The first Dean of Theology Awards ceremony was held on 28 July 2021 in the presence of the Minister of Education, Hon. Justyne Caruana, the University Rector, Prof. Alfred Vella, and the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Rev. Dr John Berry. The awarded students, their sponsors and the heads of the different Faculty departments were invited to the event which took place at the Aula Magna, Valletta Campus.
The Dean of the Faculty of Theology opened the ceremony by congratulating all the students of the Faculty, especially those receiving the awards. Dr Berry highlighted the various endeavours and achievements of the Faculty over the past years, especially in providing services to the Maltese society, collaborating with other local and foreign institutions, expanding the number of academic programmes and keeping contact with alumni and friends of the Faculty.
The University Rector underlined the important place that the Faculty of Theology holds on Campus and within society at large. Echoing the Dean’s words, Professor Vella observed that the Faculty, being the oldest at the University, has potential to bridge academic rigour with the most fundamental questions of the human person.
The Minister of Education recalled with affection her years studying at the Faculty of Theology while reading Law and affirmed the importance of a robust theology for the development of dialogue, community and freedom in society respectively.
The Dean's List features three kinds of awards: First in Class for students who excelled overall; Certificates in Academic Excellence for the highest marks in the dissertation, and Special Awards by different sponsors to students who made a contribution to Maltese society through their research.
A further Special Award in Applied Theology was given to Rev. Martin Micallef in recognition of his sustainable promotion of human dignity and civic engagement through his work with persons with disabilities at Id-Dar tal-Providenza. Fr Micallef had written his Licentiate dissertation at the Faculty of Theology on the sexuality of persons with disabilities.
At the end of the ceremony, the Dean thanked the Faculty administrative staff for the organisation and the sponsors of the event: CareMalta, Caritas Malta, SportMalta, AcrossMalta, Outlook Coop, Librerija Preca, Archdiocese of Malta, Architect Richard England, Secretariat for the Laity, Secretariat for Catholic Education, and the Entomological Society of Malta.
Well-known television presenter and producer Valerie Vella was compère for the evening, which also included a short musical interlude by the violin and viola duo Matthew Fenech and Valhmor Montefort.
Award Winners for the Dean’s List
First in Class Awards were presented to students who placed first in class with distinction. These were: Marie Diane Mulè Stagno (M.A. in Bioethics), Karl Saliba (M.A. in Spirituality), Angele Vella (M.A. in Theology), Jesmond Schembri (Master in Theology), Rev. Bernard Micallef (Licentiate in Sacred Theology), Shawn Dominic Wong Tian Ci (B.A. (Hons) in Theology with Philosophy)
The following Special Awards were given in recognition of outstanding performance in research:
Special Award for Social Responsibility, sponsored by CareMalta: Gabriel Joshua Ellul (M.A. in Bioethics).
Special Award for Excellence in Pastoral Care and Social Inclusion, sponsored by Caritas Malta: Rev. Mark Spiteri (Licentiate in Sacred Theology).
Special Award for the Promotion of Values in Sport, sponsored by SportMalta: Rev. Bernard Micallef (Licentiate in Sacred Theology).
Special Award for Lay Pastoral Ministry Enhancement, sponsored by the Secretariat for the Laity: John Baptist Sultana (M.A. in Theology)
Special Award for Integral Educational Wellbeing, sponsored by the Secretariat for Catholic Education: Stephanie Borg (M.A. in Religious Studies)
Special Award for Theological Literacy, sponsored by Preca Library: Malcolm John Saliba (B.A. (Hons) in Theology with Philosophy)
Special Award for Engagement in Theological Reflection, sponsored by Across Malta: Andrew Farrugia (B.A. (Hons) in Theology)
Special Award in Applied Theology - in Recognition of Sustainable Promotion of Human Dignity and Civic Engagement: Rev. Martin Micallef (Id-Dar tal-Providenza)
Certificates in Academic Excellence in recognition of high standards reached in the dissertation were presented to: Rebecca Jane Bonello, Angele Buhagiar, Lorna Darmanin, Luke Galea, Gabriel Joshua Ellul, Ann Marie Meilak, Rev. Bernard Micallef, Marie Diane Mulè Stagno, Karl Saliba, Jesmond Schembri, Josette Sciberras, Rev. Mark Spiteri, Maria Xuereb.
