gozo Seminary where Mgr Cauchi lived for many years.