Aid to the Church in Need: Uganda: "Our seminary is bursting at the seams"

Uganda: "Our seminary is bursting at the seams"

Posted by ACN News on 8/9/2009, 2:31 pm
Message modified by board administrator 8/9/2009, 2:32 pm

ACN News, Tues, 8th September 2009 – UGANDA

Uganda: "Our seminary is bursting at the seams"

More and more mature men are turning to the priesthood

By Eva-Maria Kolmann

The seminary for mature vocations in Kampala can now scarcely accommodate the many candidates who want to study for the priesthood. This was reported by the rector of the seminary, Father Joseph Sserunjogi, to the international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

The situation has now reached a point where even the office rooms within the seminary and other rooms in a nearby monastery are being converted into dormitory accommodation. But even then as many as 15 students have to cram into a dormitory area of just 15 square metres, he told ACN. This was hardly a fitting state of affairs, he observed, adding that in many rooms there is a lack of fresh air and a consequent danger of ill-health. Yet at the same time he finds it very hard to turn away vocations simply because of the shortage of space. For the new academic year, which began in September, there have been no fewer than 48 applicants, of whom the seminary has been able to accept just 28, since there is simply no other accommodation available. This is a "very regrettable" situation, he feels, since "priests are needed everywhere and yet for lack of space we have to turn away those who feel themselves called". Nonetheless, the seminary is trying everything possible to turn away as few potential candidates as possible, he explained to ACN. In future, though, it will be essential to extend the seminary, he believes, since they cannot allow themselves to lose possible vocations.

The mature vocations seminary was opened in 1976, when the then Bishop of Kampala had recognized the fact that there were many men who have already learned a trade or profession yet subsequently felt themselves called to the priesthood. It all began in a building made available by the diocese with just a handful of seminarians. Of the 17 candidates in the "first wave", nine have now been ordained to the priesthood and two of them have even become bishops. Since the seminary first opened, no fewer than 180 priests have been ordained.

(Fr Joseph Sserunjogi)

At the present time there are 155 men studying for the priesthood in the seminary and the numbers are growing steadily. All had other trades or professions before entering the seminary; many were teachers, others were white collar workers, policeman or vets. The oldest candidate, who is now a priest, was 56 years old when he entered the seminary. Most however are aged between 24 and 31 and come from one of the 15 dioceses in Uganda or from neighbouring countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Sudan.

In Father Joseph's experience, the advantage of these late vocations lies in the fact that the men are "already more mature" and have reached their decision independently and with conscious deliberation. On the other hand they tend sometimes to take longer than the young seminarians to get used to life in the seminary. In all they do, he feels, the most important thing is to communicate a sense of joy in the priesthood. At the same time it is important to prepare his seminarians for the real situations they will face as priests in Uganda. Many people in Uganda live in extreme poverty; they have no shoes, no wristwatch, and yet they are willing to walk for hours in order to get to Holy Mass. Their longing for God is great, he told ACN. When a priest is held up by the appallingly bad roads and arrives late in a village, the faithful are willing to wait patiently many hours for him. Yet at the same time they expect a great deal from the priest. "They expect him to take care of everything", the rector explained to ACN. Thus it can be a severe challenge for a priest to represent in every respect the only hope for many people, and he must at the same time make clear to people that what matters above all is Jesus Christ.

Another thing the seminarians have to learn about, for instance, is how to deal with the still widespread belief in witchcraft that exists in many regions. For it is ineffective to ban such practices, the rector explained, but rather the right way was to show the people that the Christian God is the true God, who is everything that they need. "Many people believe for example that a particular stone will bring rain", he explained, "but we must above all do something for the people, so that they will understand that Christianity is the true religion. Our deeds are more important than our words here!" Social commitment was likewise important, he said, since "a hungry man will not listen to our preaching".

In Uganda generally the number of vocations is rising year on year. According to Vatican statistics, every fifth seminarian worldwide now comes from Africa. At the same time, however, the number of Catholics is also rising so that in many regions there are still far too few priests. ACN is particularly committed to the training of priests in Africa and supports seminarians throughout the continent. The charity also helps to fund the construction, extension and renovation of seminaries.

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy See, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need. ACN is a Catholic charity – helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Bishop Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An outstanding Apostle of Charity”, the organisation is now at work in about 130 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 46.5 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information, please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web: www.aidtochurch.org

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