Giuseppe Pace (translated in English into Joseph Pace) was the 7th Bishop of Gozo after

Mikiel Gonzi Sir#British and Commonwealth honorifics, Sir Michael Papal nobility#Papal counts and countesses, Count Gonzi (born Mikiel / Michele Gonzi: 13 May 1885 – 22 January 1984), was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Malta from 1944 until 1976. He had b ...

. He remained in office till his death in 1972.

History

Joseph Pace was born in Victoria, Malta on May 30, 1890, son of Giovanni Battista Pace and Cecilia Pace, niece of archbishop of Malta Pietro Pace. He was baptised at St. George's Basilica in Victoria on 1 June 1890 and was given the names Joseph Anthony and Giovanni. He studied at the Gozo Seminary, at that time managed by the Italian

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

. At 16, he passed to the Royal

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, ...

. After studying

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

for a year in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, he went to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to continue and expand his studies, where he graduated in

and

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

. He was ordained priest on either December 20 or August 3, 1913. In 1916, he was nominated as a canon of the Gozo Cathedral Chapter. In 1919, he continued his studies in Rome, where he graduated as a doctor in

Canonical Law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. Canon law includes the ...

. In 1924, Mgr. Michael Gonzi was appointed as bishop of Gozo, and Pace was chosen as his secretary. Amongst other posts, he served as rector of the Gozo Seminary and lecturer of Dogmatic Theology, Sacred Scriptures and History of the Church within the same seminary. He was also appointed as

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

of Gozo, Domestic Prelate, and General Vicar of Gozo.

Episcopate

On either November 1 or November 11, 1944, the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

appointed him as Bishop of Gozo. His consecration in the Gozo Cathedral was held on December 17, 1944, by then Archbishop of Malta and his predecessor

. He was installed as Bishop on April 8, 1945. He died while still in office on 31 March 1972 in Rabat. He had been a priest for over 58 years, and a bishop for over 27 years.

References

External links

Joseph Pace at Gozo Diocese.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pace, Giuseppe 1890 births 1972 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Malta People from Victoria, Gozo Roman Catholic bishops of Gozo