On September 8, Mellieħa celebrated the titular feast in honour of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which is depicted in the main altarpiece by Giuseppe Calì.

The painter’s intention was to connect the historical episode of the end of the Great Siege of 1565 with the feast. He brought the palm of victory being delivered to the knights, which really meant a great relief both to the Order and the Maltese and also to Europe. On that day of victory, so much depended on the valour shown on Maltese soil.

The early days of September, greatly awaited by Mellieħa’s parishioners, were packed with concerts, programmes, religious functions, to make this year’s feast a memorable one. Every event was taken seriously and well organised, bringing out the best local talent in music, singing, artistic decoration and fireworks display. This means there was a lot of dedicated effort for months in various activities for which the parishioners are truly grateful.

The new parish priest, Fr Joseph Caruana, deserves great credit for rallying the human spirit towards this end. He was thankful for the co-operation which the community had shown in various ways and for responding positively to his appeals regarding the spiritual aspect which such a celebration deserves.

The panegyric delivered by Fr Karm Mercieca, the outgoing parish priest, was well received and applauded by the congregation. Such occasions really encourage the parish priest and the pastoral council, which look forward to celebrations of the feast in the proper spirit.