The ceremony of the Dean’s Awards of the Faculty of Theology for 2020-2021 was held on Friday 1 July 2022 in the presence of the Director General for Educational Services, Mr Emile Vassallo, Pro-Rectors Prof. Joseph Cacciottolo and Prof. Ing. Simon G. Fabri, and the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Rev. Dr Stefan Attard. The awarded students and their sponsors were invited to the event which took place at the Aula Magna, Valletta Campus.
The Dean of the Faculty of Theology opened the ceremony by congratulating all the students of the Faculty, especially those receiving the awards. Dr Attard spoke about the way the Faculty has been engaging in various activities and its plans for the near future that put the student at the centre of its mission. This was followed by an address by Mr Emile Vassallo, Director General for Educational Services.
The Dean’s List features three kinds of awards: First in Class for students who excelled overall and placed first in their cohort; Special Awards by different sponsors to students who made a contribution to Maltese society through their research; and Certificates in Academic Excellence for high standards achieved in the dissertation.
A further Special Award in Applied Theology was given to Commissioner for Justice, Ms Victoria Scicluna, in recognition of her promotion of human dignity and civic engagement. Rev. Dr Charlo Camilleri, highlighted the link between Ms Scicluna’s work and commitment in this field and her postgraduate studies in Spirituality, particularly her dissertation on drug addiction recovery and insights from Carmelite spirituality.
Finally, a recipient of the First in Class Award, Rev. Robert Falzon, SDB, gave a speech highlighting the essence of theology in terms of relationships with others as well as the theology of presence.
At the end of the ceremony, the Dean thanked the Faculty administrative staff for organising the event as well as the sponsors for their support: Miller Distributors, Midsea Books, Agenda Bookshop, Librerija Preca, Architect Prof. Richard England, the National Council of Women, St John Co-Cathedral Foundation, the Archdiocese of Malta, the Carmelite Institute Malta, the Secretariat for the Laity, the Secretariat for Catholic Education, and the Conference of Religious Major Superiors.
Well-known television presenter and producer Valerie Vella was compère for the evening, which also included a musical interlude by mezzo-Soprano Vanessa Magro accompanied on the piano by Romina Morrow.
Award winners for the Dean's list
First in Class Awards were presented to students who placed first in class with distinction. These were:
Maria Farrugia (B.A. Hons in Theology)
Patrycja Byzdra (B.A. in Theology with Human Studies)
Matthew Sammut (B.A. Hons in Theology with Philosophy)
Sarah Vassallo (M.A. in Catholic School Leadership)
Christine Galea (M.A. in Matrimonial Canon Law & Jurisprudence)
Robert Falzon (M.A. in Spirituality)
Lorraine Tabone (M.A. in Spiritual Companionship)
Kay Buttigieg (M.A. in Theology)
Deborah Debono (M.A. in Youth Ministry)
Jean Claude Attard (Master in Theology)
Osmar Baldacchino (Licentiate in Sacred Theology)
The following Special Awards were given in recognition of outstanding performance in research:
Academic Distinction Award for Local Spirituality Promotion, sponsored by the Carmelite Institute: Warren James Borg Ebejer (M.A. in Spirituality)
Special Award for Excellence in Gender Sensibility, sponsored by the National Council of Women: Martha Maria Dimech (M.A. in Spiritual Companionship)
Special Award for Lay Pastoral Ministry Enhancement, sponsored by the Secretariat for Catholic Education: Ruth Calleja (M.A. in Catholic School Leadership)
Special Award for the Promotion of Youth Values, sponsored by the Secretariat for the Laity: Brandon Lee Caruana (M.A. in Youth Ministry)
Special Award for the Promotion of Integral Wellbeing, sponsored by the St John Co-Cathedral Foundation: Mark Scicluna (Master in Theology)
Special Award for Engagement in Theological Reflection, sponsored by the Conference of Religious Major Superiors: Jennifer Thomas Wahu (Licentiate in Sacred Theology)
Special Award in Recognition of the Promotion of Human Dignity and Civic Engagement: Victoria Scicluna (Commissioner for Justice)
Certificates in Academic Excellence in recognition of high standards achieved in the dissertation were presented to:
