Francis George Adeodatus Micallef Explained

Type:Bishop
Honorific-Prefix:His Excellency
Francis George Adeodatus Micallef
Honorific-Suffix:OCD
Apostolic Vicar Emeritus of Kuwait
Church:Roman Catholic
See:Kuwait
Appointed:5 November 1981
Term:1981–2005
Term Start:15 January 1982
Term End:14 July 2005
Predecessor:Victor León Esteban San Miguel y Erce
Successor:Camillo Ballin
Other Post:Apostolicus Vicariatus Arabiae Septentrionalis
Ordination:9 May 1954
Consecration:6 January 1982
Consecrated By:John Paul II
Rank:Bishop
Birth Name:Francis George Micallef
Birth Date:1928 12, df=yes
Birth Place:Birkirkara, Malta
Death Place:Birkirkara, Malta
Nationality:Maltese
Partner:-->
Motto:Magnus Deus Noster

Francis George Adeodatus Micallef (17 December 1928 – 3 January 2018) was a Maltese Discalced Carmelite and a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served for twenty-three years as an Apostolic Vicar of Kuwait.

Biography

Micallef was born in Birkirkara on 17 December 1928 to George and Marianna Micallef. In 1947, he joined the order of Discalced Carmelites, and in 1951, he took his final vows and was professed as a member of the order. On 9 May 1954, Micallef was ordained priest.[1]

After finishing his studies in Rome, he returned to Malta, where he taught moral theology. Once in Malta, he served as the Superior of the Monastery, Master of Novices, and finally as the Provincial Superior of Maltese Discalced Carmelite Province. From 1979-81, he was rector of the Carmelite International College in Rome.[2]

On 5 November 1981, Pope John Paul II appointed Micallef as the third Apostolic Vicar of Kuwait. He was consecrated by the Pope himself on the feast of the Epiphany 1982. On 15 January of the same year, he was officially installed as the Apostolic Vicar of Kuwait and Titular Bishop of Tinis in Proconsulari. Micallef remained in Kuwait City during the 1990 Iraqi invasion, one of the few Westerners to do so.

Last years and death

Bishop Micallef retired on 14 July 2005 and was succeeded by Bishop Camillo Ballin. On 20 October, Bishop Micallef bade farewell to the Vicariate at a special ceremony in the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Kuwait City.[3] Bishop Micallef died on 3 January 2018 in his native Malta.

Notes and References

  1. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmicallef.html "Bishop Francis George Adeodatus Micallef, OCD"
  2. http://www.avona.org/kuwait/bishop_micallef.htm#.Uys5WPldUTl "H.L. Bishop Francis Adeodatus Micallef, OCD, Third Vicar Apostolic of Kuwait"
  3. Plunkett, John."Bishop Francis Micallef Bids farewell to Kuwait", The Malta Independent, 30 October 2005; retrieved 20 March 2014.