• The feast of St Anthony the Abbot will be celebrated today in Xagħra. Gozo Bishop Mario Grech will celebrate Mass at 8.30am. Victory Band will play marches at 9.30am. The saint’s statue will be taken out of the church at 10am to St Anthony Square, where horses will be blessed. A horse défilé will follow in St Joseph and Church streets. A dog show will be held in the square at 11am. A procession will leave the parish church at 4pm, accompanied by the band. Mgr Grech will bless animals in the square at 4.30pm.
• The Gozo Horse Racing Association will hold winter finals and races at Xhajma Racetrack today at 1pm.
• Masses at Ta’ Pinu will be said today at 6.15, 8.30, 10 and 11.15am and 5pm, followed by the the rosary and Eucharistic benediction.
• Masses at Our Lady of Mount Carmel church, Ta’ Ħamet, will be said today at 9.30am and at 7.30pm.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be screened today at 5.30pm at Don Bosco Oratory, Victoria. The Imitation Game will be screened on Saturday at 8.30pm.
• A conference entitled ‘St John Bosco: 200 years with the young for the young’ will be held at Don Bosco Oratory, Victoria, on Thursday at 7.15pm, to inaugurate a year of activities to mark the 200th anniversary of the saint’s birth. The speaker is Mgr Rosario Borg. Everyone is invited.
• The feast of St Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists and writers, will be marked with Mass on Friday at 5pm celebrated by Mgr Mario Grech at the church of the Franciscan Sisters in Palm Street, Victoria.
• Wirt Għawdex will hold its annual general meeting on Friday at 5.30pm at St Cecilia chapel, Għajnsielem. Members are encouraged to attend.
• The Friends of the Sick and Elderly in Gozo is holding a charity fair at the Victoria football ground, next to the main car park, next Sunday from 7.30am to 1pm. Each car space costs €10 and is payable on the day. For more information call 2155 3336 or 2155 1180.
• The diocesan Eucharistic Movement will hold a prayer evening at Don Bosco Oratory chapel, Victoria, on Saturday at 8pm, followed by Mass at midnight.
• Dar Gużeppa Debono, Għajnsielem, is holding a Mass to celebrate Life Day at Ta’ Pinu on February 8 at 5pm. During the event, Mgr Mario Grech will bless babies in their mothers’ wombs. Parents expecting a child are invited to attend. Pregnant women planning to attend are to call 2155 2595, send an SMS to 7904 6051 or e-mail info@darguzeppadebono.org.
• Dar Gużeppa Debono is inviting families to spiritually adopt and accompany babies during their mother’s pregnancy. This initiative is aimed at protecting the unborn babies’s lives. Those interested are invited to send their contact details, the name of their parish and the name they wish to give the baby, to Dar Gużeppa Debono, Lourdes Street, Għajnsielem GSM 2200, or to their parish priest.
• A Christian song and singers festival will be held at Don Bosco Oratory on February 28. Those wishing to take part may call Mark Laurence Zammit or Fr Effie Masini on 9948 7751 or e-mail odbgozo@yahoo.com.
• Sir Mikiel Ang Refalo Sixth Form, Victoria, needs to host Austrian students for three months as from 2016 as part of a project with a post-secondary school in Vienna. Families interested in hosting students against payment may call the school head on 2156 4554 or e-mail smarefalo.sixthform@ilearn.edu.mt.
cspiteri@timesofmalta.com