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On Thursday the 15^th of June, another formational year came to an end. The day before, the Seminarians did their last exam. Then, on Wednesday evening, the Seminary community did a conclusive evaluative session. This session was followed by the celebration of mass preceded by the Rector Can. Richard N. Farrugia in the presence of the formators, the sisters, the seminarians and their families.

On Thursday morning, the seminarians gathered at Manresa Retreat House in Victoria together with their Spiritual Director, fr Tony Calleja SJ, for the annual revision de vie; an exercise during which they reflected upon their spiritual and personal growth during the past year.

On Saturday 11^th of June, seminarian Matthew Bajada, who hails from the parish of Għarb, made a solemn profession of faith and took the vows of celibacy and obedience, at Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary. This was done prior to his Diaconate Ordination. The ceremony started with the prayer of the rosary in the old chapel of Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary and was attended by the Rector Can. Richard Farrugia, the Vice-Rector Fr. Samuel Grech, the Seminarians and the Franciscan sisters of the Seminary community.

On Monday 23rd May, the Seminary Community bid farewell to Sr Mary Borg FCJ after her service to the house of priestly formation came to an end. From September 2019, Sr Mary had been part of the community of Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of Jesus residing within the Seminary. Throughout the past three years, she served her life of prayer and work with a sense of disponibility.

As a thanksgiving to God, a mass was celebrated at the Seminary chapel in the presence of the Seminary formators, the Provincial Mother Sr Claudia Zammit, the Seminary community and several workers and volunteers of the Seminary. The mass was followed by dinner, where recognition gifts were given to Sr Mary.

On Friday, 20^th May, Deacon Gabriel Vella, who hails from the parish of Qala, was ordained priest by the Bishop of Gozo, Mgr. Bishop Anton Teuma, at the Gozo Cathedral. The ordination was well attended by several priests, members of the Seminary community, members of the Qala parochial community, Gabriel’s family and friends, and other laypeople.

The day before, Thursday 19^th May, a prayer vigil was organised at the Seminary as a spiritual preparation. The meditations during the vigil were made by the Rector Can. Richard Farrugia and were taken from the Biblical passage of Judges 6:11-24. Fr. Gabriel chose this Biblical passage as one of the readings in his priestly ordination and his diaconal ordination that happened a year ago. During the last part of the vigil, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, and the ordinand Gabriel made a public prayer in front of our Lord. This was followed by the Eucharistic Benediction. Finally, the vigil was concluded with a short message from Mgr Anton Teuma.

On Sunday, 15^th May, the Seminarians organised the annual ‘Festa Abbatini’ after a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Altar boys from all over Gozo, together with their families, attended the activity held on the parvis of the Madonna ta’ Pinu Sanctuary.

The event started around 5.15 pm with two simultaneous meetings, one for the altar boys and other children who were present addressed by the Seminarians, and the other for their parents addressed by both the rector and the vice-rector of the Seminary.

The meeting for the young ones was inspired by Pope Francis’ words in his address to the Gozitan faithful during his visit to the island. The phrase chosen was: “You are a treasure in the Church and for the Church. I repeat: You are a treasure in the Church and for the Church.” At the end of the meeting, the altar boys were then invited into the Sanctuary to pray to Our Lady.

The activity proceeded on the parvis of the Sanctuary, where the altar boys participated in various fun activities. The activity ended at around 7.30 pm.  

On Saturday 14^th May, the community left the Seminary early in the morning for its annual pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu at Għarb. On their way to the Sanctuary, the community recited the prayer of the Rosary, the prayer advocated by the Virgin Mother. When they arrived at the Sanctuary, the community retreated to the inner chapel, where Mass was celebrated by the vice-rector, Fr Samuel Grech. After reading the Gospel, Deacon Gabriel Vella renewed the vows he took a year before when he was about to be ordained Deacon.

The Priestly Ordination of Deacon Gabriel is to be celebrated in the Gozo Cathedral on Friday 17^th May.

On Thursday, 5^th May 2022, the seminarians organised a vocational outreach at Victoria’s Sacred Heart Minor Seminary. The outreach consisted of four meetings, one for each student’s year. During the meeting, the seminarians emphasised the importance of being aware that God calls every person and that with this call comes the responsibility to hear and respond to it. Some of the seminarians shared their vocational experiences; that is how they heard God’s call and responded to it.

This outreach was part of the Diocese’s vocational drive in all the secondary and post-secondary schools of Gozo in preparation for Vocation Sunday held on 8th May.

On Tuesday 27^th April 2022, a moral case study concerning liberty and conditioning regarding the human moral act was presented by seminarian Anthony Joe Borg. This moral case study was presented as part of the Moral Theology course entitled “Human Moral Act”, whose lecturer is Mgr. Anton Borg.

