The past weeks have brought with them several feasts in the Augustinian Liturgical calendar. Among them are the feasts of Saint Augustine and Our Lady of the Girdle which were celebrated solemnly particularly in the Augustinian Churches of Valletta and Rabat in Malta, and Victoria in Gozo. For these feasts a program of liturgical celebrations was prepared through which we gave thanks to Lord for all that he has done with us through the intersession of his Mother Mary and our spiritual father Saint Augustine.
The festivities in Valletta reached their climax with the Parish Titular Feast which was celebrated on 3 September with the procession with the statue of Saint Augustine through the main streets of the City. The Feast of Our Lady of the Girdle in Valletta was celebrated on Saturday 26 August, while in Rabat it was then celebrated on Saturday 9 September. In the Church of Saint Augustine in Victoria Gozo both feasts were celebrated on their liturgical days, that is on August 28 and September 4. Apart from the particular days of the feasts, there were also days of preparation with various celebrations that offered reflections on the figures of Saint Augustine and the devotion of Our Lady under the title of Mother of Consolation (Our Lady of the Girdle) who is the patroness of the Augustinian Family.
On August 27 together with the universal Church we also celebrated the feast of Saint Monica, mother of Saint Augustine, while on September 10 then, the Augustinian liturgical Calendar marks the figure of Saint Nicholas from Tolentino who is the first Augustinian religious to be declared a saint. His feast day in the Church dedicated to him in Tarxien will be celebrated on Saturday 30 September.
Meanwhile during the month of September, several Parishes around Malta celebrated the feast of Our Lady of the Girdle with the last one being that of Gudja which will be celebrated on the last Sunday of October.