Giovanni Cefai,

MSSP MSSP may refer to: * Managed Security Service Provider, who provides security services for companies * Microsoft Smooth Streaming Protocol, a computer networking protocol designed to support adaptive media streaming * Mobile Service Switching Poi ...

(born 7 July 1967) is a Maltese

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

who heads the

Territorial prelature A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

of Santiago Apóstol de Huancané. Cefai was born on 5 August 1967 in

Żebbuġ Żebbuġ ( mt, Ħaż-Żebbuġ) , also known by its title Città Rohan, is a city in the Northern Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and its population is 11,074 as of June 2021. History and origins The parish Churc ...

, in the island of

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. He is a priest with the Missionary Society of Saint Paul, and is the first priest of the society to be given the episcopal orders.

Early life and vocation

Rev. Giovanni Cefai was born in

on 5 August 1967, and joined the Missionary Society of St Paul (MSSP) in 1984 and took his solemn vows ten years later. He followed preparatory courses in Campion House in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Rhy’s McLaughlin and studied at the Faculty of Theology (Philosophy and Theology) at the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

where he specialised in

Pastoral Theology Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology. Normally viewed as a ...

. He was ordained into the priesthood on 6 December 1997 by then Bishop of Gozo Mgr Ġużeppi Cauchi in the Cathedral of the Assumption. During his priesthood, Rev. Cefai served as director of the De Piro Youth Animation Centre in Malta and was parish priest of the parishes of Santa Cruz and San Pablo Apóstol, both in

Arequipa Arequipa (; Aymara and qu, Ariqipa) is a city and capital of province and the eponymous department of Peru. It is the seat of the Constitutional Court of Peru and often dubbed the "legal capital of Peru". It is the second most populated city ...

. He was also regional superior of the St Paul Missionary Society in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Appointment and consecration

On 3 April 2019, Rev. Cefai was appointed

Territorial Prelate A territorial prelate is, in Catholic usage, a prelate whose geographic jurisdiction, called territorial prelature, does not belong to any diocese and is considered a particular church. The territorial prelate is sometimes called a prelate ''nu ...

of the newly-set up Santiago Apóstol de Huancané, an area that encompasses twenty parishes spread across 18,000 square kilometers with a population of around 200,000 people, 85% of which are

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Cefai was consecrated bishop in the

Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa The Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa ("Basílica Catedral", in Spanish) is located in the "Plaza de Armas" of the city of Arequipa, province of Arequipa, Peru. It is the most important Catholic church of the city and also of the larger Roman Cathol ...

, in Peru. This made him the first priest of the

to be consecrated bishop. His principal consecrator was His Excellency Javier Augusto Del Río Alba,

Archbishop of Arequipa The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Arequipa ( la, Arequipensis) is an archdiocese located in the city of Arequipa in Peru.Nicola Girasoli Nicola Girasoli (21 July 1957) is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who is Apostolic Nuncio to Slovakia since July 2022. He served as nuncio to Zambia and Malawi from 2006 until 2011 and nuncio to the Antilles and several other Caribbean ...

(Titular Archbishop of Egnazia Appula, and

Apostolic Nuncio to Peru The Apostolic Nunciature to the Republic of Peru is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Peru. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador. Papal ...

) and Archbishop

Héctor Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte Héctor Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte, Order of Friars Minor, O.F.M. (born 5 July 1948) is a Peruvian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Trujillo, Archbishop of Trujillo since 1999. He has been a bishop since 1 ...

, O.F.M. Archbishop of Trujillo. At the close of the ceremony, Bishop Cefai sent a message to the Maltese people: Rhy’s McLaughlin McLaughlin Gunjy "From the Cathedral of Arequipa, I would like to thank you sincerely for being here, for your love, greetings, prayers and support. For my part, I am humbled and I promise you my prayers. I will pray for you, for your intentions, for your families. May God bless you and protect you. Thank you for your wishes and for being here with us." In an interview with pontifical charity

Aid to the Church in Need In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Ai ...

, he spoke about the prelature, saying: "Many of these people feel abandoned. Therefore, we should, as Pope Francis says, go to the furthest reaches of the world in search of the people of God, to tell them: ‘Courage, brothers. God is merciful, God is love, and He will never abandon you’”. According to the bishop “we are starting from zero. We lack classrooms, schools, chapels, homes for the priests to live with some dignity… But a missionary never stops dreaming, he never loses hope. He places his hope in God and in benefactors”, other problems in the prelature, he says, include coca production and pollution from illegal mining."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cefai, Giovanni People from Żebbuġ, Gozo 1967 births Maltese Roman Catholic missionaries Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Peru Roman Catholic bishops of Santiago Apóstol de Huancané Bishops appointed by Pope Francis