“Ara se nġedded kollox” (Apok. 21:5)

Dan il-vers mill-Ktieb tal-Apokalissi, attribwit lil San Ġwann l-Evanġelista, kien il-fulkru tal-irtir li permezz tiegħu nfetħet is-sena seminaristika 2021-2022. L-irtir ġie mmexxi mill-Prof. Edward Warrington, direttur spiritwali maċ-Ċentru tal-Ispiritwalità Injazjana u professur fl-Università ta’ Malta fil-Fakultà tal-Ekonomija, Immaniġġjar u Kontabilità.

F’10 sessjonijiet, Warrington stedinna biex nagħmlu dan il-vjaġġ ma’ San Ġwann, pass pass permezz tal-kapitli li nsibu f’dan il-Ktieb. Irtir, li permezz ta’ diversi temi, sejjaħ lill-komunità biex tidħol f’kontemplazzjoni,…

Life at the Seminary… in Zambia!

In January 2017, Fr Mark Sultana – spiritual director at the Archbishop’s Seminary – travelled to Kitwe, Zambia to deliver a series of lectures at the Redemptoris Mater Seminary. We were curious to find out about seminarians there and seminary life, about their call and vocation. What’s different? What’s similar? Below is the first of two experiences we shall publish this week. This was written by Francis Songwe.

***

It was during the time I was preparing to go to…

Forming Priests in a Post-Trump Era – Part 2

(You can read Part 1 of this article here)

Beyond the establishment and anti-establishment

Analysis of recent political trends reveals that there is a dissatisfaction with the “establishment” that is entrenched in its self-serving policies and not listening to the aspirations of the people. In this context, to portray oneself as “anti-establisment” can also become trendy. Yet, does this condone and justify a divisive, demeaning language that demonizes “the other”?

Beyond that, and more pertinent to our argument, is a priest…

Forming priests for the post-Trump era – Part 1

According to the Washington Post, Clinton and Trump raised slightly more than 2 billion dollars for their campaign for Presidency. The Seminary in Malta – crowdfunded from parishes – gets an average of €120,000 for the entire year. So it might sound stupid to explore how to prepare young people as priests for the post-Trump era. The impression one gets is that it is more catering for a niche market for the few people who still have Sunday mass…

Three seminarians make promise of celibacy

Sinclair Bugeja from Iklin, Ryan Lee Pace from Gżira, and Mark Spiteri from Ħaż-Żebbuġ, yesterday evening made their promise of celibacy during a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna in the chapel of the Benedictine Monastery in Mdina.

The promise of celibacy was made in preparation for their upcoming diaconate ordination which is to take place later this month on the 28th of October in St John’s Co-Cathedral. During the homily, Archbishop Scicluna told the seminarians to recognise that…

Here’s to new beginnings!

Have you ever read the book; “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” – by C.S. Lewis? This book was one of my childhood favourites, and I recently re -lived a particular scene from this timeless classic. C.S. Lewis sets the scene in 1940, where four siblings (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie) are among many children evacuated from London during World War II to escape the bombings. They were sent to the countryside to live with professor Digory…

“The Synod on the Family… a personally moving experience” – Bishop Grech

Invited by the Seminary staff to give his own personal evaluation of the Synod on the Family as he experienced it during the three-week period between the 4th and 25th of October of this year, Bishop Mario Grech described the whole experience as “grace-filled” and personally “moving”. In his talk, held at the Seminary, the Bishop pinpointed three main breakthroughs in this Synod.

The first treated ecclesiology. Referring back to an intervention he himself made, the Bishop described the atmosphere…

Three Seminarians to be instituted in the Acolyte Ministry

Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna will be instituting three seminarians in the Acolyte Ministry during a celebration at the parish church of Saint Philip of Agira, Ħaż-Żebbuġ, on Friday 13th November 2015. Mass starts at 6:30 p.m.

The three seminarians are Sinclair Bugeja from the Parish of the Holy Family, Iklin, Ryan Lee Pace from the Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Gżira, and Mark Spiteri from the Parish of Saint Philip of Agira, Ħaż-Żebbuġ.

The institution as acolytes…

Seven to be Ordained Deacons

On Friday 30th October 2015, six seminarians and a Conventual Franciscan friar are going to be ordained deacons by Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna, during a celebration of Mass starting at 6:30pm, at St Sebastian’s Parish Church, Ħal Qormi.

The following will be ordained deacons: Allister Marija Aquilina OFM Conv.; Sergio Fenech and Mark Mallia Pawley from St Sebastian’s Parish Church, Ħal Qormi; Claude Mifsud, from the Parish of the Assumption of Our Lady, Mosta; James Saydon, from the Parish of…

“You do not know what you are asking!”

 

“You do not know what you are asking” (Mk 10,38). It is with these words that Mgr. Charles Scicluna started his homily last Sunday in a Mass he celebrated with our community, family members and some thirty Minor Seminary students and their parents, during which six seminarians that will be ordained deacons on 30 October made their promise of celibacy. To bring out the profound meaning of celibacy the Archbishop borrows the words from the Sunday Gospel that spoke…