KERCEM lies in the southwest of the island of Gozo and counts a population of about 1,700 people. The name Kercem may be derived from a family who in ancient times owned some lands in the area.  Human activity in its territory can be traced back to the punic era, evidences being the Punic Sanctuary and punic remains recorded to be found during the excavations prior the building of the parish church.  In the seventeenth century there was a numerous population in the Santa Katerina hamlet.  But the population began to be steady and increasing by the beginning of the ninettenth century, when invasions by turks were no longer feared.  A popular chapel in the limits was that of Saint Gregory in the Ghar Gerduf area, whose origins date back to the fifteenth century.  Once a year, a pilgrimige from the matrice church in Victoria reached the chapel, in which took part all the population of Gozo.  After a steady growth in population, a new bigger church was needed, and for this project Frangisk and Rosa Camilleri donated a piece of their land and contributed financially for the building.  The first stone was laid in 1846 and in 1851, the new church was blessed and dedicated to Saint Gregory the Great.  On the 10 th March 1885, Pope Leo XIII erected the parish of Kercem.  In this same year, following petitions by the parishioners, the ecclesiastical authorities declared Our Lady of Perpetual Help as co-patron of Kercem together with Saint Gregory – a unique privilege granted in the maltese islands.  From that time on, the Kercem people began celebrating two titular feasts: on the second Sunday of March the feast of Saint Gregory, while on the second Sunday of July that of Our Lady.

By the passing of time, the feast of Our Lady went on increasing more and more.  In 1897 a new titular statue was brought from Marseille, replacing the previous one carved in wood.  Also from Marseille, in 1904, the processional statue of Saint Gregory was brought.  Parish priest Portelli, after enlarging the church and building the cupola, began furnishing the church with all that was necessary for the celebration of two titular solemnities.  This task was completed by parish priest Grima who brought in Kercem the finest possible items to furnish the church with.  In the year 1946, great centenary celebrations were held to commemorate the laying of the church’s first stone.  For that occasion the hymn Alla Beatissima Vergine del Soccorso composed by Willie Attard was played for the first time.  Also in that year, several street decorations were commisioned, namely the statues of the twelve apostles in front of the church.  In 1946 Grezzju Tabone brought a new statue of Our Lady to be used in the external festivities.  From that time on, the same statue is carried on shoulder in a manifestation on the last tridum from the Ghajn Tuta zone.  Another memorable feast is certainly that of 1985, commemorating the first centenary from the erection of the parish, when amongst others, the titular image of Our Lady was crowned with a precious crown.  Then in 1991, parish priest Debrincat brought five new bells for the church, which continue to complete the festa atmosphere with their ringing.

Like in the rest of all other towns and villages in Malta, in Kercem the religious and social activity reaches its zenith by festa time.  It is a time when all parishioners get together to celebrate their patron saint.  Having two titular feasts, Kercem is a unique case:  while the feast of Saint Gregory remained rather concentrated on the liturgical and spiritual aspect with a tone of penance, that of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is solemnly celebrated not only in the church but even with numerous traditional external manifestations.  Amongst the groups directly involved in the festa celebrations in Kercem one can find the Festa Comitee, the Saint Gregory Band Club established in 1997, and Ghaqda Zghazagh Armar (Youth Association for Festa decorations).

Ghaqda Zghazagh Armar was officially founded on the 29 th July 1991 by a group of young festa enthusiasts who felt the necessity of an association to bring together the Kercem youth.  The principal aims of Ghaqda Zghazagh Armar are to administrate the festa external decorations, to promote culture and folklore in Kercem and to bring together young people.  During the past years, this group not only increased in number and became more organized, but gave a substantial contribution in the festa’s increasing popularity.  Amongst great projects carried out one can name the decoration of several streets with lighting, and the traditional pavaljuni and bandalori, new wooden decorated plinths for the external papier-mache statues, and the restoration and re-decoration of old furnishings.  In 1998, the association commissioned a new statue known popularly as taz-Zewg, showing Kercem’s patron saints, which statue is carried in festive demonstration with band marches organized by the youth in the second tridum day.  Another remarkable initiative by Ghaqda Zghazagh Armar was to use and administrate the parish centre as a place where young people can meet to learn, work and enjoy themselves together. Another activity is carried out all year long in the workshop where a number of youths meet to create new decorations for the feast.  Most naturally, the peak of Ghaqda Zghazagh Armar‘s activity is reached during festa time, when its members decorate all the village’s streets; and then let them enjoy the feast they love so much!