Each year in May, communities across the world gather for the Ecumenical Prayer Vigils to Overcome Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. These vigils form a shared spiritual movement grounded in remembrance, prayer, and hope. They are not tied to one name or location, but united by a deep call for dignity and healing.
In Malta, our friends at Drachma invite all to two events held during this time of reflection:
Friday 16 May at 8:00 PM
Mount Saint Joseph Retreat House will host LABELS, a short play created by Theatre students from the University of Malta, under the direction of Tyrone Grima. The piece explores how identity labels—often intended to affirm—can also isolate. It asks how language shapes belonging, and when it becomes a boundary instead of a bridge. The performance is open to all, including LGBTI+ individuals, families, and allies.
Saturday 17 May from 7:00 to 8:00 PM
A Prayer Vigil will be held at St. Paul’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Valletta. Rooted in Scripture and silence, this ecumenical gathering will honour those harmed by exclusion and violence, while uplifting the strength of those who live with authenticity and faith. The vigil is part of the global tradition of Ecumenical Vigils observed each May.
LABELS is a collaborative creation by Theatre students from the University of Malta, directed by Tyrone Grima, whose work often explores the intersections of theology, identity, and performance. The play opens a space for discomfort and compassion. It continues a tradition at the University where the arts are used to engage with questions of identity, community, and conscience.
When students lend their creativity to this moment, they do more than perform. They witness. They enter into a dialogue the Church still struggles to hold. The arts, in this context, become a form of prayer, spoken not in liturgy, but in movement and metaphor.
To show up, to pray, to listen, to watch, is to resist forgetting. Each gesture, each story, each name remembered becomes part of a wider act of love.
Learn more http://drachmalgbt.blogspot.com/
Want to know more about the vigils? visit Gionata.org/en/inveglia and our twin page, coming soon!
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