The 16th of May was a day of great joy and thanksgiving for the Missionary Society of St Paul as our confrere, Fr David Pace MSSP, was ordained to the priesthood by Auxiliary Bishop Joe Galea Curmi at St John’s Co Cathedral in Valletta. Together with him, Fr Ryan Dalli OFM Cap. and Fr Jerome Barnabas ICPE were also ordained priests.
For us as a Society, this was not simply an ordination, but the celebration of a journey that began many years ago and which God has faithfully guided every step of the way.
Fr David comes from the Parish of Safi and is also an old boy of our own St Paul’s Missionary College. Before joining the MSSP, he worked as a nurse in the Emergency Department at Mater Dei Hospital for four years and also obtained a Master’s degree in Biology. Yet amidst a promising professional career, the Lord continued to call him to something deeper: a life dedicated entirely to the service of God and His people.
In 2015, David began his formation with our Society. After completing his novitiate at our International House of Theology in Manila, he returned to Malta to study Philosophy at the University of Malta. He later spent a year in Peru, sharing in the missionary life and gaining first hand experience of the realities and challenges of mission.
His theological studies then took him back to the Philippines, where he studied at the Loyola School of Theology, a Jesuit ecclesiastical faculty within Ateneo de Manila University. In May of last year he graduated with a Bachelor of Theology degree, and on 19 October 2024 he was ordained deacon by Archbishop Socrates Villegas.
As we gathered around the altar for his priestly ordination, we could not help but give thanks for all those who have accompanied him along the way: his family, formators, fellow MSSP members, friends, benefactors, and the many people who have supported him through their prayers and encouragement.
We are certain that this occasion also brought joy to our Founder, the Servant of God Joseph De Piro, whose dream of forming missionaries continues to bear fruit in the Church today.
Fr David’s ordination is a reminder that God continues to call men and women to generous lives of service and mission. It is also a sign of hope for our Society, for the Church, and for all those who continue to pray for vocations.
As an MSSP family, we congratulate Fr David and assure him of our continued prayers as he begins this new chapter of priestly ministry. May the Lord who has called him remain his strength and guide, and may his life continue to be a witness of Christ’s love wherever the mission takes him.
Fr David comes from the Parish of Safi and is also an old boy of our own St Paul’s Missionary College. Before joining the MSSP, he worked as a nurse in the Emergency Department at Mater Dei Hospital for four years and also obtained a Master’s degree in Biology. Yet amidst a promising professional career, the Lord continued to call him to something deeper: a life dedicated entirely to the service of God and His people.
In 2015, David began his formation with our Society. After completing his novitiate at our International House of Theology in Manila, he returned to Malta to study Philosophy at the University of Malta. He later spent a year in Peru, sharing in the missionary life and gaining first hand experience of the realities and challenges of mission.
His theological studies then took him back to the Philippines, where he studied at the Loyola School of Theology, a Jesuit ecclesiastical faculty within Ateneo de Manila University. In May of last year he graduated with a Bachelor of Theology degree, and on 19 October 2024 he was ordained deacon by Archbishop Socrates Villegas.
As we gathered around the altar for his priestly ordination, we could not help but give thanks for all those who have accompanied him along the way: his family, formators, fellow MSSP members, friends, benefactors, and the many people who have supported him through their prayers and encouragement.
We are certain that this occasion also brought joy to our Founder, the Servant of God Joseph De Piro, whose dream of forming missionaries continues to bear fruit in the Church today.
Fr David’s ordination is a reminder that God continues to call men and women to generous lives of service and mission. It is also a sign of hope for our Society, for the Church, and for all those who continue to pray for vocations.
As an MSSP family, we congratulate Fr David and assure him of our continued prayers as he begins this new chapter of priestly ministry. May the Lord who has called him remain his strength and guide, and may his life continue to be a witness of Christ’s love wherever the mission takes him.