Fr Geoffrey G. Attard, Victoria writes:

It was with great sadness that last Friday, as I was coming out of St George’s Basilica at the end of the liturgical celebrations, I met my friend from Qormi, Lucian Apap, who informed me of the death of Chev. Ġorġ Bianchi.

Bianchi, a native of Qormi and a great devotee of Saint George, patron saint of both Qormi and Victoria, used to cross over to Gozo every third week of July to participate in the festivities in honour of the martyr-saint of Lydda.

He is renowned mostly for his pen since he was the author of numerous poems, mostly of a religious nature. Every year he used to write a poem in honour of St George, his own patron saint. He loved his native town of Qormi and wrote the official hymn for the town, with music composed by Mro Sebastian Camilleri.

I read his poem in honour of St George in a recent publication of the St George’s Band of Qormi which moved me to tears; in it he thanked the martyr-saint for his intercession which he seems to have experienced during the last decade during which he had to struggle with the heavy burden of a stroke that had hit him.

I used to meet Ġorġ every day during the festive days of July in Victoria and he was a humble person and always carrying a smile in spite of his sufferings.

Ġorġ collapsed on Thursday as he was listening to the Vespers in St George’s Basilica and was quickly taken to hospital; he must have passed away soon after.

Dear Ġorġ, I meant to tell you how much I liked your latest poem to St George; I’m afraid I will not be able to do so, at least not for now! I shall miss you and I am sure that many friends of yours will do the same. I offer my sympathies to all your family. Dear Ġorġ, until we meet again, may you rest in peace.