Qala parish seminar

Recently I attended the Qala parish seminar which was open to all local parishioners and not just parish groups, as is the norm.

Surprisingly, 80 people decided to forego the weekend drive for a two-day discussion on the way forward for the Church in this tiny village. The pooling of ideas, comments and views about the pastoral plan for 2006-2007 was astonishing and offers great impetus to improve the way the Church in Qala operates.

This is the way forward for the Church in Gozo and in Malta. The relevance of the Church in today's society is its ability to be open to improvement, to innovation in thinking and implementation and receptiveness to the ever-changing conditions of our lives. Despite its insignificant size, Qala parish gave a shining example to the wider Church in Gozo and Malta.

Qala archpriest Rev. Dr Joe Zammit is to be credited with this excellent idea. The illuminating message to those who attended by Bishop Mario Grech was the cherry on the parish cake!