On the 28th and 29th October, the Seminary Community met at Dar Stella Maris at Zebbug for a Human Formation Weekend. The talks, which centred on sexology and aspects associated with it, were delivered by Dr Nicholas Briffa, who is a psychologist and sexologist. Dr Briffa divided the weekend into three sessions which were characterised by talks and discussions about the theme. There was also time allotted to prayer. Saturday afternoon was free.
Nhar il-Ħadd 22 ta’ Ottubru l-Knisja ċċelebrat Jum il-Missjoni. Dan hu jum fejn kull wieħed u waħda minna hu mistieden jirrifletti u jagħraf kif jista’ jaqdi s-sejħa tiegħu biex ikun missjunarju fl-ambjent li hu jgħix fih. Hu mument ukoll fejn nitfgħu ħarsitna fuq il-Knisja li tinsab ’il barra mill-pajjiż ċkejken tagħna, speċjalment fil-pajjiżi tat-tielet dinja.
F’din l-okkażjoni l-Grupp Missjunarju fi ħdan il-komunità tas-Seminarju jieħu ħsieb iħejji ġimgħa ta’ attivitajiet. Hekk anki s-seminaristi jkunu jistgħu jilqgħu s-sejħa li jkunu missjunarji! Għal din is-sena, it-tema magħżula kienet ‘Iż-Żgħażagħ tama tal-missjoni’. F’kull ġurnata bejn it-Tnejn 16 u s-Sibt 21 ta’ Ottubru sar talb partikulari għall-missjoni f’kull kontinent. Stajna nagħrfu li barra l-ħafna sorijiet u lajċi missjunarji li ħarġu minn Għawdex tagħna, hemm ukoll kwantità kbira ta’ saċerdoti u patrijiet (aktar minn 60) li sal-lum għadhom jaqdu fil-Knisja ’l bogħod minn pajjiżna.
Mument mill-isbaħ kien il-Ħamis 16 ta’ Ottubru, dakinhar il-Grupp Missjunarju żar l-iskola tas-Seminarju Minuri u tal-iskola Medja tal-Kulleġġ ta’ Għawdex u wassal il-messaġġ missjunarju lit-tfal!
On Sunday, 22nd October, the Church celebrated Missions Day. On this day, the faithful are invited to reflect on how all of us are called upon to be missionaries in the environment where we live. We are also asked to remember the Church beyond our shores, especially the Church in Third World Countries.
Every year, the Missions Group within the Seminary community organizes a set of activities associated with Missions Day. In this way, the seminarians themselves seek to be missionaries. The theme chosen for this year was Youths: The Hope of the Missions for the Future. From Monday 16th to Saturday 21st October, prayers were said for the missions of a specific continent. Besides the great number of nuns and lay missionaries that originated from Gozo, there are more than 60 priests and monks that are serving the Church abroad.
The climax was reached on Thursday 16th October when the Missions Group delivered the missionary message to the students of the Minor Seminary and the Middle School of the Gozo College.
Nhar it-Tnejn 9 ta’ Ottubru ngħaqdu mal-komunità tas-Seminarju l-erbgħa żgħażagħ li se jibdew l-esperjenza tas-Sena Propedewtika.
Samuel Aquilina u Ġorġ Pisani mill-parroċċa ta’ San Ġorġ, ir-Rabat, u Matthew Attard mill-parroċċa ta’ San Ġwann il-Battista, ix-Xewkija se jkunu qed jgħixu l-esperjenza tal-Propedewtika fis-Seminarju. Magħhom ingħaqad ukoll Carlos Fernando Vargas Tobar mill-Parroċċa tal-Katidral ta’ Puerto Barrios, fil-Vigarjat Apostoliku ta’ Izabal (li fih hemm il-missjunarju Għawdxi Dun Anton Grech), li ġie mibgħut biex jgaħmel il-formazzjoni tiegħu fis-Seminarju tagħna. Għal din is-sena, Carlos se jsegwi programm simili għal tal-Propedewtika, imma se jkun residenti fid-dar parrokkjali tal-parroċċa Ta’ Sannat.
