Fr. Geoffrey G. Attard writes:

Last Friday, as the Church in Malta was celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, M’Assunta Tabone of Nadur passed away at the venerable age of 101 years.

M’Assunta was born in 1910 and remembered the two world wars. She had a family of 12 children among them the late Joe Tabone, first mayor of Nadur. I had the opportunity of coming to know one of her other sons, Fr Loreto, who was ordained in 1974 and spent more than 30 years within the archdiocese of Edinburgh and St Andrews serving in various parishes. I spent the first year of my priesthood helping him at St David’s, Dalkeith (Midlothian) just outside Edinburgh.

I only met M’Assunta a couple of times in her old age, but I heard so many positive comments about her kindness and generosity towards people in need, I felt compelled to write these few thoughts. In her funeral homily at the basilica of St Peter and St Paul in Nadur on Monday, Archpriest Jimmy Xerri praised M’Assunta’s maternal love towards her ever-growing family and her Christian virtues.

She has left behind her a great number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren by whom she will be very much missed. To all of them I extend my sympathies.

May the Lord grant her eternal rest!