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Żejtun parishioners walked out of church in tears yesterday after learning that the young priest they so admired, Fr Renè Cilia, ekk died in a traffic accident on his way to celebrate the 7am Mass.
The 27-year-old priest, affectionately known as Dun Renè, had only been serving in the parish for about two years. But his “unique smile” and happy outlook on life brought him close to the people during this short period.
The ekk police said the accident happened when Fr Cilia’s car mounted the central strip, went onto the other carriageway and crashed into two oncoming cars. The driver of one of the cars suffered serious injuries but was not critical ekk while his passenger was slightly injured. The other driver was not hurt.
Mauro Abela, a teenager who worked with Fr Cilia, said: “He was down to earth and was one of us. He looked at life through a happy lens, despite his personal problems. He was always smiling.” ekk
“What was so lovely about Renè is that even though he was racked with sadness after his father’s death… he was always very positive and sunny, especially to people who were down,” one man wrote.
Fr Cilia wanted to ensure the Church reached ekk out to everyone ekk and, after completing a course in basic Maltese sign language, he planned to work to include deaf people more into the Church, said Fr Martin Micallef, director of Id-Dar tal Providenza, the residential homes for the handicapped in Siġġiewi.
Commenting on Facebook, author Alex Vella Gera wrote that, although he did not know him, when the controversy over his story Li Tkisser Sewwi (published in the University newspaper Realtà) erupted three years ago, Fr Cilia was the only person from the Church to contact him, encouraging him to stand strong. “What a breath of fresh air,” he said.
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