IS-SEMINARJU TA’ GĦAWDEX
Il-bidu tas-Seminarju ta’ Għawdex hu marbut mat-twaqqif tad-Djoċesi ta’ Għawdex. Nhar is-16 ta’ Settembru, 1864, il-Papa Piju IX permezz tal-Bolla Singulari Amore, għoġbu jwaqqaf il-Knisja ta’ Għawdex. Fl-istess dokument, il-Papa jawgura li f’qasir żmien id-Djoċesi l-ġdida jkollha s-Seminarju tagħha.
Għat-twaqqif ta’ Seminarju tħabat l-iktar Dun Pietru Pace (1831-1914), qassis mir-Rabat, li kien ukoll il-moħħ wara t-twaqqif tad-Djoċesi. Kien sar qbil li s-Seminarju jinfetaħ fil-binja tal-Isptar San Ġiljan. L-Isptar San Ġiljan twaqqaf fiċ-Ċittadella ta’ Għawdex fl-1454. Biż-żmien sar żgħir wisq għall-popolazzjoni u fl-1778, il-Knisja bdiet titħabat għall-bini ta’ sptar ġdid fl-inħawi ta’ Pjazza San Franġisk. Il-poplu Għawdxi kien ġeneruż doppjament: mhux biss ta ħafna flus, iżda wkoll ħadem b’xejn biex il-bini jkun jista’ jitla’ mill-iktar fis. L-ewwel ġebla tal-isptar il-ġdid ta’ San Ġiljan tqiegħdet mill-Isqof Vincenzo Labini nhar it-3 ta’ Mejju 1783. Il-parti ewlenija tiegħu kienet sala kbira, illum maqsuma fil-kappella u fis-sala tal-laqgħat.
Fl-1864, dan l-Isptar, li kien għan-nisa biss, qajla kien għadu jintuża. Kien għalhekk deċiż li jingħalaq ħa jinbidel f’Seminarju. Sa mill-bidu kienu maħsuba żewġ fergħat: fakultà għat-tagħlim tal-Filosofija u tat-Teoloġija għal dawk li riedu jsiru qassisin, u skola sekondarja. Għall-għalliema taż-żewġ fergħat wiegħed kull għajnuna Pierre-Jean Beckx, il-Ġeneral tal-Ġiżwiti. Sadattant, fuq il-pariri ta’ espert minn Ruma li nġab Għawdex apposta, beda x-xogħol biex l-Isptar jinbidel f’Seminarju.
Is-Seminarju kellu jinfetaħ f’nofs Settembru 1866. Iżda nhar it-12 ta’ Lulju, meta x-xogħol kien għoddu lest għalkollox, miet l-Isqof Mikiel Buttigieg, l-ewwel Isqof ta’ Għawdex, u għalhekk il-ftuħ kellu jiġi pospost. Nhar il-11 ta’ Settembru, waslu l-ewwel tliet patrijiet Ġiżwiti minn Sqallija: Antonino Tommasi SJ, li nħatar l-ewwel Rettur; Salvatore di Pietro SJ, l-ewwel Ministru u l-ewwel għalliem tal-Matematika u tal-Fiżika; u l-fratell Antonio Ardagna SJ, li kellu jieħu f’idejh il-kċina. Nhar il-15 ta’ Settembru, il-Vigarju Ġenerali, l-imsemmi Dun Pietru Pace, bierek il-kappella, iddedikata l-ewwel lil San Ġiljan, u, mit-8 ta’ Diċembru, lill-Kunċizzjoni Immakulata tal-Madonna.
Jum il-Fundazzjoni tas-Seminarju jaħbat fl-4 ta’ Novembru. Kien nhar l-4 ta’ Novembru 1866, li l-Isqof Pawlu Micallef, Amministratur Appostoliku għal Għawdex, inawgura uffiċjalment is-Seminarju. Id-diskors tal-okkażjoni għamlu l-Vigarju Ġenerali Pietru Pace. Fuq il-bieb ewlieni tqiegħdu tliet armi: tal-Papa Piju IX fin-nofs, tal-Isqof Vincenzo Labini fuq ix-xellug tagħha, u ta’ l-Isqof Mikiel Buttigieg fuq il-lemin. Issejjaħ uffiċjalment is-Seminarju tal-Qalb ta’ Ġesù nhar l-24 ta’ Ġunju 1881.
