On July 17th, 2023, a group of altar boys from the Xewkija parish of St John the Baptist, on the sister island of Gozo, visited ‘Our Lady of Damascus’. They were accompanied by the parish priest Rev. Archpriest Daniel Xerri, Rev. Fr John Meilaq and Rev. Fr Matthew Bajada. This was the first visit of the Gozitan altar boys to a Byzantine church. They were received by parish priest, Papàs Martin Zammit and subdeacon Mr Dennis Mifsud. After a brief introduction to the history of the Greek Catholic church in Malta and the Byzantine rite, the Gozitan guests had the opportunity to ask questions about the differences characterizing the Byzantine from the Latin rite. They also admired the various icons adorning the church, foremost of which are the icon of Our Lady of Damascus and the icon of the Eleimonitria, both brought to Malta from Rhodes in 1530.
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