Salvatore Gaffiero (8 March 1828 - 8 December 1906) was a Maltese prelate who served as Auxiliary Bishop of Malta from 1899 until his death in 1906.

Early days

Gaffiero was born in Senglea,

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 ...

to Salvatore Gaffiero and Concetta Cachia. At the age of 12, he was appointed Canon of the Collegiate of Senglea.

Priesthood

He was ordained to the priesthood by the Archbishop

Publio Maria Sant Publio Maria Sant (26 August 1779 – 28 October 1864) was a Maltese prelate who became bishop of Malta in 1847. Biography Sant was born into a noble family in Valletta on August 26, 1779. His father, Giovanni Francesco, was the 2nd Count Sant w ...

on 20 December 1851 at

St John's Co-Cathedral St John's Co-Cathedral ( mt, Kon-Katidral ta' San Ġwann) is a Roman Catholic co-cathedral in Valletta, Malta, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was built by the Order of St. John between 1573 and 1578, having been commissioned by Grand Ma ...

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

. He joined the Oratorians of St Philip Neri in Senglea and was elected as their Provost for two different terms, serving the office between 1855 and 1858 and 1862 till 1865. In 1865 Gaffiero was appointed Parish Priest of

Għargħur Għargħur ( mt, Ħal Għargħur) is a village in the Northern Region, Malta, Northern Region of Malta. It is situated on a hilltop between two valleys, and it has a population of 2,768 as of March 2014. Għargħur Festa In Malta, each village ...

. Two years later, 1868, he was transferred as Parish Priest of

Floriana Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana i ...

. In 1875, he was appointed Canon of the Cathedral Chapter of

Imdina Mdina ( mt, L-Imdina ; phn, 𐤌𐤋𐤈, Maleṭ; grc, Μελίττη, Melíttē; ar, مدينة, Madīnah; ), also known by its Italian-language titles ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortified city in the Northern Region of M ...

. In 1885 the Diocese of Malta was administered by Monsignor Antonio Maria Buhagiar due to the illness that the bishop,

Carmelo Scicluna Carmelo Scicluna (3 August 1800 – 12 July 1888) was a Maltese prelate and count who served as the Titular Archbishop of Rhodes and Bishop of Malta from 1875 till 1888. Archbishop Scicluna was born in Qormi on 3 August 1800. He was ordaine ...

, was suffering from. That year Buhagiar appointed Gaffiero as his Vicar General.

Episcopacy

On 28 November 1898,

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

, on the advice of Archbishop Pietro Pace, appointed Gaffiero as the Auxiliary Bishop of Malta and Titular Bishop of Selymbria."Bishop Salvatore Gaffiero"
''Catholic Hierarchy''. Retrieved on 16 April 2014. Thus he was the second bishop from Senglea, the first being

Ferdinando Mattei Ferdinando Mattei (24 July 1761 – 14 July 1829) was a Maltese prelate who was appointed bishop of Malta in 1807 and Archbishop of Rhodes (before the year 1823). Mattei was born in Senglea Malta on 24 July 1761. After being ordained priest, M ...

. He was consecrated on 15 January 1889 by Archbishop Pietro Pace in

, spending the remaining 7 years as bishop. He died on the feast of the Immaculate Conception in 1906.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaffiero, Salvatore 1828 births 1906 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Malta People from Senglea Auxiliary bishops of Malta