The Feast of St George in Qormi 2012

A story of unrivalled devotion and courage in one of the oldest towns in Malta!

The popular feast of St George in Qormi is celebrated on the last Sunday of June, so in 2012 the feast is going to be held on the 24th of June.

The parish church dedicated to San Gorg Martri (meaning St George the Martyr in English) is one of the oldest churches on the Maltese Islands. It is believed to have been constructed in 1436, although nobody knows for certain when the church actually became a parish.

Qormi was one of the first towns in Malta to have a titular statue of the patron saint. The beautiful statue of St George was done by sculptor Pietru Felici. Felici was born in Qormi in 1669. Work on the statue started in 1738.

The elaborate, baroque statue of St George is said to be one of Felici’s finest! The first procession with this magnificent statue is believed to have been held in 1741.

The feast of St George grew bigger and stronger year after year and decade after decade. Today, it is one of the most popular feasts on the island.

Who was St George?

George was born in the noble Anici family.

His parents had solid Christian values. From an early age, George embraced the Christian faith fully.

His parents gave him the name “Gorgi”.

At aged 14, Gorgi lost his father, and within a few years, his mother passed away as well. Following these two great losses, George decided to take up a career as a Roman soldier.

He was very well received in the army and made quick progress in his career.

His Christian faith continued to strengthen year after year. In fact, George saw himself as a soldier of Christ.

In the year 302 A.D., Christians were being persecuted and the Emperor ordered that all soldiers who were of Christian faith had to be arrested.

He also gave orders that each one of his soldiers had to offer a gift as a sacrifice to the pagan gods. Many soldiers hid the fact that they were Christians for fear of either getting arrested or persecuted.

Not George Anici though. George continuously fought for what he believed in and subsequently he was becoming a threat to the Emperor’s plan of eradicating Christians. Time and again, the Emperor tried to convince George to deny his faith but George held strong and did not budge.

When he saw that there was no way that George was going to deny his Christian faith, the emperor sentenced him to death! He was beheaded on the 23rd of April 303 A.D.

Feast of St George in Qormi: What you‘ll see …

- elaborate street decorations and private homes decorated for festa week.

- see first hand the devotion that parish residents have for their patron saint

- wonderful fireworks displays

- religious processions and activities

- fantastic band marches

- lots more!

For more information on the feast of St George in Qormi, contact the Parish Office on Tel. No. ++ 356 21 448275 or send them an email on sgorg@maltanet.net.

The Qormi feast photos that appear on this page are all courtesy of Mr George Borg.

Getting there

Qormi can be easily reached by bus. For information on the best bus routes to choose to get to this town, visit www.arriva.com.mt and have a look at their routes and timetable sections.

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