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The Convent of St Anthony's
 

The Friars  |  The Convent and Church  |  Padova Retreat Home

The Franciscan Friars
The Custody of the  took an important decision in its chapter of the 1899 to build a convent and a college in Gozo. With the approval of the Gozitan Bishop Mons Giovanni M. Camilleri OSA, they established themselves in the locality of Ghajnsielem. On the 22nd November 1899 Franciscan Minors (Ta Giezu) came to Gozo and settled in a house called 'Ta Gliex' at Ghajnsielem in the street St Anthony leading to the villages of Nadur and Qala. This was the first convent for the Franciscans on Gozo. The first Franciscan Guardian was an apostolic Missionary Leone Ferro.

The Convent and St Anthony's Church
On 1st August 1901 a piece of land was donated by Rev. John Borg (canon of the church of Saint Paul shipwreck in Valletta), Mr Mike Manweli, Mr Ruggier and Marjanna Borg so that the Friars can build their own convent. The mind behind the construction of the convent was that of the custodian Anton (tonin) M. Cesal whom eventually with some other friars decided to ecided to eract a big church near the convent and dedicate it to Saint Anthony of Padova. The plans for this project were made by Fr. Joseph Diacono.

The work commenced immediately, and eventually we had the first part of the convent completed in January 1902. The bishop Mons Giovanni M. Camilleri in the 15 of May of the same year blessed a provisory chapel. In the 7 of September the Gozitan Bishop placed the first stone. All the construction of the church was paid by Joseph Sultana a business man from Nadur. In charge of the building was builder Mr Wigi Vella. He was also responsible for the design of the church. The most expected day arrived and on Sunday of the 28 of October, 1906 Bishop Camilleri blessed the church. The first statue of Saint Anthony which in the present day is alocated at the church of Ghasri, Gozo was manufactured by the Hebrew Carmel Mallia of Hal Qormi. The present statue which is the third one was made by the Italian sculpture Luigi Gucci from Lecce.

The altar which today is no longer existent due to the reforms of the liturgy made by the second Vatican Council was worked by Mariano Spina in Sicily. We can affirm from our documents found in our Francsican Province, that the first feast goes back to the year 1914. An important event happened between May 1941 and April 1944 when the Miracolous Crucifix of the church ran by the Franciscans in Valletta was brought due to the war in this church. In the same place were the crucifix was placed, today we have a resemblance of the same crucifix. As time went by, their was the need of a centre, and in February of 1981 the work began and the same centre was terminated in the 8 of September of the same year, obviously blessed by the minister provincial of the Franciscan Order. Part of the convent was restructured and a house for retreats was opened. The same house brings the name of Padova and a farmhouse was eventually transformed in the Montepaolo hermitage.

The feast of St Anthony opens the season of the summer feasts in the island of Gozo.

(click on above image to enlarge)

The Padova Retreat Home
This retreat home was established by a decision taken by the Franciscan Provincial Chapter for 1990. For its creation, a wing of the Gozo Franciscan Friary and the back garden were transformed to suit this purpose. The Retreat House' is situated in Mgarr Road and the house compromises of two floors with the ground level offering 6 bedrooms, a dining hall and a small meeting hall (Nazareth Hall), with a capacity for twenty five persons. On this floor too there is another conference hall for seventy persons. The upper floor has 7 bedrooms and a chapel. All bedrooms have two single beds and a bathroom. The back garden has also been landscaped to accommodate those who want to enjoy peace and silence of the area. The garden comprises different prayers areas and a hermitage also used by retreatants.

The Padova Retreat House was inaugurated and blessed by the then Minister Provincial Fr. Raymond Camilleri ofm, on the 24th of October 1992. The house is open to all those who are seeking "silence" within themselves and around them, to rebuild anew their relationship with the Lord and their brothers/sisters. The house can be used by groups of twenty-sex or less (Priests, Religious and Laity).
 

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