This evening, during the Solemn Vigil of the Resurrection of our Lord the bishops of Malta will administer the Sacraments of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion) to 36 catechumens, who, as adults, have chosen the Christian path. This year, due to the large number of catechumens, there will be two separate ceremonies: one at St John’s Co‑Cathedral in Valletta and the other at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St Paul in Mdina.
These 36 adults, who will become new members of the Catholic Church through these sacraments, hail from Malta, Albania, India, Spain, Turkey, Iran, Syria, Hungary, Malasia, Mauritius and 20 persons from China. These individuals have completed the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) programme.
Throughout Lent, the catechumens met with Archbishop Scicluna in preparation for this significant moment in their lives. Among them is Eralvjo Dhoska from Albania, who comes from an Orthodox family, although he was not a practicing believer. Everything changed when he came to Malta with his wife.
“I felt empty before. In Malta, wherever I went – like the Mosta Dome – I experienced a warm feeling, and my wife and I decided to give it a try. We began attending monthly meetings with the Albanian community in Mosta out of curiosity, but everything gradually started falling into place. I feel more at home in the Catholic faith. Even though I had read the Scriptures before, I now discover something new in them each time. A series of experiences brought me to this point, and I believe it was the hand of God brought me to Malta,” explained Mr Dhoska.
The Easter Vigil celebration led by Archbishop Scicluna starts at 8pm and includes: the blessing of the fire, which will take place on the parvis of St John’s Co‑Cathedral in Valletta, followed by the proclamation of Easter; the reading of passages from the Holy Scriptures and the singing of the Gloria and Alleluia, leading to the proclamation of the Gospel; the blessing of water, where the paschal candle lit from the blessed fire on the parvis is dipped into the water; and the Eucharistic liturgy.
The catechumens will be baptised with blessed water and confirmed using chrism oil consecrated on Maundy Thursday morning. During the same Vigil, they will also receive Holy Communion. These sacraments are the cornerstone of the Catholic faith, laying the foundation for the spiritual journey of its members and preparing them for the reception of other sacraments.
This solemn celebration will be broadcast on TVM+, Radio RTK 103, Church.mt and Newsbook Malta.
