The Augustinian Sisters, Servants of Jesus and Mary who live in Għajnsielem had the opportunity to meet Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma, who was on a pastoral visit to the village.

Mgr Teuma, who spent a few hours with the community of nuns, dealt with the problem of vocations and urged more prayers for religious female vocations. Although there has recently been a decline in religious vocations, Mgr Teuma said the situation was not all doom and gloom. Statistics showed Gozo had a higher number of young religious.

The Augustinian Sisters, Servants of Jesus and Mary community was founded in Frosinone, Italy, in 1827 by Maria Teresa Spinelli. They follow the rule of St Augustine.

The Augustinian Sisters first came to Malta in 1894 at the request of Bishop Pietro Pace. They established their first home in Qormi and later, in 1928, they opened another home in Mosta. Other homes then followed, including Gzira, Għajnsielem, Birkirkara and a novitiate in Rabat.

The Maltese Augustinian sisters are also found in Australia, the US, England, Brazil, Zaire, India and the Philippines.