Members of the public gave Archbishop Paul Cremona New Year greetings this morning at the Archbishop's Palace in Valletta.
The well wishers included a group of young people preparing for priesthood.
There are currently 87 seminarians, including 36 preparing to become diocesan priests and 51 members of 10 different religious orders.
Mgr Cremona thanked the young people for answering the Lord's call and appealed to them not to close themselves to a particular plan they believed suited them but to remain open and accept whatever the Lord could throw their way.