Rev. André Zaffarese was appointed Director of the Pastoral Formation Institute in June 2021. He has held various roles within the institute since 2013 and has been a board member since 2018. He has a doctorate in Pastoral Theology and specialises in Parish life and ministry. Apart from being the Director of the Institute, Fr André is also the Archbishop’s Delegate for Parish Life and Activity and Rector of the pastoral zone of Ta’ Mlit in Mosta.

Rev. Prof. Paul Sciberras earned his S.Th.B. degree in 1986 from the Faculty of Theology at Tal-Virtù, Rabat, Malta. Subsequently, he pursued an S.Th.L. degree, specializing in Pastoral Theology, at the University of Malta in 1988. His dissertation, titled “The New Consciousness of God through Suffering in Job,” showcased his early dedication to probing intricate theological concepts.

Continuing his academic pursuits, Rev. Prof. Sciberras obtained an S.S.L. degree from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome in 1992. His dissertation was titled “A Study of the Repeated Visions in Acts 10,1-11,18.” In 1994, he was declared Candidatus ad Doctoratum after completing the preparatory year for the Doctorate in Scripture Sciences (S.S.D.).

Rev. Prof. Sciberras began his teaching career in 1995 at the Faculty of Theology within the University of Malta, specifically in the Department of Sacred Scriptures, Hebrew, and Greek. His expertise encompasses areas such as Synoptic Gospels, Pauline Letters, Acts of the Apostles, Language and Text of the New Testament, and New Testament Exegesis. He lectures in these areas at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

In 2011, he received his Doctorate in Sacred Theology summa cum laude, presenting a thesis titled “Mgr Prof. P.P. Saydon’s version of 1 Thessalonians: An exegetical and translation-critical study.” In 2012, he was appointed as a full-time lecturer.

From 2013 to 2021, he served as the Head of the Department of Sacred Scripture, Hebrew, and Greek. In November 2016, he was promoted to the position of Senior Lecturer. He has been Associate Professor since 2020. Additionally, he assumed the role of Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Theology in October 2021.

Rev. Prof. Sciberras’s engagement extends beyond academia. He co-edited the Maltese Bible in Braille and served as a biblical consultant for the Christmas Story in Maltese Sign Language. He served as editor of the 5th Edition of the Bible in Maltese, published by the Malta Bible Society in 2020. He also contributes as a member of the Commission for the Revision of the Bible in Maltese and the Doctrinal Commission of the Maltese Episcopal Conference.

He has published in several peer-reviewed journals in Maltese, English, and Italian.

Rev. Raymond Pace SJ forms part of the Society of Jesus. He spent the past three decades accompanying persons, mainly young people. He was part of the Formation Team for the Jesuit Novitiate in Genova, Italy.

Rev Dr Martin Micallef is an academic member of the Department of Sacred Scripture, Hebrew, and Greek at the Faculty of Theology, University of Malta, where he primarily lectures on the Gospel of John and New Testament exegesis. He also holds the position of Chief Editor of the Faculty of Theology’s peer-reviewed research journal, Melita Theologica.

Rev. Prof. Mark Sultana was ordained priest in 2000. He studied philosophy and theology at the University of Malta, where he also read for a Licentiate in Theology. Rev. Prof. Mark Sultana later gained a Licentiate and a Doctorate in Philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Between 2004 and 2005, he was a visiting student at Campion Hall, University of Oxford. His works include Self-Deception and Akrasia, published by Analecta Gregoriana, for which we received the Premio Bellarmino in 2006.

At present, Rev. Prof. Mark Sultana is an Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy, at the Faculty of Arts, at the University of Malta. He is also resident spiritual director at the Archbishop’s Seminary in Rabat and a member of the Editorial Board of Forum Philosophicum: International Journal for Philosophy.

He has participated in several conferences and seminars both at the University of Malta and at other institutions overseas. As a philosopher, he is interested in the philosophy of religion and in the interface between reason and faith. Other interests include metaphysics and philosophical anthropology.

Rev. Prof. Mark Sultana served as the Director of the Pastoral Formation Institute and Chairperson of the think-tank ‘Converse’ at Palazzo de Piro. He also lectured in philosophical theology at the University of Malta.

Rev Ronnie Zammit has completed his Licentiate in Pastoral Sacred Theology in 2009. He served as a Parish Priest in Kalkara, Vice-Rector at the Major Seminary, and since 2021, he has been appointed Parish Priest of Santa Lucija. In 2019, he completed a course in Formazione per Accompagnatori Spirituali within the Ignatian Spirituality Centre at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Can. Dr Jonathan Farrugia (b. 1978) is a Maltese scholar of early Christian thought and is the Head of the Department of Church History, Patrology, and Palaeochristian Archaeology at the University of Malta. In 2016, he earned his doctorate in patristic studies from the Pontifical Augustinian Patristic Institute in Rome. His thesis was entitled ἀμαρτία in the Homilies of Gregory of Nyssa, and he has published a number of studies on St. Gregory of Nyssa’s homilies. He has published studies on Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine, and hagiography in internationally renowned publications like “Augustinianum”, “Studia Ephemeridis Augustinianum” “Studia Patristica” and “Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae”, as well as in local publications such as “Knisja 2000”.

He also has a passion for the history of religious artefacts in his homeland, having published studies in “Treasures of Malta” and other local publications. His landmark book “Ir-Redentur: history, art, and cult of the miraculous effigy of Christ the Redeemer at Senglea, Malta” has won the national book prize for bibliographic research in 2020.

Mgr. Dr. Edgar Vella has followed art and art history at the Polytechnic between the years 1978 and 1980. In 1980, he entered the Major Seminary, where he started the course leading to the Licentiate in Theology between the years 1985 and 1988. In 2012, he read for a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Malta.

He was ordained a priest in 1988 and served in two parishes. He was appointed assistant curator of the Cathedral Museum in Mdina in 1993, where he organised various thematic exhibitions. While still serving in pastoral work, he was also appointed in 2001 as an officer responsible for the inventories of all historic and artistic items conserved in Maltese ecclesiastical entities. He was also appointed Curator of the Cathedral Museum in 2005, and in collaboration with the Cathedral Commission, he embarked on a vast project of refurbishing the whole museum.

Mgr. Vella is a passionate art collector and connoisseur and was instrumental in introducing the Neapolitan Crib to Malta with a series of exhibitions between 2004 and the present day. He authored, amongst others, ‘An Eighteenth-Century Neapolitan Crib in Malta’ in 2012 and his doctoral thesis ‘Treasures of Faith’ in 2016. He also published various papers in prestigious local publications and co-authored others abroad.

He is a board member of the Commission for the Cultural Catholic Heritage and responsible for the Archdiocese’s inventories.