First, the case was read, and it was about a female youth who started taking drugs after a relationship breakup. Her friends argued about how free she was to decide to start using drugs. Following the reading of the case, seminarian Borg presented his paper as an answer. He started by presenting the teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the human moral act. This was followed by presenting the role of the conscience in the human moral act, including the particular aspects of an individual’s character. Finally, seminarian Borg mentioned accidental conditioning with the human act.

This moral case study was attended by seminarians, formators, and priests from the Diocese of Gozo.

On Wednesday 27^th April, a meeting about the spirituality of Charles de Foucauld was organised for the Seminary community. The meeting was addressed by Fr Alex Cauchi, a member of the Gozitan Priestly Fraternity of Charles de Foucauld.

Fr Cauchi started with a brief note about the life of the saintly priest. He mentioned that Charles de Foucauld was a cavalry officer in the French Army, then an explorer and geographer, and finally, a Catholic priest and hermit who lived among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. De Foucauld was born on 15^th September 1858 and died through assassination on the 1^st December 1916. His inspiration and writings led to the founding of the Little Brothers of Jesus and the Little Sisters of the Poor, among other religious congregations.

Fr Cauchi continued the meeting with a personal note, sharing his encounter with the spirituality of de Foucauld. He also told the Seminarians about the Gozitan Priestly Fraternity of Charles de Foucauld and emphasised how important it is for priests to have fraternal moments with other priests.

Charles de Foucauld is considered by many faithful to be a martyr. His beatification process started in 1927, eleven years after his death. He was declared Venerable on 24^th April 2001 by Pope John Paul II, then Blessed on 13^th November 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI. On 27^th May 2020, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis would declare de Foucauld a saint on 15^th  May 2022.

Lent is an important period in the liturgical year that enables the faithful to deeply examine their lives and respond to the invite of conversion while preparing to celebrate the Pascal mystery. The Seminary community was offered several opportunities to reap the spiritual benefits of Lent.

The daily programme of the Seminary dedicated more time to prayer, including the Mid Day prayer, the Via Crucis, and the Via Matris. On Wednesdays and Fridays, the community skipped lunch to exercise fasting. On Fridays, after dinner, a lengthy adoration took place that included a reflection by the rector and the adoration of the Cross. The Seminary formators shared a reflection on the day’s Liturgy of the Word during daily mass. In the early morning of Thursday 31^st March, the community prayed the Via Crucis and celebrated mass on the iconic Ta’ Għammar hill. Apart from these initiatives, the Liturgical and Missionary Group organised a charity collection for Gozo’s secondary schools and the community itself to help the mission of the Ursuline sisters with children in need.

Unfortunately, the Seminary community had to spend the last days of Lent in quarantine. For this reason, the penitential celebration and fraternal correction had to be cancelled. However, the yearly spiritual retreat during the first days of Holy Week was adapted into an online format. The community will return to the Seminary on Monday 25^th April, after having a week of holidays.

During the weekend of 2^nd and 3^rd April 2022, the much-awaited visit by Pope Francis to Malta and Gozo took place. The Seminary community was busy on that weekend. On Saturday morning, the Seminarians left Gozo early to attend the rehearsals on the Floriana Granaries for the Papal mass that took place the day after. In the afternoon, the Seminary community attended the Pope’s visit to Ta’ Pinu where he met the faithful of Gozo.

On Sunday morning, the community left again to Malta to attend the final rehearsals for the Papal mass and eventually participate in the mass itself. Before mass, Pope Francis greeted the Seminarians one by one. After mass, the community had lunch with the  Maltese Seminary community at their Seminary. Finally, both communities had the opportunity to take a group photo with Pope Francis at the Nunciature.

From the beginning of Lent, the Seminary community read on each day a reflection from the Pope’s teaching on the theme of the Mercy of God. These reflections were collected in a booklet by the Diocese of Gozo as part of the Diocese’s pastoral plan.

Photos: Reno Rapa Photograpy; Pope Francis in Malta.

On Wednesday 9^th March, a meeting about the Spirituality and Mission of the Legion of Mary was organised for the Seminary community. Mr Alfred Grech, a lay member of the Legion of Mary, was invited to conduct the meeting. Mr Grech explained the beginning of the Legion of Mary by the Irish founder, Frank Duff, and how the Marian spirituality formed by Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort was adopted. The meeting continued with an explanation of the now well-organised structure of the Legion of Mary on a universal level and the apostolic work done by the members. Mr Grech finished the talk with an overview of the Legion’s current situation in the Dioceses of Malta and Gozo. A discussion with the seminarians followed.

The Legion of Mary is an international Marian movement of the Catholic Church that serves it voluntarily. On the 7^th of September 2021, the Legion of Mary celebrated its 100th anniversary from its founding date. Today, it is the largest apostolic organisation of lay people in the Catholic Church.