Fr Barbara, a missionary from the congregation of Capuchin Franciscan Friars, was appointed bishop of Malindi on July 9, 2011. The Bishop was born on October 27, 1949 in Gzira parish in the Archdiocese of Malta. On September 19, 1965, he entered the novitiate. On September 26, 1966, he did his first religious profession.
After finishing his studies in Malta, he was ordained deacon on August 5, 1973 and ordained a priest on July 20, 1974, in the Cathedral de la Valletta in Malta.
The bishop-elect has held the following positions: 1974-1976: vicar priest at San Gwann, in Malta; 1976-1978: Studies for the Licentiate in Moral Theology at the Alfonsianum; 1976-1989: Teacher at INSERM (National Institutum Studiorum Ecclesiasticorum Religiosorum Melitensium), Malta; 1978-1980: Chaplain at St. Luke’s Hospital in Malta;
In 1980-1983: local Superior in Xemxija, Malta; 1981-1983: Rector of INSERM, Malta; 1983-1989: Provincial Minister, Malta; 1990-1996: Director of Formation, Nairobi, Kenya; 1990-1992: Caretaker of the formation house in Lang’ata, Kenya; 1990-1992: Professor at Tangaza College, Nairobi;
In 1992-1994 he studied doctorate in Moral Theology at the Alfonsianum in Rome. From 1994-1999 became a professor at Tangaza College in Nairobi and in 1996-1999 became the first vice-provincial of their congregation in Kenya.
In 1999-2008: Professor of the Faculty of Moral Theology at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), Nairobi. Since 2008 he returned to Malta where he has been the spiritual director in a secondary school, and at the same time a teacher of young religious foreigners in Malta.
Before his appointment he was the Provincial Minister for the Province of Malta, and President of the European Capuchins Conference (CENOC) from 2010.
The diocese of Malindi was created in 2000 from the Archdiocese of Mombasa. It has an area of 33,254 square kilometres and a population of 539,000 inhabitants, of whom 25,509 are Catholic.
There are 17 parishes, 35 priests (11 diocesan and 24 religious), 30 religious brothers, 44 nuns and 8 major seminarians.
Comments