“Death with life contended: combat strangely ended” (Sequence). The community would like to wish the peace of the Risen Christ to all, especially to the families, friends and benefactors which sustain us with their prayer. Let the light of the Risen Christ give us hope and courage in these difficult times. Happy Easter!
On the 7 of March, the Seminary community, did an outreach experience at St Peter’s and St Paul’s Parish in Nadur. The seminarians did this outreach experience together with Ray Brincat and Chris Bugeja, members of the Franciscan community founded by Fr Hayden Williams ofm Cap.
The community gathered at the Nadur Basilica at 8.45pm for a short moment of prayer before the actual outreach experience. Afterwards, the seminarians, together with the Franciscan brothers left in groups of two to meet people in the surrounding bars, listen to them and talk to them about God. Meanwhile adoration was taking place in the Basilica. Priests were available for confession. The outreach experience ended around midnight with Eucharistic benediction in the basilica.
The experience in Nadur was one of the two outreaches which were going to take place. A second outreach in the parish of St George in Victoria was planned to take place on the 21st of this month. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this outreach had to be cancelled.
On Saturday, 8th February, our Seminary hosted the fraternity of Fr Hayden Williams OFM Cap. To prepare for the outreach for the Lenten period, the fraternity of Fr Hayden led a seminar with the theme “Church that reaches out”. During the seminar, members of the fraternity shared their experience in the sphere of evangelisation in both Malta and Gozo. At the end of the seminar, the fraternity led a one-hour adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
It had been a long time since the seminarians presented a play in the hall of the Major Seminary. This year the Seminary community presented the play ‘Stejfen Jilħaqlu’, directed by Fr Joseph Bajada. The play was staged on Sunday 24th November at 7.40pm, on Friday 29th Novermber at 8.00pm and on Saturday 30th November at 8.00pm.
This comedy had been presented for the first time in the 80’s. The author of the comedy housed at the archives of the Major Seminary, was most probably Mgr Salv Borg. The story is about Alessandru and Danjeli, sons of two rich men, Basilju and Kajju. Alessandru and Danjeli took a loan to help a poor young boy called Ġiġi. Stejfen, who is Alessandru’s servant, does his best to cheat Basiju and Kajju out of their money to repay the loan. Eventually, Basiju and Kajju find out what is going on. The play has a happy ending when Basilju discovers that Ġiġi is his youngest son from whom he has been separated since Ġiġi was a baby.
Besides creating smiles and laughter, the play created an opportunity for the audience to get acquainted with the Seminary since, after the play, the audience was invited to go round the Seminary and see where the seminarians live, learn and get their formation to become priests.
On Saturday, 16th November 2019, the Seminary hosted the traditional Saint Martin’s Dinner. This dinner is the principal fundraising activity in aid of the Seminary and is hosted annually. The dinner, which is held at the Seminary Hall, requires a lot of hard work. Our whole-hearted thanks goes to the members of the Community of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, present at the Seminary. The nuns prepare the dinner with the help of many volunteers. We would also like to thank the various shops and establishments for the gifts and gift vouchers they offered as prizes for the raffle held during the said dinner. Finally, we would like to thank all those who attended the dinner. It was an enjoyable evening for our guests who are always ready to give a helping hand to the Seminary.
On the 4th November 1866, exactly one hundred fifty three years ago, the Seminary welcomed its first seminarians. On this same date, the Church celebrates the feast of St Charles Borromeo, one the great reformer saints of the era of the Council of Trent. St Charles is regarded as the founder of the seminaries for the formation of priests.
At 7.00pm. H.E. Bishop Mario Grech, Apostolic Administrator for Gozo, celebrated Holy Mass in the chapel of the Seminary as an act of thanksgiving to the Lord. The bishop encouraged the seminarians to change their way of thinking during their years of formation so that it will resemble the way of thinking of the Lord. The logic of Christ is not based on egoism. It is based on love and on serving others. At the end of Mass, the Reverend Rector, Fr Richard N. Farrugia conveyed a message of thanksgiving to Sister Pierantonia Muscat who was a member of the community of the sisters at our Seminary for the last four years. At present, Sister Pierantonia is at the Casa Madre in Palm Street in Victoria. After Mass, a dinner in honour of Sister Pierantonia was hosted in the refractory of the Seminary.
On this day we thank God for the many vocations He bestowed on our Diocese through the years. We pray that He enriches our Diocese with even more holy vocations and helps our priests who studied in this Seminary. We remember also the many benefactors, especially the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who helped our Seminary through the years. The Francisan Sisters have been serving the Seminary for almost one hundred years.
Illum, 14 ta’ Ottubru 2019, Wallace Camilleri, mill-parroċċa ta’ San Ġorġ, beda l-esperjenza tas-Sena Propedewtika. Filwaqt li nilqgħuh bil-ferħ fil-komunità tagħna nwiegħduh li nitolbu għalih fil-bidu tal-mixja tiegħu fis-Seminarju.
Today, 14th of October 2019, Wallace Camilleri, from the parish of St George, Victoria started his Propaedeutic Year experience. We welcome him into our Seminary with joy and pray for him at the beginning of his journey.
