The annual Penitential Pilgrimage of ‘Ħadd in-Nies’ in Żabbar – which has drawn devotees of Our Lady of Graces from all over Malta for centuries – was held on Sunday.

The event attracted hundreds of people of all ages and walks of life.

Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona, in the absence of Archbishop Charles Scicluna, yesterday inaugurated a series of penitential Lent pilgrimages, the first one of which was the traditional Ħadd in-Nies (People’s Sunday), celebration.

The pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces is believed to date back to before the Order of St John came to Malta in 1530.

The locality of Żabbar has been associated with the devotion to Our Lady of Graces since the late Middle Ages, when a small rural chapel – the only one on the island dedicated to Mary, Mother of Grace – used to attract devotees and pilgrims from all over the island.

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