On Republic Day celebrated yesterday the 13th of December, 2014, in terms of the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika Act, the President of Malta, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, has made the following award of the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika, amongst others, to Rev. Fr. Albert Gauci ofm, a friar of our Province. Fr. Albert ofm has been a missionary in Honduras ever since 1973. The Maltese Franciscan Province is very proud of him as it is of the other friars also working there, namely Bishop Robert Camilleri ofm, Bishop Joe Bonello ofm and Rev. Fr. Angelo Falzon ofm. This is a rightful recognition of Fr. Albert’s work and dedication and also of the hard work, sacrifice and dedication of all the friars who have worked in the past and have been called to eternal life, and of those ...

More photos from years gone by, kindly provided to us by Fr. Eddie Pace ofm who is also in the photos and remembers well when they were taken. These photos were taken in the 60s. All of them, save for one, were taken at our Church and friary in Rabat. One may notice the good number of students in formation those years. The choir of the Franciscan students under the direction of Fr. Victor Camilleri ofm and in another photo, during a concert under the direction of the late Mro. Anton Muscat Azzopardi, held in the church of St. Mary of Jesus, Rabat, in the presence of the late Archbishop Sir Michael Gonzi. Another photo depicts the students in the care of the Master of Students the late Fr. Peter Paul Mailaq ofm in the central courtyard of the same friary in Rabat. The remaining ...

On Saturday the 29th of November, 2014, the friars gathered at our chapel at the Addolorata Cemetery, where most of our dearly departed friars are buried. Concelebrated Mass for the repose of their souls was held and special prayers were recited followed by the blessing of the graves where their remains are buried. It is not just out of duty but rather more out of love that we hold this annual appointment as a province with our most cherished brethren who were called to eternal life by the risen Lord. As we pray for them we also ask their intercession for the needs of the Province, particularly that one and all may be faithful to our calling till the very end of our lives, as they have. We also ask them to pray for us that we may be worthy to have more and more vocations ...

On the 24th of November, 2014 at St. Ursola Church, Valletta, a book to commemorate the late Fr. George Aquilina ofm, (1939-2012), Scholar, Archivist and Franciscan Friar, was launched. ‘Scientia et Religio’, the name of the book, a work of Studies in Fr. Aquilina’s memory, is a A Wignacourt Museum Publication and edited by Mgr John Azzopardi, Malta 2014. The following is the introductory talk to Book launching by Fr Norbert Ellul-Vincenti OFM. ---- Fr George Aquilina, Franciscan Friar and historian. Fortunately, I’m not here like a second Mark Antony to bury or praise him. And it isn’t even incumbent on me to persuade anybody that he is worth commemorating. You all know that already, whether you live in Malta or abroad. And, unlike Mark Antony, I don’t need to persuade anybody ...

The Maltese Franciscan Province of St. Paul the Apostle has opened the doors of St. Anthony’s Friary in Ghajnsielem, Gozo, to welcome senior citizens. This has been achieved with an agreement signed on the 26th November, 2014 between the Maltese Franciscan Province and the Parliamentary Secretariat for the Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing. That part of the Friary which served as a retreat house and doubled up as a place where one could also be hosted for a few days of rest or simply a holiday, will now be used by the said Parliamentary Secretariat, which will be responsible to run various services for the benefit of senior citizens, such as a day centre and a night shelter. It may also be used as a respite centre. The resident fraternity will be offering ...