Roman Catholic Archbishop. The son of Francesco Pace and Margerita Stellini, Monsignor Pietro Pace entered seminary in Malta, with Rev. Francesco Mercieca, aiding him financially to cover the expenses for his studies. Sent over to Rome, he frequented the faculty of theology of the La Sapienza University, earning a doctorate on November 13, 1852. Ordained priest there on December 17, 1853, he remained in Rome, furthering his studies in civil and canon laws in which he graduated on June 26, 1856. He also earned a degree in Oriental languages, winning a gold medal donated by Pope Pius IX. Serving in the meantime as tutor to the children of the influential Orsini family as well as secretary to Cardinals Vincenzo Santucci, prefect of the of Sacred Congregation of Studies, and Antonio Maria Panebianco OFM. Conv., of the Roman Curia, he was called back to his native island by fellow Gozitan Msgr. Gaetano Pace Forno OSA., and appointed to the teaching staff of the seminary of Malta. Arriving in September 1858, he was named professor of dogmatic theology and Holy Scripture. During this period, Gozo still formed part of the diocese of Malta, but acceding to requests by the clergy and the people, Pope Pius IX, erected it into a separate exempt diocese immediately subject to the Holy See. Pace, along with two other priests, Canons Michelangelo Garroni and Gaetano Bondi, were the ones who discussed the possibility for the erection of a separate diocese with the named Pontiff, aided by Sir Adriano Dingli, Crown Advocate of Malta, himself being of Gozitan descent. After the Colonial Office in London gave its approval on October 25, 1860, Pace was at the same time evening out all difficulties at the Vatican. Going to Rome from time to time, especially during his summer periods of rest, Pace oversaw the fulfillment of the Gozitans' request, with the Pontiff erecting the diocese on September 22, 1864 with the bull "Singulari Amore", appointed Msgr. Michele Francesco Buttigieg as its first ordinary, having been elected the previous year, auxiliary for the diocese of Malta with residence however in Gozo. With Pietro Pace appointed vicar general of the newly erected diocese, through his efforts a diocesan seminary was established on the site formerly occupied by the San Giuliano Hospital, which inaugurated on November 3, 1866, by the express desire of Pius IX was placed under the direction of the Jesuit Fathers. Canon of the capitular chapter of the diocese of Malta, Pace kept lecturing dogmatic theology at the see's seminary and moral theology at the Royal University. Named domestic prelate of His Holiness on November 25, 1869 and referendary of the Apostolic Signatura, following Buttigieg's death in 1866 the episcopal seat was succeeded by Msgr. Antonio Grech-Delicata and upon his death in 1876, arrived Pace's turn to succeed as the third ordinary of the diocese, receiving his episcopal consecration at the church of San Carlo al Corso in Rome from Cardinal Edward Henry Howard on April 8, 1877. Making his ingression on the following July 2, Pace played a part in the initiation of two female religious congregations: the Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of Jesus and the Congregation of Dominican Sisters and also assisted as spiritual director to Mother Teresa Nuzzo in her foundation of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart. Fundamental in having the British Colonial Government initiate a subsidized regular steamboat service from Mġarr, Gozo, to the Grand Harbour in Malta, he was a front runner for women's rights and a staunch benefactor to the cathedral church of his diocese, enlarging the sacristy and creating the present square in front of stairs leading to the matrice, after buying out of his own expenses, all the houses then in existence in front of the church, which he then demolished to create such space. Endowing the same cathedral church with marble pavement, he left it a large set of silver utensils, housed to this day in the cathedral museum. With Pope Leon XIII appointing him bishop of Malta and titular archbishop of Rhodes on February 11, 1889, making his ingression at the cathedral of Imdina on the following July 22nd, his tenure was crowned by the successful celebrations of the XXIV Eucharistic Congress held in Malta in 1913 under the presidency of Cardinal Domenico Ferrata as legate of Pope Pius X, held between April 23 and 27 of that year. Notwithstanding that Pace was by then eighty two years of age and already in frail health, he took care in organizing and participating in all the activities. Given a grand acclamation on the occasion of his eightieth birthday by the people of both Malta and Gozo, in July 1914 the Archbishop visited his native island. Suffering from bronchopneumonia, he succumbed to a heart attack in his family's residence at 70, Strada Conservatorio, Victoria, where he was born, which street presently carries his name, after receiving the last rites from his nephew, Msgr. Giuseppe Grima, on Wednesday, July 29, 1914 at 5.50 am. In accordance with his wishes, he was buried in the cathedral church of his native island after being given a funeral with great pomp. Knight commander of the Royal Victorian Order and honorary brigadier general of the of the Royal Troops, While large crowds lined the whole route of the funeral from Saint Francis Square to the cathedral, neither the Governor, Sir Leslie Rundle, nor Admiral Sir Berkeley Milne, Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces, were present for the funeral and the archbishop was neither accorded the military honours as befitted a brigadier general. The governor did however send a beautiful bouquet of dahlia. Their absence was not due to lack of respect, but to the fact that the naval forces were on high alert due to the rapidly deteriorating political situation in Europe. Three days later in fact, the
United Kingdom entered into war with Germany, enabling the locals to initiate saying: "Morto Pace, finì la pace". With Msgr. Giovanni Maria Camilleri OSA., presiding the rites and Msgr. Giuseppe Farrugia "Tal-Vers" delivering the funeral oration, Pace's funeral mass was sung de Requiem under the direction of Vincenzo Bugeja with music of Francesco Azopardi. The prelate was interred in a vault belonging to his late brother Canon Antonio (1815 - 1879), to the left of the chapel of Saint Joseph in an oak casket lined with zinc from the inside. On the twenty fifth anniversary of his death, the capitular chapter of the cathedral decided to exhume his remains and place them in a specifically constructed monument designed by Antonio Sciortino, but as his body, having been buried in zinc, was found not completely decomposed, he was temporarily buried in the bishops' vault inside the cathedral crypt from were a year and a half later, the remains placed in the definitive monument built for the purpose, inside a box of lead. The monument was unveiled and blessed by Bishop Michael Gonzi on July 29, 1940 in the presence of many.