During the 47th Chapter of the Maltese Dominicans held a few weeks ago, Fr Michael Camilleri OP, Fr Joe Cilia OP and Fr Vince Micallef OP were appointed as the new parish priests for the Dominican parishes in Valletta, Sliema and Guardamangia respectively.
Fr Camilleri was born on February 23, 1966, in Pietà. In 1983 he joined the Dominican Order in Rabat, took his solemn profession in 1989, and was ordained priest in 1994. He studied at the University of Malta and in Bologna, Italy, and served in various positions, such as prior at the community of Vittoriosa and Guardamangia.
He was also the parish priest at Guardamangia for 12 years. He is an extraordinary confessor and honorary canon with the Xagħra, Gozo chapter. On September 7, 2007, he was awarded Ġieħ il-Pietà by the Pietà council.
Fr Cilia was born in Hamrun on April 12, 1946, joined the Dominican Order in 1963 and was ordained in 1970.
He was parish priest of St Mary of Porto Salvo, Valletta, for nearly 12 years.
He also had missionary experiences in Albania and later worked with young students as their religious councillor in government higher secondary schools. Recently he was involved in pastoral work with eccleslial movements.
Fr Micallef was born in Valletta on March 2, 1950. He joined the Dominican Order in 1967 and was ordained priest in 1974. In 1978, he joined the Maltese Dominican missionary community in Brazil, where he spent 30 years. During this time he was parish priest of the parishes of Faxinal and Curitiba in Parana and in São Paulo.
He was vicar of the Maltese Dominican religious province, and during his last four years in Brazil between 2006 and 2009 he was the provincial of the Brazilian province Bartolomeu de Las Casas.
He founded a school for children and youths with disabilities in Faxinal, and in 1995 he received the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Curitiba for his pastoral work among the poor in the favelas.
Upon his return to Malta in 2010 he was appointed vice-parish priest of Our Lady of Fatima, Guardamangia.