The Mdina Carmelite Priory has announced that the the procession and celebrations that were scheduled to take place in the piazza of St Paul’s Cathedral are cancelled due to the lack of volunteers who usually help in setting up the preparations for the feast.

The Marian celebration will now take place in the Church after the solemn concelebration that takes place on Sunday evening, led by the Provincial.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the priory said that despite reaching out to not less than five voluntary organisations, for reasons that one cannot control, these organisation could not offer their support.

“We sought to hire a contractor to take on the task of equipping the streets of Mdina with decorations and lights for a procession. Unfortunately, the amount charged for payment far exceeds our financial limits for feast expenses,” the priory said.

The feast has always been paid for through public donations.

“After discussing the matter and seeking advice, we saw that it made no sense to carry out the procession and hold a Marian celebration in the dark, while also spending a large amount of money for just an hour,” the priory said.