L-Iskola Sekondarja tas-Seminarju, l-ewwel skola sekondarja f’Għawdex fil-veru sens tal-kelma, laqgħet fiha tul iż-żmien l-aħjar studenti tal-gżira. Fil-fatt studenti tas-Seminarju laħqu l-ogħla postijiet tan-Nazzjon Malti u tal-Knisja Maltija: tliet Isqfijiet mit-tmienja ta’ Għawdex, żewġ Arċisqfijiet, tliet Presidenti, Prim Ministru, tliet Prim Imħallfin, Ministri u ħafna oħrajn.
Għaldaqstant, bir-raġun kollu, taħt it-tmexxija tal-Isqof Mario Grech, it-tmien suċċessur tal-Isqof Buttigieg, is-Seminarju tal-Qalb ta’ Ġesù jħares b’tamiet sbieħ lejn il-futur.
05-interventi-tal-kelliema.pdf
THE GOZO SEMINARY
The building that houses the Major and Minor Seminary of Gozo was erected in 1783 by Vincenzo Labini, bishop of Malta and Gozo, as a hospital for women so as to replace the old hospital of Saint Julian that was situated within the Gozo Citadel. This old hospital had been benefited from a number of bequests made by pious and rich persons, amongst whom were Fra Melchior Alpheran, Rose Pluman, and Theodore Ellul, whose portraits still hang in the hall of the present Seminary. When the new hospital was built, the benefices and property of the old structure were transferred to the new by a decree of the same Bishop Labini.
On 16 September 1864, Pope Pius IX, through the papal Bull Singulari Amore established Gozo as a diocese. Monsignor Michele Francesco Buttigieg was nominated the first Bishop. By that time the Government was also offering ample hospital services to women, So the bishop thought it fit to close down the hospital to convert it into the new Seminary of the diocese. In point of fact, the erection of a seminary was stipulated as a condition for the formation of the new diocese. It was decreed that all the benefices, property, and rents of the hospital were to be transferred to the new Seminary.
Monsignor Buttigieg worked hard to set this new venture of his on a good and solid basis and he asked the Society of Jesus to take over the running and direction of the new Seminary. Unfortunately, he did not live to see its inauguration that took place on 4 November 1866. On the previous 11 September, three Jesuits had arrived from Sicily to assume the responsibility of the Seminary: these were the Revd Antonio Tommasi, who was to be the first Rector; the Revd Salvatore di Pietro, who was to be the Minister, and at the same time teach Mathematics and Physics; and Brother Antonio Ardagna.
His Lordship Mgr Fra Paolo Micallef, the Administrator of the Diocese, presided over the inauguration festivities, attended among others by Revd Pietro Fontana, the Provincial of the Sicilian Province of the Society of Jesus. Mgr. Pietro Pace, the Vicar General of the diocese – and later Bishop of Gozo and Archbishop of Malta – who had worked so hard for the erection of the Seminary and for the transformation and enlargement of the building, blessed the Chapel. The blessing took place on 8 December 1866. Mgr. Pace dedicated it to the Immaculate Conception whose statue now replaces an old painting upon the main altar.
The Jesuits did much to enhance the standard of education at the Seminary, and indeed, the reputation of this school spread far and wide. So much so, that not only the sons of the best families in Gozo, but also many intellectually talented boys from Malta and even from Sicily, attended the Jesuit-run Seminary. In the Minor Seminary boys were prepared for the University of Malta Matriculation Examination, and for long years many were those who obtained brilliant results. The Major Seminary made a very good name for itself, for the seriousness and high standard of the studies and for the number of holy and zealous priests that it turned out.
On the 16 June 1882, during the rectorship of Fr. Vincenzo Decorradi, the Seminary was solemnly consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and henceforth it was named Seminarium Gaudisiense SS. Cordis. Later on, that is in the year 1884, when the boarding system was set up in the school, the Seminary began to be known as Seminarium et Convictus SS. Cordis.
The Seminary in Gozo became the centre of many ecclesiastical and cultural activities in the diocese, and the Jesuits held meetings for priests, gave public lectures and talks, organised religious activities, and produced dramatic shows not only for the seminarians and priests of the diocese, but also for the people at large many of whom came from Malta.
The Jesuits left the direction of the Seminary for St Aloysius College at Birkirkara, Malta, in 1909. The Seminary passed under the direction of diocesan priests. The Seminary continued for a long time to enjoy the good name it originally achieved, and many families in Malta continued to send their sons to the Gozo Seminary for their education.
The immense influence that this Seminary had in the educational and cultural fields in Gozo cannot be fathomed particularly when one realizes that for a long time the Seminary was practically the only secondary school on the island and that a vast number of Gozitan priests, men of profession, civil servants, and businessmen, owe their secondary education to the Seminary of Gozo.
