43rd Anniversary

Group photo from 2 years ago

Today I go back 43 years ago, as I join my classmates in celebrating our anniversary to the priesthood. All of us are now in Malta, except for one who is in heaven, a few still pastors, others semi-retired, while others still working at various positions and offices in the church in Malta. We spent 7 glorious years together at the Major Seminary, while studying at the University of Malta. Seminary life was very special to me, and living in a community was very rewarding and enriching. At one time we were close to 100 seminarians at various stages of the priesthood. Nowadays the numbers have dwindled to around 10, even though vocations for the priesthood and religious life are still fairly healthy. We usually meet for a retreat on the occasion of our anniversary, and then con-celebrate together in a chosen church, with our families in attendance. The group photo seen here is one we took 2 years ago when the Mass was held here in my chapel at Hilltop Gardens. This year we could not meet because of the coronavirus, but this morning we prayed the Breviary together through Skype.

With my family on the day of my Ordination, June 19, 1977

The quote I used for my Ordination holy card was from the first letter of St Peter: "Tend the flock of God in your midst, overseeing not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit, but eagerly" (1 Peter 5:2.) I offer my Mass today for the Rectors, Vice-Rectors, Spiritual Director and professors and teachers who taught us over the 7 years we spent together, most of whom have since passed away. I offer my Mass for my parents, brothers and sisters, nephews and relatives and friends in the parishes I served over the past 38 years, St Julian’s, (Malta,) New Hyde Park, Rocky Point, Hicksville, Pleasant Valley (all in New York) and John Day, Baker City and Bend (all in Oregon,) as well as my new friends here at Hilltop Gardens, Simblija Carehome, at Naxxar parish, and my friends Radek and Zuzana Lapcik and their 4 children from the Czech Republik and Slovakia. Ad Multos Annos to my classmates.