Fr Geoffrey Attard writes:

Fr Joseph Saliba, or Dun Ġużepp il-Bejżu as he was known among his folk, was born in his native Żebbuġ on September 30, 1933. He was ordained priest at the Gozo Cathedral by Bishop Joseph Pace on April 12, 1959.

After a short pastoral experience in Canada, Fr Saliba was called by his bishop to serve as prefect of discipline at the Minor Seminary and later on served as prefect at the Gozo Major Seminary.

Bishop Nicholas Cauchi bestowed on him the office of Major Sacristan of his Cathedral Church in Victoria where he served for more than 28 years. During this period he was also one of the most sought after confessors in Victoria.

Fr Saliba was also choir chaplain at the Cathedral Church of St Mary’s and served also as chaplain at the General Hospital. He was also administrator, distributor and treasurer for Gozo of the two newspapers, Il-Ħajja and Il-Qawmien, both of which are not published any longer.

Fr Saliba was a humble priest with the voice of a tenor: he sang with the Gozo Cathedral Choir, the Laudate Pueri Choir of Victoria and with the Żebbuġ Parish Orchestra. He also wrote a number of poems. Although quite a reserved priest, Fr Saliba was affable and easy to befriend.

Always carrying a beautiful smile, Fr Saliba was loved by one and all. Every time I met him, both when he was in good health and even lately when he bore his illness with courage and determination, he spoke to me about his friendship with the late Mgr Tarċisju Gatt, a great-uncle of my father, with whom he sang the Salve Regina and other pieces at the Gozo Cathedral and in the churches of Gozo. Requiescat in pace!