Archbishop Paul Cremona has appointed Father Mario Tong as the new parish priest of St Paul’s Shipwreck parish in Valletta.
Fr Tong was born in Ħamrun on April 29, 1953 and was ordained in 1977. He started his pastoral work as parish priest in St Joseph the Worker parish in Gibraltar in 1978. Between 1990 and 1996 Fr Tong continued his pastoral work in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, in Long Island, New York. On his return home he was appointed parish priest of St Joseph the Worker parish, Birkirkara, after which he was appointed Archpriest in Mosta.
The number of parishioners in St Paul’s Shipwreck is around 1,800 in 800 families.