Fr Julian Refalo Rapa

Aaron Attard-Hili writes: Fr Julian Refalo Rapa is no more. The pealing of the Xagħra church bells announced the demise of the 93-year-old priest on the morning of August 26. He was an exceptional figure among the strong Xagħra village community as well as throughout the educational and pastoral history of the island of Gozo. His life was a flurry of activity towards the betterment of his native village of Xagħra and its villagers. He was involved in a number of the Xagħra and Gozo diocesan groups. Hailing from a family closely knit in the workings of the parish church, he was drawn towards the pastoral care since his early age. He was named Julian after his uncle, Canon Fr Julian Rapa, who died in 1918. He followed in his uncle’s footsteps by serving as an altar boy and then becoming a seminarian, in 1944. He dropped out in 1946 and became a teacher in 1947. Four years later, he married his beloved Carmela and they had three children. He was widowed at the age of 63. In his early stages of his teaching career he was awarded a scholarship at Loughborough Training College of Education in the UK. On his return in 1953 he was made in charge of physical education classes in all...