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: 

  • Luke Frank Attard Camilleri
  • Pierre Bellia
  • Maurizio Lapira
  • Ann Marie Magrin
  • Christian Muscat
  • Johann Tabone