• Għajnsielem marks the feast of St Anthony of Padua today with a concelebrated Mass, led by Provincial Minister Fr Sandro Overend at 8.30 a.m. at the Franciscan church. Solemn vespers, followed by Mass said by Fr Raymond Falzon OFM, will be held at 6 p.m. The procession with the statue of St Anthony, accompanied by the St Joseph Band, starts at 7.45 p.m. The Mnarja Band will perform on the church parvis.
• The Italian Embassy, in conjunction with St George's basilica and the Victoria council, is organising a concert by the Rome-based Coro del Lunedì to mark the 62nd anniversary of the Italian Republic and the 60th anniversary of the country's Constitution. The concert is being held today at 8 p.m. at St George's basilica in Victoria and is open to the public.
• A fund-raising wine and pizza party will be held at the Sacred Heart Seminary ground in Victoria on Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets can be obtained from the seminary (2155 6479), school council members or volunteers.
• The Fondazzjoni Kenn u Tama is holding a fund-raising wine and pizza party at the Horizon Restaurant, Qbajjar, Marsalforn, on Friday at 7 p.m. Tickets at €10 can be obtained from the volunteers or by phoning Joe Mallia on 2156 1083 or 7920 2155.
• OASI Foundation is inviting applicants to participate in Riflessi Sajfin 2008, which is to be staged at Il-Menqa, Marsalforn, on Saturday, August 9, at 8 p.m. Applications are to be submitted by noon on Friday to OASI, 23 Triq l-Imgħallem, Victoria, giving name, date of birth, telephone numbers, address, details of the talent (song, dance, etc) the name and length of one item, together with a contribution of €23. Only the first 15 applications will be accepted. For more information contact Andrea or Daniela on 2156 3333 or e-mail info@oasi.org. mt.
• Żebbuġ parish will hold a pilgrimage on Wednesday at 5 p.m. to mark the 125th anniversary of Our Lady's call to Carmela Grima at Ta' Pinu. It will start at the road junction between Għarb Road and Ta' Pinu Road. On arrival at Ta' Pinu Sanctuary, Mass will be celebrated. The function will be broadcast on Radju Marija.
• On Sunday Fr Brian Mejlak will be installed as parish priest of Kerċem during a solemn High Mass which Bishop Mario Grech will celebrate at the parish church at 6 p.m. On Friday at 5.30 p.m, Fr Mejlak will concelebrate a Thanksgiving Mass with the collegiate chapter of Nadur basilica, where he served for the past 10 years. On Saturday at 8 p.m., Fr Daniel Xerri, rector of the Gozo Seminary, will lead a prayer vigil at Kerċem parish church.
• Ta' Klula Folkloristic Foundation of Santa Lucija, Gozo, in collaboration with Marsovin, will be holding its second wine festival - Bis-Saħħa - an evening of art, music, traditional food and dance on the main village square on Saturday at 8 p.m. For more information visit or e-mail www.santalucija.com.
• The Wistin Camilleri Gozo Centre for Art and Crafts is holding its annual exhibition at the Exhibition Hall within the Gozo Ministry in Victoria. It will remain open until June 13. Opening hours are from 8 a.m. to noon and from 2 to 4.30 p.m. during weekdays and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday and Sunday.
• An exhibition entitled Dawn by Emma Borg is being held at the St Ursula Hall of the Cittadella Centre for Culture and the Arts in Victoria; it will remain open until June 15. Opening hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday to Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
• A commemorative activity to mark the victims of the Sette Giugno (June 7, 1919) riots is to be held on Friday at 8.45 a.m. at Bullara Street, Xagħra (where one of the four victims lived). Presiding over the event will be Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono.
• The Gozitan Graduates Movement invites graduates and members of all professions in Gozo (including couples) for First Friday Mass on Friday at 8.30 p.m. This will be at St Augustine's church (Victoria). Confessions will be heard from 8.15.p.m.
• The Ministry for Gozo has invited artisans to apply for incubation space at the recently-inaugurated Crafts Incubation Centre in Għajnsielem, which provides support to new crafts-related businesses.
Ten workshops will be allotted to those planning to start their own artisan activity in Gozo.
A total of €850,000 in EU funds were invested in the building of the new Crafts Incubation Centre and an extension to the Wistin Camilleri Gozo Centre for Arts and Crafts. The government forked out 25 per cent of the cost.
This project is mainly intended to boost the crafts sector in Gozo while tapping the potential for this sector to generate employment on the island. Further information and applications may be obtained from the Department of Corporate Services within the Ministry for Gozo or downloaded from the Ministry's website www.gozo.gov.mt.
Applicants may submit the filled-in forms in the tender box at the Accounts Section of the same department, up to noon on June 30.
• To mark the 150th anniversary of the Virgin Mary's appearances at Ta' Pinu in Għarb, a Marian symposium will be held at the sanctuary between Wednesday and Sunday.
The seminar is being organised by the Marianum Pontifical Faculty in Rome in collaboration with the sanctuary. The keynote speakers will include the president of the faculty, Silvano M. Maggiani, OSM, and Salvatore M. Perella, OSM, who lectures at the faculty.
Apart from the academic part, there will be time dedicated to prayer with the participation of Archbishop Paul Cremona, Archbishop Joseph Mercieca, Bishop Mario Grech and Bishop Nikol Cauchi.
Applications to attend the symposium can be obtained from the sanctuary, from the Lumen Christi bookshop in Victoria, from the office of Radju Marija, from Klabb Qari Nisrani or by downloading a copy from www.tapinu.org.
• As part of Rabat (Città Vittoria) Day, the Victoria Local council will organise a cultural evening on the main square on Saturday 14th June at 7.30 p.m. The programme includes the awarding of Ġieħ ir-Rabat to the three Victoria Football Clubs, with the participation of the Island Brass Band.
cspiteri@timesofmalta.com