People's Sunday
Encyclopedia
The People's Sunday celebrations are held on the first Sunday of Lent
at Żabbar
, Malta
, popularly known as Ħadd in-Nies, are living recollections of the centuries-old devotion to Our Lady of Graces (Il-Madonna tal-Grazzja). The Maltese name of Ħadd in-Nies, People's Sunday, is an indication of the large number of visitors who used to go to Żabbar to render thanks and pray at the feet of Our Lady.
For many centuries, people from all walks of life, locals and foreigners, participated. On March 6, 1927, Archbishop Dom Mauro Caruana OSB participated in the renewed religious celebration of People's Sunday; today Archbishop Paul Cremona
OP is visiting the Żabbar Sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces, to meet the clergy, and above all participate in the pilgrimage of People's Sunday.
Evidence of the earliest devotion to Our Lady of Graces came to light in 1954 with the discovery of a late 15th century fresco in the early Melitan-style chapel of St Domenica in Żabbar. The earliest surviving 16th century reports by Bishops give us an insight into the devotion to Our Lady.
The fragmentary report of 1570 by Mgr Antonio Bartolo, Vicar General
sede vacante, just five years after the Siege of Malta (1565), gives us a further indication of the popularity of this devotion. The four-page inventory of the furnishings of Our Lady of Graces Chapel shows us a number of richly woven sacred vestments, silver necklaces, precious ornaments together with humble altar cloths. This clearly indicates that both rich and poor flocked to this sacred spot.
This is, again, fully supported by the report of the Apostolic Delegate, Mgr Pietro Dusina, of 1575. His description of churches and chapels in Malta and Gozo
incidentally shows that the Żabbar Our Lady of Graces chapel was the only one under this title on the Islands. This was a factor that surely helped to attract more people. A hundred years had to pass before another chapel was dedicated to Our Lady of Graces, which was built at Ħal Missilment in Naxxar
, Malta.
Mgr Dusina was very impressed by the great attachment of people to the Żabbar chapel. He wrote that many pilgrim
s from various towns and villages went there to implore favours or render thanks for benefits received, leaving behind offerings of all sorts, which eventually covered all the walls of this chapel. Most of these pilgrims went every Wednesday all the year around. Two or three Masses were said on these days to meet the visitor demand. This was not so common elsewhere in those times, where only one Mass
was celebrated annually on the patron saint's feast day. To cater for these pilgrims, Mgr Dusina appointed Fr Antonio De Nicolaci as rector
of this chapel "to foster and strengthen this holy devotion among the people."
The practice of going on a pilgrimage as a sign of penance and a closer approach to God
goes back to the early centuries of the Christian Church
. In Rome
, the faithful assembled at an agreed church station
and followed the Pope or a Church dignitary to another station chapel. They recited prayers and chanted the penitential psalms all along the route.
By 1585, the Żabbar chapel proved too small to accommodate the ever increasing number of pilgrims. Grand Master
Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle
helped to extend the church and donated a new titular painting. At the same time, Pope Sixtus V
granted 100 days of Indulgence to all visitors.
In 1636, just 20 years after the chapel had been elevated into a parish before splitting with Żejtun
, Bishop Michaele Belageur described the large quantity of ex-voto
offerings, and stated that of all the churches on the islands, this one attracts the greatest devotion: devotissima est.
Similar comments were made even by later bishops when they visited Żabbar. A typical remark is that made by Bishop Alpheran de Bussan (1728-1757), who in his 1737 visit states: "From olden times a large number of people converged to this church of Our Lady of Graces to offer thanks for the miraculous favours received.
"The people offered gifts to fulfil vows, leaving behind small paintings, chains, weapons and all kinds of trophies of war as a sign of gratitude to God and Holy Mary. One every Wednesday and especially on Ash Wednesday
, the number of these pilgrims from cities, towns and villages is even greater." The inventories of this church, especially those of 1679 and 1699, list many of these donations.
celebrations were becoming more organised. Thus a new aspect was added to these Lenten pilgrimages. Those who might have misbehaved or somehow gone beyond their Christian duties during Carnival, felt they could show repentance by taking part in these pilgrimages.
Ash Wednesday, being a normal working day with abstinence and fasting, proved inconvenient for many. The crowds preferred to satisfy their obligations on the following Sunday, the first of Lent
. During the following century, this change seemed to have been well established.
In fact, George Percy Badger
who was in Malta in 1838 stated that it was still practised on Ash Wednesday. However, an updated edition of 1858 states that the pilgrimage took place on Palm Sunday (Ħadd in-Nies).
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
at Żabbar
Zabbar
Ħaż-Żabbar is the fourth largest town in Malta, with a population of 17,030 . Originally a part of Żejtun, Ħaż-Żabbar was granted the title of Città Hompesch by the last of the Grandmasters of the Knights of St...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, popularly known as Ħadd in-Nies, are living recollections of the centuries-old devotion to Our Lady of Graces (Il-Madonna tal-Grazzja). The Maltese name of Ħadd in-Nies, People's Sunday, is an indication of the large number of visitors who used to go to Żabbar to render thanks and pray at the feet of Our Lady.
