News

On Friday, 17^th June, Seminarian Matthew Bajada, who hails from the parish of Għarb, was ordained deacon by Mgr. Bishop George Frendo OP at the Gozo Cathedral. The ordination was well attended by several priests, members of the Seminary community, members of the Għarb parochial community, Matthew’s family and friends, and other laypeople.

The day before, Thursday 16^th June, a prayer vigil was organised by the Seminary community at the Għarb parish church 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 Luke 1:39-56. During the last part of the vigil, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, and the ordinand Matthew 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 the Għarb parish priest, Mgr Trevor Sultana.

On Monday 13th of June, the Seminary Community welcomed Sr Shanti Perbo FCJ. Sr Shanti will start forming part of the Franciscan sisters’ community at the Seminary.

Sr Shanti hails from Pakistan and joined the Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of Jesus in 2005. She did her simple profession in 2009, and on the 3rd December of the same year, she arrived in Malta and formed part in the Francisan’s Adoration House. In 2015 she did her perpetual profession, and in 2018 she started to form part of the community in the Casa Madre, Gozo.

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.