Seminaries were instituted by the Council of Trent in the l6th century in order to provide for the training of candidates to the priesthood. As the Vatican Council II emphasised, "in them the whole training of the candidates to the priesthood should have as its object to make the candidates true shepherds of souls after the example of Jesus Christ, teacher, priest and shepherd".

In Malta, the training for the diocesan priesthood is provided for by the Major Seminary and by the Faculty of Theology of the University of Malta. The former offers the necessary human, spiritual and pastoral formation and the latter caters for the academic preparation of future priests.

At the Major Seminary there are at present 29 candidates to the priesthood. Among the encouraging signs of a revival of vocations there are some adult candidates besides the usual steady flow of sixth-formers. Selection is tending to take longer and screening to be more thorough.

The Minor Seminary is a secondary school which, by and large, follows the curriculum of studies leading to a GCE or Matriculation Certificate. At present there are 279 students. While they are allowed full freedom of choice, there is in the whole school environment an effort to help students become aware of their calling in life. Guidance is offered towards the formation of the human character. Weekends and meetings of vocation discernment are also organised.

Publications: Is-Seminarju, Editor: Rev. Fr Joseph Mifsud Bonnici; Seminarium and Taghrif mis-Seminarju taz-Zghar, Editor: Rev. Fr Martin Cardona.

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