From February 8 to 18, 2026, the Conventual Franciscan Province of St. Paul the Apostle in Malta hosted a touring exposition of a relic of St. Francis. The relic was brought to our country from Assisi to mark the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death. The relic itself is a cloth that had been placed on the wound on St. Francis’ side in order to absorb his blood and protect his habit.
The exposition began early Sunday morning, February 8, when the relic was put on display at the parish church in Burmarrad. The faithful gathered throughout the day for prayer and Masses, including a special Mass for children. In the evening, there was a solemn Mass for members of the parish associations. Before each Mass, a short video about the relic was shown.
On Monday morning, February 9, an event was conducted for children from local Catholic schools. The event took place at our Communication Centre in Birkirkara. In the evening, the relic was venerated at the Our Lady of Sorrows Parish Church in St. Paul’s Bay, where it was displayed during Evening Prayer and Mass and later, during another Mass celebrated for the community of parishioners from India.
On Tuesday, February 10, the relic remained in St. Paul’s Bay, where more Masses were celebrated with the parish community as well as some religious sisters. In the afternoon, a Mass was celebrated for the parishioners from India who follow the Latin Rite. Another solemn Mass followed. The day concluded with a liturgical celebration led by the friars of the Province, followed by a fraternal gathering.
On Wednesday morning, February 11, the relic was venerated at the Basilica of Christ the King in Paola. The Most Reverend Joseph GALEA-CURMI, Auxiliary Bishop of Malta, celebrated a Mass for the sick and elderly. Those attending included many residents of nursing homes and hospitals as well as priests from the house for elderly clergy. In the evening, the relic was venerated at the St. Venera Parish Church, where a Mass of Liberation was celebrated, emphasizing God’s healing through the faith that St. Francis showed during his suffering.
On Thursday morning, February 12, the relic was venerated at the Pax et Bonum Chapel in Mosta, which is entrusted to the Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of Jesus. There, the faithful gathered for prayer and Mass. That evening, the relic was venerated at the St. Francis Church in Rabat, where a Mass was celebrated with local clergy and religious.
On Friday morning, February 13, the relic was venerated at the Church of the Annunciation in Vittoriosa (Birgu). There, the friars, together with our Dominican confreres, prayed the Office of Readings, Morning Prayer and celebrated Mass. Later that morning, the relic was venerated at the Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady (Marija Bambina) in Senglea (Isla), where the faithful gathered for prayer and Masses, including a Mass for children. In the afternoon, the Knights of Malta spent some time praying before the relic. A Mass followed, which was celebrated with clergy and religious from the Cottonera area. In the evening, a prayer vigil for adolescents and youth was held in the oratory where the miraculous statue of Jesus the Redeemer is kept.
On Saturday morning, February 14, the relic was venerated in the chapel of the house for elderly clergy in Birkirkara, where priests and religious gathered for prayer and Mass. In the evening, the relic was venerated at the St. Francis Church in Birkirkara. There, the friars celebrated Mass presided over by the Vicar Provincial, Friar Paul DARMANIN. Afterwards, Friar Robert CALLEJA conducted a Franciscan meditation which included music, and readings based on the Franciscan Sources.
On Sunday, February 15, the relic was venerated at the St. Francis Parish Church in Qawra. There, the faithful gathered during the day for prayer and Masses, including a Mass in English and a Mass celebrated for the community of parishioners from India who follow the Syro-Malabar Rite. The day concluded with a final solemn Mass.
On Monday morning, February 16, the relic was taken to the neighboring island of Gozo, where it was venerated at the St. Francis Church in Victoria (Rabat). There, the Most Reverend Anton TEUMA, Bishop of Gozo, celebrated a Mass for the sick and elderly. In the afternoon, the relic was taken to the convent of the Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of Jesus in Rabat for a moment of prayer, before being returned to the St. Francis Church in Gozo for a Mass attended by local Franciscan communities.
On Tuesday, February 17, the relic was brought to the Kordin Correctional Facility, where inmates and staff were able to pray before it and attend a Mass presided over by the Minister Provincial of the Capuchin Friars, Friar Ivan SCICLUNA, who was accompanied by other friars who provide spiritual assistance at the facility. In the evening, the relic was venerated at the Poor Clare Monastery in St. Julian’s. After celebrating Mass there, the relic was taken inside the cloister for a period of private veneration by the sisters.
Finally, on Ash Wednesday, February 18, the relic was taken to the St. Francis Church in Valletta, where it was displayed throughout the day for the veneration of the faithful. In the morning the friars prayed the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer, followed by a Conventual Mass and the imposition of ashes. The liturgy was presided over by the Vicar Provincial, Friar Paul DARMANIN. Later that morning, the Guardian, Friar George MICALLEF, and members of the Secular Franciscan Order, led a solemn Stations of the Cross, followed by a Pontifical Mass celebrated by the Most Reverend George FRENDO, OP, Archbishop Emeritus of Tiranë-Durrës, Albania, with local clergy and religious attending. The celebrations concluded in the evening with the recitation of Evening Prayer and a Eucharistic blessing.
Afterwards, the relic was taken to St. John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, where a Pontifical Mass was celebrated by the Most Reverend Charles J. SCICLUNA, Archbishop of Malta. The cathedral was filled with people who had come for the occasion marking the end of the relic’s visit to our islands.
The relic returned to Assisi the next day. Everywhere it was displayed, many people gathered to venerate it and pray. Thanks go to our Conventual Franciscan Province for hosting this event and to all those who helped make it possible. May the Franciscan joy experienced during the relic’s visit renew us, help us grow in our vocation, and inspire generous hearts to follow the Lord in the footsteps of our Seraphic Father, St. Francis.
Friar George MICALLEF, OFM Conv.