Wara waqfa twila għaż-żmien tas-sajf, il-komunità tas-Seminarju reġgħet inġabret għal sena ġdida ta’ formazzjoni. Għalkemm is-sajf huwa żmien ta’ mistrieħ, il-komunità żammet l-impenn li tiltaqa’ darba fix-xahar għal nofs ta’ nhar irtir. Dawn l-irtiri saru f’dar Stella Maris fiż-Żebbuġ. L-ewwel wieħed ġie mmexxi mill-Viċi-Rettur Dun Gabriel Gauci u l-ieħor mill-pastoral mentor Dun Giovanni M. Curmi.
Is-Seminarju reġa’ fetaħ il-bibien tiegħu nhar it-Tnejn 23 ta’ Settembru. Fl-4.00pm, ir-Rettur Dun Richard-Nazzareno Farrugia mexxa s-sagrifiċċju tal-quddiesa. Wara, is-seminaristi qasmu flimkien l-esperjenzi li għaddew minnhom matul is-sajf.
L-għada, jiġifieri it-Tlieta 24 ta’ Settembru, il-komunità marret għal irtir ġewwa l-Monasteru ta’ San Pietru fl-Imdina, li dam sas-Sibt ta’ dik il-ġimgħa. Mexxa l-irtir Dun Daniel Sultana, li hu s-Segretarju Pastorali Djoċesan. Is-silta li fuqha kien ibbażat dan l-irtir kienet is-sejħa ta’ Ġesù lill-ewwel dixxipli, mill-Vanġelu skont San Luqa (Lq 5, 1-11).
It-Tnejn ta’ wara, jiġifieri fl-1 ta’ Ottubru, il-ħajja fis-Seminarju qabdet ir-ritmu normali. 
Ingħata bidu uffiċċjali tas-sena akkademika 2019-2020, nhar il-Ħamis 10 ta’ Ottubru 2019, permezz tal-Quddiesa tal-Ispirtu s-Santu li tmexxiet mir-Rettur. Għal din il-quddiesa kienu mistiedna l-lecturers, il-familji tas-seminaristi u l-Aħwa Ħbieb tas-Seminarju. Wara l-quddiesa kien hemm bibita ġewwa s-Sala tas-Seminarju.
The summer holidays are over and the Seminary opened its doors again to welcome the Seminary community for a new year of formation. Although summer is a time of relaxation, the community honoured its commitment to meet once a month for a half-day retreat at Stella Maris Retreat House in Żebbuġ. The first retreat was led by Vice Rector Fr Gabriel Gauci. Fr Giovanni M Curmi led the second retreat.
On Monday 23rd September, Rector Fr Richard Nazzareno Farrugia led the celebration of the Holy Mass in which the seminarians participated. After Mass, the seminarians shared their personal summer experience. On Tuesday 24th September, the community met at St Peter’s Monastery in Mdina for a retreat which lasted till Saturday of the same week. Fr Daniel Sultana, Pastoral Secretary of the Diocese, led the retreat which was based on Jesus’ call to the first disciples, taken from the Gospel of St Luke (Lk 5, 1-11).
On Monday 1st October, life at the Seminary came in tune with its day-to-day routine. The
official academic year 2019-2020 started on Thursday 10th October with the celebration of the Mass of the Holy Spirit said by the Rector. Lecturers, relatives of the seminarians and Aħwa Ħbieb tas-Seminarju participated in the celebration. Guests were then entertained in the Seminary hall.
It-Tnejn 17 u t-Tlieta 18 ta’ Ġunju immarkaw l-aħħar jumejn ta’ formazzjoni fis-Seminarju għal din is-sena. Il-komunita kollha nġabret wara tmiem il-ġimgħa għall-aħħar laqgħat qabel nagħtu bidu għaż-żmien tas-sajf.
It-Tnejn is-superjuri u s-seminaristi nġabru f’Dar Ġużeppa Dedono f’Għajnsielem għar-Revision de Vie, fejn huma rriflettew dwar l-esperjenzi u l-frott tal-formazzjoni matul is-sena. Din il-laqgħa ntemmet bit-talba tal-għasar u l-adorazzjoni ewkaristika. Wara l-komunita nġabret flimkien mas-sorijiet Franġiskani fil-bajja ta’ Ħondoq fejn tlabna r-rużarju u wara għamilna barbikju.
It-Tlieta l-komunita kellha l-aħħar laqgħat u saret l-Evalwazzjoni tas-Sena. Wara, l-E.T. Mons Isqof Mario Grech mexxa quddiesa ad unur il-Qalb Imqaddsa ta’ Ġesu, fil-preżenza tas-superjuri, is-seminaristi u l-familjari tagħhom. Wara kien hemm bibita.
Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th of June marked the last two days of formation in the Seminary. The whole community gathered after the weekend to have its last meetings prior to the beginning of the summer vacation.
On Monday the formators and seminarians gathered in Dar Guzeppa Debono in Għajnsielem for the Revision de Vie, where they reflected upon the experiences and fruits of formation of the whole year, the meeting ended with Vespers and Eucharistic Adoration. After that the whole community gathered with the Franciscan Sisters in Ħondoq Bay to pray the rosary and a Barbeque.
On Tuesday the community had the last work meetings and the Evaluation of the Year. After Mons. Mario Grech, Bishop of Gozo presided the Holy Eucharist in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with the presence of the formators, seminarians and their families. Refreshments were served.
