At the National Shrine of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu, the rosary was prayed in a spirit of quiet contemplation, the principal intention being for peace in our world. In his reflection, Fr Fabio spoke of the Shrine as the “hope of the Maltese people — a place of miracles in the silence.” His words revealed a tender intimacy: “I came to meet my Mother, and I found her waiting. I came to talk with my Mother, and I found her listening. I went out, and I found her accompanying me.” In this Marian sanctuary, he entrusted once more his mission and the Salesian family to Our Lady’s care.

At the Cathedral of Gozo, he renewed his religious profession— a moment of profound gratitude and recommitment. Looking back to his years as a seminarian, he recalled: “Here I found priests who trusted and guided me. For them, I am eternally grateful.” He acknowledged that it is only through Mary’s presence that he can carry the weight of his new role in the Church: her intercession, he said, has been his strength.

The day — and indeed the entire visit — drew to a close at St George’s Basilica, Fr Fabio’s home parish. There, during the celebration of Vespers, he gave thanks for the spiritual and pastoral formation he received, and for the many guides and mentors who nurtured his Salesian vocation, even when he resisted the call.

Reflecting on the day’s Gospel, he posed to the faithful his characteristic, simple yet searching questions: “What type of servants are we? Do we keep the Lord in our sight so that we are able to serve others? Do we love the young people we serve, rather than criticising them?”

Presenting Don Bosco as a man deeply rooted in God, he concluded with a call to his confreres: to be servants “who not only listen for God, but listen to God; who not only speak about God, but speak to God.”

As the visit came to its close, the tone was not one of farewell, but of renewal. Over four days, Fr Fabio Attard’s return to his homeland became a pilgrimage through memory and mission — from the schools and oratories of youth to the sanctuaries of faith and the tables of fraternity. What emerged most clearly was a spirit of gratitude and service: a reminder that the Salesian heart beats wherever faith is lived as encounter, where community becomes family, and where love for the young remains the surest path to God.

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