Walter Michael Ebejer (3 August 1929 – 11 June 2021) was a Maltese-born Brazilian missionary, lecturer and a bishop of the Catholic church. From 1977 to 2007 he served as Bishop of União da Vitória in Brazil.

Biography

Ebejer was born in

Dingli Dingli ( mt, Ħad-Dingli) is a village in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 3,865 as of 2021. It is from the capital Valletta and two kilometers () from the nearest town, Rabat. The village lies on a plateau some 250 metre ...

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 ...

on 3 August 1929. He joined the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...

and pursued his studies at St Thomas Aquinas College in

Rabat, Malta Rabat ( mt, Ir-Rabat, ) is a town in the Northern Region of Malta, with a population of 11,497 as of March 2014. It adjoins the ancient capital city of Mdina, and a north-western area formed part of the Roman city of Melite until its mediev ...

and then continued with his education in the UK. On 24 January 1954, Ebejer was ordained priest of the

at the age of 24. In 1956 he graduated in philosophy and theology from St Thomas Aquinas College in Rabat and later, in 1973, he graduated and acquired his licence in theology summa cum laude from the Angelicum in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. In 1957 Ebejer went to Brazil as missionary in the state of

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goi ...

. From 1961 until 1969 he did pastoral work in north of Parana and was superior of Maltese Dominican order from 1969 until 1973. Later he was appointed lecturer at the Pontifical Catholic University of Parana and at the Studium Theologicum Catholic University. He also became the parish priest at Matinhos which has some 50 kilometres of shore. He served in this post until 1976. In 1976

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

appointed Ebejer the first bishop of the Diocese of União da Vitória. On 6 March 1977 he was consecrated bishop by Archbishop

Carmine Rocco Carmine Rocco (12 April 1912 – 12 May 1982) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who devoted his entire career to the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He became an archbishop in 1961 and served as an Apostolic Nuncio from 1959 until h ...

, the then

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

. After 30 years as shepherd of the diocese he retired at the age of 77, in January 2007. He died at the age of 91.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebejer, Walter Michael 1929 births 2021 deaths Maltese Roman Catholic missionaries 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Brazil Dominican bishops People from Dingli 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Brazil Roman Catholic bishops of União da Vitória People from União da Vitória