On 25 January, feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, the Maltese Franciscan Province celebrates its feast day, since it is dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle. This year it was not possible to organise a fraternal celebration for all the brothers, because of the current situation.
A group of brothers celebrated the feast during their annual retreat in the Gozo friary, during a Mass presided by the Minister Provincial in the beginning of the retreat. During the Mass the brothers prayed for the Province, for vocations and for the sick and elderly brothers.
The Maltese Franciscan Province was dedicated to Saint Paul in 1914, when it was founded as an independent entity of the Order of Friars Minor. From 1838 to 1914 it was an autonomous Custody, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, and before 1838, ever since the early 16th century, with the foundation of the Rabat fraternity of Santa Maria di Gesù, the Maltese Franciscans formed part of the Sicilian Province of Val di Noto e Malta.
