It took months of careful preparations and hectic discussions with the Italian civil authorities and with the highest echelons of the ecclesiastical Vatican authorities in order to execute the self-imposed task by the Zebbug local council to bring to its village the sacred silver urn carrying the holy remains of Zebbug’s patron saint, Saint Philip of Agira. The community of Zebbug was indeed fortunate enough to celebrate their feast not only with their beloved statue of Saint Philip, but also with the literal physical presence of their patron Saint.

Saint Philip’s silver urn is registered as a national treasure by the Italian state and has never left the shores of Italy from the time it was specifically made in the sixteenth century to house the sacred remains of Saint Philip of Agira. This year, however, Zebbug was celebrating the 575th anniversary since the founding of the parish and the Zebbug local council decided to ensure that the silver urn would be brought to its community as a form of a gift to all its residents on their feast days.

‘It wasn’t as easy as it seems. We had been struggling with the related authorities for months so as to have in hand all the necessary permits issued on time for the historic trip to Malta. We had to use all our contacts in order to ensure that it happened on time,’ declared Zebbug Mayor Alfred Grixti. Council officers involved in the bringing of the silver urn to Malta also confirmed that, at times, the regional authorities in Palermo were inexplicably and without precedent, asking for documentation which, were it not for the gravity of the situation, bordered on the ridiculous. This was furthermore underlined merely a day before the silver urn was supposed to be transported to Malta when the authorities in question asked for a medical certificate of the sacred bones of Saint Philip which, to add insult to injury, had to be signed by his relatives.

Notwithstanding all the above, and even though the process was infinitely demanding, the Zebbug local council managed to keep its promise and, in a moving civil ceremony which saw all the Zebbug schoolchildren and a massive amount of Zebbug residents eagerly waiting for the sacred urn, the holy remains of Saint Philip of Agira were solemnly brought into Zebbug accompanied by a detachment of Police cavalry. A delegation of the Parish Church of Saint Philip of Agira led by Don Silvio Rotondo, the Parish priest, accompanied the silver urn in its entrance into Zebbug where it was duly presented to Zebbug mayor Alfred Grixti, while the civil band played the Maltese and Italian national anthems and the anthem of Saint Philip. After a procession throughout the streets of Zebbug, the mayor then presented the silver urn to the parish priest of Zebbug, Fr. Daniel Cordina, in order to ensure that the sacred urn would be part and parcel of the liturgical ceremonies forming part of the feast of Zebbug.

A commemorative marble slab was later unveiled in Sciortino Street by the mayors of Zebbug and Agira so as to enshrine this unique event in the annals of the city’s history. Under the watchful eye of the officers of the Saint Philip of Agira Association who accompanied the relic from Sicily, the silver urn was exposed for the devotion of the Zebbug residents in a number of churches in the community before it was solemnly transferred to the parish church. Huge crowds were the order of the day since many took the opportunity to pray and be close to the sacred relic during the feast days. The huge amount of people could especially be witnessed when the silver urn entered the parish church which was packed with residents and pilgrims who wanted to make sure that they were part of this unique experience.

“We are very satisfied with the warm welcome we received from the residents of Zebbug and the lovely and respectful manner in which Saint Philip’s holy relics were received,” confirmed Valerio Pelleriti, a high official of the Saint Philip of Agira Association.

“The Zebbug local council worked hand in hand with us from day one and we were very aware of their professionalism and respect during this project. I am very grateful that I formed part of this historic visit.”

In the meantime, the bringing of Saint Philip’s silver urn to Malta stirred up a great deal of media interest in Sicily. The influential Giornale di Enna published a number of articles and photos related to this unique event and throughout the presence of Saint Philip’s sacred relics in Malta, a news team and cameracrew from Azzura TV were based in Zebbug and extensively filmed the feast days throughout the weekend. “This is one practical method of creating synergy by means of our twinning with Agira,” concluded Zebbug mayor Alfred Grixti.

“In the coming months, we will be focusing on other fields of activities related to our twinning agreement, including cultural, social and economic spheres which will be beneficial to our community as a whole.”