For many centuries, people from all walks of life, locals and foreigners, participated. On March 6, 1927, Archbishop Dom Mauro Caruana OSB participated in the renewed religious celebration of People's Sunday; today Archbishop Paul Cremona
Paul Cremona
Archbishop Paul Cremona O.P. is the 11th Archbishop of Malta and a Dominican friar. In Maltese his full name and style is: Monsinjur Pietru Pawlu Cremona. He was ordained to the episcopate and installed as Archbishop of Malta on 26 January 2007, the day after his 61st birthday.-Family life:Paul...
OP is visiting the Żabbar Sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces, to meet the clergy, and above all participate in the pilgrimage of People's Sunday.
Evidence of the earliest devotion to Our Lady of Graces came to light in 1954 with the discovery of a late 15th century fresco in the early Melitan-style chapel of St Domenica in Żabbar. The earliest surviving 16th century reports by Bishops give us an insight into the devotion to Our Lady.
The fragmentary report of 1570 by Mgr Antonio Bartolo, Vicar General
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
sede vacante, just five years after the Siege of Malta (1565), gives us a further indication of the popularity of this devotion. The four-page inventory of the furnishings of Our Lady of Graces Chapel shows us a number of richly woven sacred vestments, silver necklaces, precious ornaments together with humble altar cloths. This clearly indicates that both rich and poor flocked to this sacred spot.
This is, again, fully supported by the report of the Apostolic Delegate, Mgr Pietro Dusina, of 1575. His description of churches and chapels in Malta and Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
incidentally shows that the Żabbar Our Lady of Graces chapel was the only one under this title on the Islands. This was a factor that surely helped to attract more people. A hundred years had to pass before another chapel was dedicated to Our Lady of Graces, which was built at Ħal Missilment in Naxxar
Naxxar
Naxxar is a village in the central north of Malta, with a population of about 13,647 people . The Naxxar Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Victories. The feast is celebrated on September 8...
, Malta.
Mgr Dusina was very impressed by the great attachment of people to the Żabbar chapel. He wrote that many pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s from various towns and villages went there to implore favours or render thanks for benefits received, leaving behind offerings of all sorts, which eventually covered all the walls of this chapel. Most of these pilgrims went every Wednesday all the year around. Two or three Masses were said on these days to meet the visitor demand. This was not so common elsewhere in those times, where only one Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
was celebrated annually on the patron saint's feast day. To cater for these pilgrims, Mgr Dusina appointed Fr Antonio De Nicolaci as rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of this chapel "to foster and strengthen this holy devotion among the people."
The practice of going on a pilgrimage as a sign of penance and a closer approach to God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
goes back to the early centuries of the Christian Church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
. In Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, the faithful assembled at an agreed church station
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
and followed the Pope or a Church dignitary to another station chapel. They recited prayers and chanted the penitential psalms all along the route.
By 1585, the Żabbar chapel proved too small to accommodate the ever increasing number of pilgrims. Grand Master
Grand Master (order)
Grand Master is the typical title of the supreme head of various orders of knighthood, including various military orders, religious orders and civil orders such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Orange Order...
Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle
Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle
Fra' Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle was the 52nd Grand Master of the Order of Malta, between 1581 and 1595. He is mainly remembered for the reconstruction of the hunting lodge at Boschetto which was renamed Verdala Palace in his honour. He is buried in a sarcophagus in the Crypt of the Co-Cathedral of...
helped to extend the church and donated a new titular painting. At the same time, Pope Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V , born Felice Peretti di Montalto, was Pope from 1585 to 1590.-Early life:The chronicler Andrija Zmajević states that Felice's family originated from modern-day Montenegro...
granted 100 days of Indulgence to all visitors.
In 1636, just 20 years after the chapel had been elevated into a parish before splitting with Żejtun
Zejtun
Żejtun is a medium sized town in the south of Malta. Żejtun holds the title of Città Beland, which was bestowed by Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, Grandmaster of Knights of Malta in 1797, Beland being his mother's surname....
, Bishop Michaele Belageur described the large quantity of ex-voto
Ex-voto
An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or divinity. It is given in fulfillment of a vow or in gratitude or devotion...
offerings, and stated that of all the churches on the islands, this one attracts the greatest devotion: devotissima est.
Similar comments were made even by later bishops when they visited Żabbar. A typical remark is that made by Bishop Alpheran de Bussan (1728-1757), who in his 1737 visit states: "From olden times a large number of people converged to this church of Our Lady of Graces to offer thanks for the miraculous favours received.
"The people offered gifts to fulfil vows, leaving behind small paintings, chains, weapons and all kinds of trophies of war as a sign of gratitude to God and Holy Mary. One every Wednesday and especially on Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
, the number of these pilgrims from cities, towns and villages is even greater." The inventories of this church, especially those of 1679 and 1699, list many of these donations.
Social gathering
In the meantime, CarnivalCarnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
celebrations were becoming more organised. Thus a new aspect was added to these Lenten pilgrimages. Those who might have misbehaved or somehow gone beyond their Christian duties during Carnival, felt they could show repentance by taking part in these pilgrimages.
Ash Wednesday, being a normal working day with abstinence and fasting, proved inconvenient for many. The crowds preferred to satisfy their obligations on the following Sunday, the first of Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
. During the following century, this change seemed to have been well established.
In fact, George Percy Badger
George Percy Badger
George Percy Badger was an English Anglican missionary, and a scholar of oriental studies. He is mainly known for his doctrinal and historical studies about the Church of the East.-Life:...
who was in Malta in 1838 stated that it was still practised on Ash Wednesday. However, an updated edition of 1858 states that the pilgrimage took place on Palm Sunday (Ħadd in-Nies).