The 3rd of June 2007 is now a new glorious page in Maltese history. It is on this day, after two millennia of Christianity that a Maltese person has been raised to the official state of sainthood. I refer of course to the canonization of Dun Ġorġ Preca.

To mark this historical event, the MaltaMedia Online Network has prepared a special commemorative feature. The scope of this feature is to offer an objective look at the life of this great man who has left an indelible mark on the Maltese way of life. While he first and foremost a religious figure, there's no denying Dun Ġorġ's impact from a social perspective.

We should expect other Maltese to follow on the sainthood list in the near future; Nazju Falzon and Adeodata Pisani have already been declared venerable. The criteria for canonization are fairly rigorous, but there's no doubt the Maltese are tenacious when it comes to resolve and goodness.

Now is the time to celebrate all the good things that Dun Ġorġ introduced into Maltese life.

Toni Sant
Consulting Editor, aboutmalta.com

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1. Last Month's Daily News from MaltaMedia
2. Top Picks:
     a. San Ġorg Preca
     b. Festa Season in Malta + Gozo
3. This Month in Maltese History
4. What's On This Month

01 Marsaxlokk fisherman medically evacuated
02 Government rebuffs article's hunting claims
03 Authorities issue warning after TB report
04 CVA system minicabs to be introduced in July
05 Qormi man killed in police shoot-out
06 Man accused of raping Maltese woman discharged
07 Youth sentenced to jail on involuntary manslaughter
08 Bomb threat at hospital's outpatients section
09 Vandals target forestation site in Mellieħa
10 Malta fails to make it to Eurovision 2007 final
11 200 refugees to be resettled in the US
12 Xaghra l-Ħamra golf course unsustainable
13 Mater Dei hospital to open on June 29
14 Dutch MEP lobbying for Eurovision alternative
15 Law change benefits 2nd generation Maltese
16 Positive reports for Malta's euro changeover
17 Two men jailed 26 years over drug trafficking
18 Agreement for Monti hawkers' relocation signed
19 Moodys gives Malta positive investment rating
20 Lejlet Lapsi Notte Gozitana allures many
21 AFM searches for boatload of illegal immigrants
22 Wife stabbing case referred to Magisterial Court
23 Another 26 illegal immigrants reach Malta
24 UĦM orders strike at Maltapost for Friday
25 Dun Gorg's canonization celebrations announced
26 Armed robbers hold up petrol station owner
27 PN to guarantee better future - PM Gonzi
28 Illegal immigrants Libya's responsibility
29 Central Intervention Rate to go up by 0.25%
30 27 Somali illegal immigrants rescued at sea
31 Surcharge unchanged, fuel prices increase

Read and/or listen to the latest daily news from MaltaMedia.com.

a. San Ġorġ Preca

This MaltaMalta.com special feature is designed to mark the canonisation of Dun Ġorġ Preca, whose successful process towards sainthood makes him the first modern Maltese man to be recognized as a saint by the Vatican.
 

b. Festa Season in Malta + Gozo

The Maltese sky rumbles during the day and lights up at night; church bells toll for hours on end and people flock to the streets and squares of every town and village in Malta and Gozo. It's festa season! This special feature from MaltaMedia is packed with interactive information about the various aspects of the festa season in the Maltese Islands. The feature includes various audio and video webcasts in Maltese about particular celebrations, which stand out in the Maltese calendar of summertime celebrations.

30 YEARS AGO (2 June 1977)
Doctors, members of the Medical Association of Malta, begin industrial actions against amendments to the Medical and Kindered Professions Ordinance.

20 YEARS AGO (7 June 1987)
Monument in honour of the victims of the Sette Giugno 1919 riots is unveiled in Valletta.

10 YEARS AGO (16 June 1997)
The Nationalist Party formally applies to start TV transmissions.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS
21 June 1945: Tanya Bayona, Choreographer
28 June 1951: Gorg Mifsud Chircop, Folklorist
30 June 1934: Mary Rose Bonello, Actress
30 June 1978: Miriam Christine Borg, Pop Singer

DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
10 June 1993: Francis Ebejer, Educator/Playwright/Writer, dies at 68
21 June 2006: Frans Baldacchino "l-Budaj", Għannej, dies at 63
22 June 1983: Ċikku Saliba, Superior General MUSEUM, dies at 73
25 June 2002: Lady Margaret Mamo, former First Lady

See aboutmalta.com's daily full list of birthdays, deaths, and events in Maltese history.

Today in Maltese History is produced exclusively for aboutmalta.com by Mario Axiaq.

1 - 2 June 2007
7Vocal Aid
A musical extravaganza by FM Theatre Productions with the Stagecoach Kidz at the Mediterranean Conference Centre. Vocal Aid 2007 is a musical delight jam packed with show stoppers from Broadway, Disney and musical films.

1 - 30 June 2007
Aspirations
Artist Christine X holds an exhibition entitled Aspirations at Artitude Gallery, Tigne Street, Sliema. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.

6 + 9 - 10 June 2007
Malta Mediterranean Folk Festival 2007
The Malta Mediterranean Folk Festival 2007 is dedicated to folk singer Frans Baldacchino l-Budaj, presenting għana in all its sub-genres in Għargur on the 6th June and at the Argotti Gardens, Floriana on the 9th and 10th June.

15 + 17 June 2007
Oratorio Dun Ġorġ!
An oratorio to celebrate the canonisation of Dun Ġorġ Preca will at St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta.

View aboutmalta.com's full calendar for this month's events in Malta and Gozo, or to submit a future event to our calendar.