Yup, you read that right. Malta’s got her very own saint! Before becoming San Gorg Preca or St George Preca, he was a humble and lovable priest that everybody knew. Still talked about to this day, he’s probably one of the most famous Maltese people to date.

Born in 1880, in Malta’s capital, George Preca was the founder of the Society of Christian Doctrine, having been a Catholic priest. Locally he is lovingly known as ‘Dun Gorg’ and Pope John Paul II even dubbed him as our islands’ “second father in faith.”

Early life

Dun Gorg had a bit of a rough start in life, having suffered a range of illnesses at a young age. He almost drowned in the harbour in 1885, but luckily two fishermen saved him. It was actually one of his professors, Father Ercole Mompalao, who encouraged him to join the order back in 1897.

Unfortunately, Dun Gorg wasn’t so lucky and fell ill again, being diagnosed with acute pulmonary tuberculosis. While given a poor prognosis, he thankfully recovered, believing it was all thanks to Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the dying. However, he was left with a damaged lung. Ouch…

Dun Gorg was ordained on 22^nd December 1906 and celebrated his first mass on Christmas day, just three days later in Hamrun. He was appointed the assistant priest at St Gaetano church and decided to dedicate himself to teaching youths.

Later years

He was a popular figure among various pastoral and religious groups. However, his religious activities raised concerns and he was accused of heresy by senior clergy, thus having to close down his teaching centres for a while. Following an investigation, they were re-opened and business continued as usual.

His continued activism in the community earned him a nomination by Pope Pius XII as a Papal Secret Chamberlain in 1952 and he was also given the rank of a Monsignor. This was much to his mortification, though, and he only held this title until the Pope passed away in 1958. Dun Gorg never even wore the garments the title entailed nor claimed the official document from the archbishop’s office. Seems like he really didn’t want the title, after all!

Dun Gorg was also the brains behind five new compositions of the mysteries of the Rosary which were referred to as Mysteries of Light by his followers. They were written in 1957 and were inspired by John 8:12 “The light of the world.”

Canonization

Dun Gorg died in 1962 on 26^th July. His funeral was held two days later and was one of the largest funerals ever held on the islands. Despite being gone, locals still referred to him and studied his teachings. And so, began the road to canonization.

In 1975, he was given the title “Servant of God” and thus began the full diocesan investigation. The process in Malta took over a decade and was closed in 1988. In 1999, Dun Gorg’s “heroic virtue” allowed for Pope John Paul II to grant the title of “Venerable.”

Hold on, the process isn’t over yet! For our local priest to be beatified, something had to happen as a result of his intercession – a somewhat miracle, you might say. After much deliberation and investigation, one miracle did occur, concerning one Charles Zammit Endrich who had a detached retina. Apparently, he was healed after he placed one of the late-priest’s personal belongings under his pillow. His personal physician, Censu Tabone (yes, the President Emeritus of Malta) was present. The Pope subsequently beatified Dun Gorg on 9^th May 2001 during his visit to our islands.

And as if one miracle wasn’t enough, another was required for him to become a saint. This time, Eric Catania was healed thanks to his parents placing a glove which was used during Dun Gorg’s exhumation on him as an infant. Eric was due to undergo a major surgery to hopefully cure his liver decompensation, but thanks to the glove he didn’t even need the procedure and recovered.

Dun Gorg was FINALLY canonized as a saint on 3^rd June 2007 in St Peter’s Square, Rome. He became Malta’s second saint, following Saint Publius. In his remarks on the day, the Pope called the now San Gorg Preca “a friend of Jesus.”