Antonius Grech Delicata Testaferrata

His Excellency Antonius Grech Delicata Testaferrata
Bishop of Gozo
Church	Roman Catholic
Diocese	Gozo
Appointed	24 September 1868
In office	1869-1876
Predecessor	Michael Franciscus Buttigieg
Successor	Pietro Pace
Orders
Ordination	19 October 1845
Consecration	14 July 1867 by Lodovico Altieri
Rank	Bishop
Personal details
Born	February 21, 1823 Valletta, Malta
Died	December 31, 1876 (aged 53) Valletta, Malta
Nationality	Maltese
Previous post	Titular Bishop of Calydon (1867-1868) Apostolic Administrator of Gozo (1867-1868)

Antonius Grech Delicata Testaferrata (21 February 1823 - 31 December 1876) was a Maltese bishop who became the second Bishop of Gozo in 1868.

Grech Delicata Testaferrata was born in Valletta Malta on February 21, 1823 and was baptized in the Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck in Valletta. He was ordained priest of the Diocese of Malta on October 19, 1845.

Episcopacy

In 1867 Pope Pius IX appointed him as the Titular Bishop of Calydon. Grech Delicata Testaferrata was consecrated by Cardinal Lodovico Altieri on July 14, 1867 in the chapel of Villa Lante al Gianicolo in Rome.^[1] On November 16 of the same year he was appointed as the Apostolic Administrator of Gozo. He succeeded Paolo Micallef as administrator who was later was appointed as Archbishop of Pisa in 1871. The see of Gozo was vacant for two years after the death of its bishop Michael Franciscus Buttigieg. It was in 1868 that Bishop Grech Delicata Testaferrata was appointed as the official bishop of the Bishop of Gozo.^[2] He was formally installed in the cathedral on January 24, 1869. He spent the remaining seven years as the Bishop of Gozo until 31 December 1876 when he died in Valletta.

References

1. "Antonius Grech Delicata Testaferrata", Diocese of Gozo website, Malta. Retrieved on 31 March 2014.
2. "Bishop Antonius Grech-Delicata-Testaferrata", Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved on 31 March 2014.