Bishop of Melbourne

Mons. Joe Grech was born in Balzan on the 10^th December 1948 in No55, Main Street. His father Lawrence died when Joe was only six years old. His mother Yvonne died in 1995. 

After some years in the Seminary in Malta Fr Joe went to Melbourne, Australia in January 1972 and continued his studies in the Corpus Christi Seminary in Glen Waverley and then moved on to Clayton. 

He received his ordination in Balzan on the 30^th November 1974. It was a Saturday in which a page of the History of Balzan was written, because since the church became a parish there was never an ordination in the Balzan Parish dedicated to the Annunciation. Apart from that it was the first ordination the Bishop Joseph Mercieca made when he was still an auxiliary Bishop. 

When he returned back to Australia,  Mons. Joe Grech served in the Parish of North Altona, Maidstone and Moone Ponds and after he spent a year as parish priest of East Brunswick. 

From 1990-1992 he went to study in Rome and when he returned back to Melbourne he was made parish priest of the Charismatic Movement of all Australia. 

Some time later, the present Bishop Mons. George Pell, made him Spiritual Director of the Diocese Seminary. 

On the 8^th January 1999 he concelebrated mass in our parish where he was given applause from the congregation present in the Church. After mass, the parish priest presented Mons. Joe Grech with a token, in the name of all the Balzan parishioners.