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Francis Xavier Mercieca, more commonly known as Frenċ tal-Għarb, was born in the village of Għarb in Gozo, Malta on the 3 December 1892. He is Gozo's most famous faith healer, and an apostle of Our Lady of Ta' Pinu. His parents, Salvu Mercieca and Beneditta née Mercieca, reared a family of twelve children. Like most other families in Gozo, Mercieca's family had also a nickname; they were known as “Tas-Sajf”, literally meaning “Of Summer”.〔Camilleri Salv, Dokumenti ta’ Taghrif Storiku, Gharb, Gozo ff.28 & 56〕 ==Early life== From an early age Frenċ had to work in the fields of his family. His primary education came to a halt at the age of twelve years because, as he stated ''his father required his services in the fields from dusk till dawn''.〔Bonnici Alexander, Frenc tal-Gharb, 1892-1967), Gozo 1975, 32〕 In 1917, his father died at the age of 75. Some members of Frenċ's family emigrated, whilst others got married. Frenċ was influenced by the kind-hearted and pious character of his mother Beneditta. During the years of World War I (1914–1918), she would often share her crops with other villagers, thus alleviating the problems of famine in other families. The kind-heartedness of Frenċ's family is also shown by the fact that they accommodated in their household two priests: Rev. Can Paul Custo`〔Bonnici Alexander, Frenc tal-Gharb, 1892-1967), Gozo 1975, 29〕 and Rev. Nazju Axiak. The latter lived with the family from 1920 till his death in 1947.〔Bonnici Alexander, Frenc tal-Gharb, 1892-1967), Gozo 1975, 35〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Frenċ tal-Għarb」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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