Election of the 51st Provincial of the Maltese Dominican Province

The Capitular Fathers

On Saturday, September 13, 2025, Father Vincent Mary Micallef was re-elected as the provincial prior of the Dominican Province of Malta during the Provincial Chapter held at the Dominican Convent in Valletta.

Fr Vincent Micallef OP

Father Vincent Mary Micallef OP was born in Valletta, Malta, on March 2, 1950, to Victor and

Mary Micallef, the fourth of six children. He spent seven years as an acolyte at St. Nicholas’ Church, known as the Church of Souls, from where he was chosen to serve in the liturgical service at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, where he was among the first group of acolytes to perform this service. He joined the Dominican Order on September 8, 1967, made his first religious profession on September 22, 1968, and later made his solemn profession in 1971. He was ordained a priest on July 20, 1974, in a group of fifty, by H.E. Mgr. Mikiel Gonzi, Archbishop of Malta. After joining the Order, he continued his studies at the Philosophical and Theological College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rabat, Malta.

In 1978, he was sent as a missionary to the Dominican Community of Malta in Brazil, where he remained for 30 years. In Brazil, he served as a chaplain in various parishes, as well as master of pre-novices, novices, and students in formation. He also pursued further studies at the Pontifical Catholic University, where he obtained a Licentiate in Philosophy and a Master’s in Religious Sciences. For some time, he taught at the Dominican Faculty of Theology in São Paulo and also served as vicar of the provincial for the Maltese missionaries in Brazil. During this period, alongside extensive pastoral work, he was chaplain of the parishes of Faxinal and Curitiba in the state of Paraná, and in the city of São Paulo, in the state of São Paulo. Between 2006 and 2009, he was elected Provincial of the Dominican Province in Brazil, Bartolomeu de Las Casas. He is the founder of the School for Children and Youth with Physical and Mental Disabilities (APAE) in the town of Faxinal, PR, Brazil, in 1983, and in 1995, he also received the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Curitiba, PR, for his pastoral work among the poor in the favelas. Additionally, wherever he was, he always led choirs of children, youth, and adults.

In 2010, he returned to Malta and took up the position of vice-chaplain at the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima, Gwardamanġa. Three years later, in 2013, he was appointed vicar of the provincial, prior, and chaplain of the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima, in Gwardamanġa, a role he was appointed to by H.E. Mgr. Archbishop Pawlu Cremona OP, on December 15. He served as chaplain for eight years until June 15, 2021, when he was elected provincial prior of the Dominican Province of Malta, St. Pius V, an office he was elected to for the second time this year.

During the Provincial Chapter, P. Claudio Borg OP, P. Michael Camilleri OP, P. Reno Muscat OP, and P. Alan Joseph Adami OP were also elected as definitors. P. Paul Gatt OP and P. Aaron Zahra OP were elected as councillors to the Provincial Council.

The Provincial Chapter is a significant event in the life of a Dominican Province, bringing together Dominican brothers from across the island to reflect on the life and mission of the Order in Malta, address key issues, and elect their leadership. The Chapter is held every four years and serves as a time for renewal, dialogue, and planning for the future.