The month of December is filled with the joy of celebrating the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. During the seasons of Advent and Christmas, the Church reflects not only on the coming of the Lord in the mystery of the Incarnation, but also on His glorious coming at the end of time.
This season in the Church’s year is also a special time for the Seminary, where the premises reflect the joy in our hearts through the various Christmas decorations. The community’s daily programme is slightly altered during this period. Throughout Advent, the seminarians and their formators meet earlier in the chapel, at 6.10 a.m., to pray together the Office of Readings.
From 15 December onwards, the community celebrated the Novena in preparation for Christmas. Each day during Mass, one of the seminarians shared a reflection on the profound relationship between the Mystery of the Incarnation and the various journeys of hope undertaken by the protagonists of the Christmas story.
During Advent, the Seminary community organised a vocational live-in for members of the vocational group aged sixteen and over, which took place between 10 and 13 December. In addition, a vocational meeting was organised for altar servers above the age of thirteen and members of the vocational groups on 4 December. This moment of prayer and Eucharistic adoration was followed by a dinner at the Seminary for all those who attended.
The community shared their festive joy on Thursday, 18 December, when they had the opportunity to exchange greetings and gifts. The first term at the Seminary came to a close on 19 December. That evening, at 7.00 p.m., the Rector, Fr Joseph Bajada, celebrated Mass in the Seminary chapel together with the formators, the seminarians and their families, the Franciscan Sisters, and the members of the association Aħwa–Ħbieb tas-Seminarju. After Mass, all those present gathered in the refectory for a reception to exchange their wishes for the festive season.
Later in the evening, the seminarians returned home to spend two weeks of Christmas holidays with their families. They will return to the Seminary on Monday, 5 January 2026, to commence the second term.
