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 Religious Consecration
“I called you by name; you are mine”.
The principal aim of religious life is the handing over of one’s entire life to the service of God in an act of special consecration which is a renewal and a fuller expression of one’s baptismal consecration (P.C. no. 5).
The Congregation of Dominican Sisters is a Religious Conventual Institute of perpetual vows recognized by the Church by the title “iuris Pontificii” according to common laws and having as its general aim to strive for the glory of God and the sanctification of its members according to the ideal of the Dominican order. This aim is achieved by the observance of the three public vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and by regular observance according to the book of constitutions and directives of the same Congregation based on the spirit of the Rule of St. Augustine.
 Our profession within the Congregation involves our total dedication to God so that we can follow Christ completely and live the evangelical life. This is a consecration which was initiated at our baptism and which brings to fulfillment all its effects through our religious profession.
In following this call, last April, three of our sisters, Sr Virginia Ellul, Sr Ines Darmenia and Sr Natalina Ferò, celebrated the Golden Jubilee of their religious profession at St. Catherine Home’s Chapel, Attard. A thanksgiving mass was concelebrated to render thanks to the good Lord firstly for the gift of the religious vocation of the three sisters and secondly for the abundant blessings He has given them throughout their lives.
 Their relatives and friends were invited to share the joy of the occasion. The chapel was full to capacity with guests and sisters. The Eucharistic celebration was then followed by a reception in the hall upstairs, which was enjoyed by all present.
On June 17th, another two sisters, Sr Mariana Mercieca and Sr Gabriella Zammit, also celebrated the Golden Jubilee of their profession. This time the celebration was held at Ta’ Pompei Church and the Mother House in Gozo, as both jubilarians come from Gozo – Malta’s sister island.
Their relatives and friends were also invited to share the joy of the occasion. A thanksgiving mass was celebrated at Our Lady of Pompei Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was packed with guests and sisters. Then a reception was held in the convent yard and it was an enjoyable evening for all.
On both occasions our sisters’ choir sang during the Eucharistic celebration.
 The First Centenary from the death of the Foundress and Benefactress of the Dominican Sisters of Malta.
Carolina cauchi was born in Senglea, on the 25th December 1824, the only child of Notary Nicolò Cauchi from Victoria, Gozo and Teresa née Galea, from Senglea, Malta.
Since childhood, she nurtured a desire to go to Italy to dedicate her whole life to God as a Dominican Cloistered nun. Her desire could not be realized so in 1889, she formed a group of nine women that started to live as contemplative nuns, following the spirit of St. Dominic, in the Annunciation Monastery at Victoria, Gozo which was financed by her.
On the 6th October 1889, this first community was formally recognized by the Church and so the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters was founded. Carolina Cauchi passed away to Eternal Life on the 17th July 1907.
In order to commemorate this important event in the history of our Congregation, on Tuesday 17th July 2007, exactly one hundred years since Carolina Cauchi passed away, Mgr. Mario Grech, the bishop for Gozo, celebrated a solemn thanksgiving mass, along with nine other concelebrants, in Our Lady of Pompei Sanctuary. This was transmitted on radio Maria.
The ‘Gaulitanus’ choir, conducted by Maestro Colin Attard sang during mass. At the beginning of the mass, the Superior General, Mother Carmelita Borg O.P. delivered a speech about Carolina Cauchi’s life.
 Even the bishop, in his homily, gave his message for the occasion. After mass, he blessed Carolina Cauchi’s bust, which is in the sisters’ choir. Afterwards, all those present shared with the sisters a repo in the convent yard and were also given a small remembrance of the occasion.
Carolina Cauchi will be always remembered with great affection and respect for all the good our Congregation is accomplishing towards mankind.
Speech by Mother General - click to view
Carolina Cauchi Death Centinary’s Celebration at St. Catherine’s Chapel Attard.
Apart from the celebration we held in Gozo, we had a something similar at St. Catherine’s Chapel, Attard on the 17th August. The Archbishop Mgr. Paul Cremona O.P. led the Eucharistic celebration together with 17 concelebrants. Most of these were Dominican Fathers. Fr Norbert Bonavia MSSP. assisted the Archbishop throughout the ceremony. Mro. Fr Salv Galea O.P. led the ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ choir during the celebration and created a very pleasant atmosphere.
We issued a booklet, which was used both in Gozo and Malta, thus everybody could follow exactly what was going on. At the beginning of the ceremony, the Superior General, Mother Carmelita Borg O.P. gave an interesting talk about Carolina Cauchi. In his homely, the Archbishop linked Carolina Cauchi to our Holy Father St. Dominic. Both of them went through various hardships in accomplishing God’s plan.
The Council of the Lay Dominicans was present for this occasion. They came to share the joy of this unique manifestation. There were other people present and the chapel was full to capacity. We all rendered thanks to God for all the graces and blessings He bestowed on our Congregation through Carolina Cauchi.
his occasion came to an end by means of a fraternal gathering during which a small token was given to those present.
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