Fost affarijiet oħra, il-propedewtiċi jkollha esperjenza ta’ xogħol part-time f’Għawdex, jattendu għal korsijiet introduttorji fil-filosofija u t-teoloġija, u jkunu mal-bqija tas-seminaristi għat-talb, għall-ikel u f’xi mumenti oħra. Wara din is-sena, jistgħu jerġgħu jressqu t-talba lill-Isqof sabiex jibdew l-ewwel sena ta’ formazzjoni bħala seminaristi.
Merħba lkoll fostna!
On Monday 9th October, four young men joined the Seminary community to embark on a new experience known as the Propaedeutic Year. Samuel Aquilina and Gorg Pisani hail from St George’s Parish in Victoria while Matthew Attard hails from the Parish of St John The Baptist in Xewkija. The fourth candidate is Carlos Fernando Vargas Tobar from the parish of Fr Anton Grech in Guatemala. He is residing at the parish of Sannat.
The four candidates will follow a specific programm spread over the week, from Monday to Friday. They will spend their mornings at a place of work assigned to them by the Seminary administration. In the afternoon they will join the Seminary community in various activities. During the year, they will follow introductory courses in philosophy and theology and will be guided to reflect on their vocational discernment. At the end of the year they will formally ask to be accepted as first year seminarians. Welcome to the Seminary!
Welcome among us.
Anki din is-sena, il-komunità tas-Seminarju ta’ Għawdex qed torganizza ġurnata Adorazzjoni Ewkaristika kull l-ewwel Ħamis tax-xahar, bl-għan li jsir talb għall-vokazzjonijiet. L-ewwel adorazzjoni ta’ din ix-xorta saret nhar il-Ħamis 5 ta’ Ottubru 2017.
Il-quddiesa fis-6.30am u t-Tifħir ta’ Sbiħ il-Jum kienu miftuħa għall-pubblika. Wara, kompliet l-espożizzjoni tul il-ġurnata kollha, bi preżenza kontinwa ta’ nies. F’nofsinhar is-seminaristi flimkien ma’ dawk preżenti talbu t-Talba ta’ Nofs il-Jum u fis-7.00pm id-direttur spiritwali anima l-aħħar siegħa talb. Il-Jum Adorazzjoni ntemm fit-8.00pm permezz tal-Barka Sagramentali.
Il-Ħamis ta’ talb li jmiss se jkun nhar il-Ħamis 7 ta’ Diċembru.
As in previous years the Gozo Seminary is holding a day of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on the first Thursday of every month. The aim is to encourage the faithful to pray for vocations. The first day of the kind was Thursday 5th October, 2017.
The community invited the faithful to join them for the Morning Prayers at 6.30am and for the celebration of the Holy Mass. The Blessed Sacrament was then exposed for adoration for the whole day. At noon the seminarians were joined by the congregation for the Mid-Day Prayer. At 7.00pm the seminarians animated an hour of prayer. The Adoration ended at 8.00pm with the Blessing by the Holy Eucharist.
The second appointment is for Thursday 7th December and the same programme will be followed.
Nhar l-Erbgħa 20 ta’ Settembru 2017 Dun Anthony Bajada, mill-Parroċċa ta’ Twelid tal-Verġni Marija, ix-Xagħra ġie maħtur Direttur tas-Sena Propedewtika fis-Seminarju Maġġuri. Dun Anthony se jkun se jkun qed jakkumpanja lill-Propedewtiċi l-ġodda li se jibdew is-sena tagħhom nhar it-Tnejn 9 ta’ Ottubru 2017.
Merħba Dun Anthony!
On Wednesday 20th September 2017, Fr Anthony Bajada from the Parish of Maria Bambina at Xagħra was declared Director of the Propaedeutic Year at the Major Seminary. Fr Anthony will be accompanying the students who will be starting their Popaedeutic Year on Monday 9th October.
Welcome, Fr. Anthony.
Il-komunità tas-Seminarju reġgħet lura għal sena oħra ta’ formazzjoni l-Ġimgħa 22 ta’ Settembru. Tul il-waqfa tas-sajf kien hemm diversi mumenti li fihom il-komunità ltaqgħet flimkien, fosthom in-nofstanhar ta’ riflessjoni li sar nhar l-1 ta’ Settembru fil-kappella tal-Madonna tal-Blat fil-Qala.
Il-Ġimgħa 22 ta’ Settembru, wara li ġiet iċċelebrata l-quddiesa, is-seminaristi taw daqqa t’id fit-tindif u fit-tħejjija tal-post għal sena oħra u tkellmu waqt sharing fuq id-diversi esperjenzi ta’ volontarjat li huma wettqu fis-sajf. Filgħaxija niżlu fil-bajja ta’ Ħondoq ir-Rummien għal barbeque.
Bejn il-Ħadd 24 u l-Ħamis 28 ta’ Settembru l-komunità iġabret f’Saint Joseph Retreat House, ir-Rabat Malta, għall-irtir tal-bidu tas-sena, immexxi minn Dun Noel Debono.
Nhar il-Ġimgħa 29 ta’ Settembru ġiet iċċelebrata l-quddiesa lill-Ispirtu s-Santu, immexxija minn Mons. Isqof Mario Grech li biha ngħatat bidu għas-sena akkademika. Waqt l-omelija Mons. Grech ħeġġeġ lis-saċerdoti preżenti u lis-seminaristi sabiex bħal Natanael – bniedem bla qerq – ma jkunux bnedmin ta’ żewġt uċuh, konxji mir-riskju li hemm li jidħqu bihom infushom u bil-Knisja. Ħeġġeġ lil kulħadd sabiex ikun umli f’dak kollu li jwettaq. Għal din il-quddiesa kienu mistiedna l-professuri, il-familjari tas-seminaristi u l-membri tal-Aħwa Ħbieb tas-Seminarju.
Fi tmiem il-Quddiesa saret bibita fis-sala.
It-Tnejn 2 t’Ottubru tajna bidu għal-lezzjonijiet.
The Seminary community began another year of formation on Friday 22nd September. During summer, the community held several activities, including the half-day of reflection held on 1st September in the chapel of the Madonna tal-Blat at Qala.
On Monday 22nd September the seminarians attended the celebration of Holy Mass and then helped with the cleaning up and the preparation of the premises for another year of formation. There followed a session of sharing of experiences of voluntary work during the summer holidays. In the evening the seminarians met again at Hondoq ir-Rummien for a barbeque.
From Sunday 24th to Thursday 28th September, the community held a retreat at the St Joseph Nuns’ Home in Rabat, Malta. Fr Noel Debono led the retreat.
Routine life at the Seminary started on Friday 29th September with the celebration of the Mass of the Holy Spirit, led by Mgr Bishop Mario Grech. This celebration marked the beginning of the academic year. The bishop’s homily centred on the figure of Natanael in whom, Jesus states, there exists no hypocrisy. The bishop urged the priests and seminarians to be like Natanael. Hypocrisy leads to delusion of the self and of the Church and humility should be the watermark of us all.
Professors, relatives of the seminarians and members of Għaqda Ħbieb tas-Seminary were invited to this activity. The guests were then hosted in the hall for drinks.
Il-Ġimgħa 14 ta’ Lulju, l-għada li rritornajna mill-missjoni fil-Gwatemala, Mons. Isqof ingħaqad mal-komunità fil-kappella tas-Seminarju għall-Quddiesa fi tmiem is-Sena ta’ Formazzjoni. Kienu mistiedna għal din il-Quddiesa l-familjari tas-seminaristi flimkien mal-Aħwa Ħbieb tas-Seminarju.
Is-seminaristi bdew il-vaganzi tas-Sajf nhar is-Sibt 15 ta’ Lulju 2017. Dan il-perjodu jkun għalihom żmien ta’ esperjenzi pastorali u fih huma jqattgħu aktar ħin ma’ tal-familja tagħhom.
