Under the gaze of Mary

The Maltese have a great devotion to the Virgin Mary. This is because the faithful believe that Mary came to the rescue of our islands during important events in Malta’s history.

In Malta the 8^th September is a public holiday, Victory Day, commemorating the end of three sieges made on Malta, the most famous being the Great Siege of Malta, which came to an end on the 8^th September 1565. The Ottoman empire which invaded Malta with nearly 50,000 soldiers, retreated after losing more than half their army and the Maltese attribute this victory to Mary’s intervention and believe it is not a coincidence that the greatest siege in the history of Malta, came to an end on the same day we celebrate Mary’s Nativity.

On the 15^th August 1942, feast of the Assumption of Mary, the Axes forces had been bombarding Malta for months and the country was on its knees and the food was running out. On the feast of the Assumption of Mary, ships with much need food and supplies managed to safely arrive in the Valletta Grand Harbour and saved the country from starvation.

The devotion and love the Maltese have towards Mary is visible till today all over Malta and it can be seen in the many churches dedicated to Mary, the shrines, the niches, the recital of the rosary before mass and even on private homes which are named after Mary, the mother of God.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu commands great devotion in Gozo, Malta’s sister island, where a number of ex voto are displayed remembering various miracles attributed to the grace of our Lady of the Assumption.

The devotion to our Lady of the Grotto in Rabat, dates back many centuries. The Sanctuary of our Lady of the Grotto, was purposely built by the Dominican friars on the site of a grotto in the late 1400s where there was an apparition by the Virgin Mary to a local hunter, which is accessible still today.

‘’And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.’’ REVELATIONS 12:1

Highlights

• Prayer time at various Christian sites
• Daily Eucharistic celebration
• One-day spiritual retreat
• The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu, Gozo
• The Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, Mosta (4^th largest unsupported dome in the world)
• The Sanctuary of our Lady of the Grotto, Rabat