Father Victor Vella
Victor Vella was born to Gregory and Nazzarena on 8th September 1961 at Victoria, Gozo, the sister island of Malta, being the fourth of five children.
In 1978, he commenced his studies for the priesthood in philosophy and theology.
He graduated in philosophy at the Pontifical University of St Thomas, Rome, in 1983.
After resuming his theological studies at the Sacred Heart Seminary in Gozo and was ordained on 28th June 1986 at the Cathedral in Victoria.
Following his ordination, Father Victor was seconded by his bishop to the archdiocese of Westminster where he served two tenures of curacy in Chiswick and Wembley.
Upon being awarded a scholarship to Oxford University in 1988, he studied for a Masters in Philosophy and Political Science whilst residing at Campion Hall – the scholarly residence of the Jesuit Community at Oxford.
On completion, he went to the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where he gained a postgraduate certificate in comparative politics of the Middle East.
In 1991, Fr Victor was seconded to the archdiocese of Southwark to serve two tenures of curacy in West Croydon and Beckenham. He was appointed parish priest of Our Lady of the Assumption, Northfleet, in April 1997. Whilst serving the parish, he pursued his interest in study by pursuing courses in Biblical Hebrew at Heythrop College and University College London (UCL).
After serving ten years as a parish priest, he decided to take a study sabbatical in 2007 to deepen his knowledge in Biblical Hebrew and New Testament Greek at the Pontifical Institute of Biblical Studies, whilst residing at the Venerable English College in Rome before moving to Jerusalem for his second academic term.
It was during his sojourn there that he was appointed parish priest to Holy Innocents', Orpington. On 7th November 2008, Father Victor was inducted by the Right Reverend Patrick Lynch, Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark.
Father Victor remains very keen on Judaism and Biblical Hebrew.
To mark his twenty fifth anniversary of ordination, he returned to Jerusalem in June/July 2011, to undertake a course in biblical studies at Bat Kol Institute. (A centre founded in 1983 for the study of the Word of God within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish sources, ancient and modern, with the help of Jewish and Christian scholars.)
In 1978, he commenced his studies for the priesthood in philosophy and theology.
He graduated in philosophy at the Pontifical University of St Thomas, Rome, in 1983.
After resuming his theological studies at the Sacred Heart Seminary in Gozo and was ordained on 28th June 1986 at the Cathedral in Victoria.
Following his ordination, Father Victor was seconded by his bishop to the archdiocese of Westminster where he served two tenures of curacy in Chiswick and Wembley.
Upon being awarded a scholarship to Oxford University in 1988, he studied for a Masters in Philosophy and Political Science whilst residing at Campion Hall – the scholarly residence of the Jesuit Community at Oxford.
On completion, he went to the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where he gained a postgraduate certificate in comparative politics of the Middle East.
In 1991, Fr Victor was seconded to the archdiocese of Southwark to serve two tenures of curacy in West Croydon and Beckenham. He was appointed parish priest of Our Lady of the Assumption, Northfleet, in April 1997. Whilst serving the parish, he pursued his interest in study by pursuing courses in Biblical Hebrew at Heythrop College and University College London (UCL).
After serving ten years as a parish priest, he decided to take a study sabbatical in 2007 to deepen his knowledge in Biblical Hebrew and New Testament Greek at the Pontifical Institute of Biblical Studies, whilst residing at the Venerable English College in Rome before moving to Jerusalem for his second academic term.
It was during his sojourn there that he was appointed parish priest to Holy Innocents', Orpington. On 7th November 2008, Father Victor was inducted by the Right Reverend Patrick Lynch, Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark.
Father Victor remains very keen on Judaism and Biblical Hebrew.
To mark his twenty fifth anniversary of ordination, he returned to Jerusalem in June/July 2011, to undertake a course in biblical studies at Bat Kol Institute. (A centre founded in 1983 for the study of the Word of God within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish sources, ancient and modern, with the help of Jewish and Christian scholars.)