Today marks the 161st anniversary since the foundation of the Diocese of Gozo.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gozo, founded by Pope Pius IX in 1864, is presently made up of 15 parishes. The first Bishop of Gozo was Mons Michael Franciscus Buttigieg, who served from 1864 until his death in 1866. The current Bishop of Gozo is Mons. Anton Teuma, the island’s ninth Bishop so far.

In commemoration of the Diocese’s founding and Mons Buttigieg’s appointment, a booklet was published with an account of the events and celebrations that would be held in Gozo.

The booklet, seen below courtesy of the National Archives of Malta, was published by Zefirino Micallef, a printer previously located on St Lucy Street, Valletta.

These celebrations took place in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Victoria. The Cathedral, designed by Lorenzo Gafà, was built between 1697 and 1711 and declared the seat of the new diocese in 1864.

Did you know this about the Diocese of Gozo?

 The National Archives of Malta/Facebook, Drew at large/Flickr