Mons Salvatore Gaffiero (1828 – 1906): The second Bishop from Senglea       Salvatore was born on the 8th March 1828 and on the 8th March 1840 he was appointed Canon of the Collegiate of Senglea. He was ordained as a priest by the Arch Bishop Publius Sant on the 20th December 1851 at the Co Cathedral of St John in Valletta. He preached all over Malta and delivered a lot of panegyrics of the titular feasts in most of the parishes of Malta. He devoted fourteen years of his priesthood as a priest in Senglea.

      For two separate periods, from 1855-1858 and from 1862-1865, he was the Provost of the Oratorians of the church of St Philip. In 1865 he was appointed Parish Priest of Gharghur in 1865 and he was transferred to Floriana as a Parish Priest in1868. On the 30th July 1875 Gaffiero was nominated as Monsignor of the Maltese Cathedral and on the 3rd August 1886 Pope Leo XIII appointed him his Prelate for Malta. Following a recommendation by the Arch Bishop Pietru Pace, Pope Leo XIII appointed Mons Gaffiero as auxiliary Bishop of Malta and as titular Bishop of Silimbija. This news made the people of Senglea very happy and proud. His consecration as Bishop took place on the 15th January 1899 at St John’s Co Cathedral in Valletta.

     During his eight years as Bishop he kept continual contact with Senglea, in fact he came to Senglea on various occasions to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation and every year he was invited to take part during the celebrations of the feast of Marija Bambina on the 8th September. On the 22nd December 1901, Bishop Gaffiero celebrated his Golden Jubilee as a priest in a ceremony at the Collegiate of Senglea. We can say that he was a Prelate who was admired by all because of his natural humility.

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