Almost one third of all the seminarians in the world today are from the continent of Africa. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, the number of priestly vocations is gratifyingly large. In the archdiocese of Kinshasa, for example, there are no fewer than 221 young men currently training for the priesthood.
The rector of the seminary, Father Emmanuel Kwazifwanga Abita, knows all their life stories. He relates for example how, „One of our candidates already felt the desire to become a priest as a little boy, while at Mass with his parents. Watching the priest celebrating, he felt an inner longing to become like this priest. At home he used to get his brothers and sisters, and even his neighbours and friends together, and play at being a priest with them. This was the impulse of a child, of course, and it faded as he grew older. But when he was 15 he once again felt the desire to become a priest. He wanted to be like his local parish priest, who preached inspiring sermons and cared for the sick and for the young people in the parish with great devotion. So he contacted his local parish priest, who suggested he took part on one of the diocesan retreats. And now this young man is studying for the priesthood at the seminary“.
But there are also other candidates who have found their way to their vocation by more difficult and even more tortuous paths. Speaking from experience, the rector observes, „God‘s ways are not our ways. He is the one who calls, whoever He chooses, however He chooses and whenever He chooses. Every candidate has his own personal path, his own story and his own personal experience of his vocation and his relationship with God. The work of the formator in the seminary is to explore and purify the motivations of those who wish to become priests. For this motive must be centred above all on the desire to serve the Gospel. It is the love of Christ that must motivate the candidate for the priesthood.“
It is also essential to equip these future priests with a sound human and spiritual formation and accompany them on this path. The rector explains, „It is not simply about striving for intellectual excellence, but also about the spiritual and moral life of the seminarian himself. Given that they will be living in a society that is constantly changing and in which real values have been turned on their heads, they need to develop a firm and measured strength of character so they can cope with the challenges of the modern world. Their future apostolate requires a specific training that enables them to speak the language of the people of today while remaining faithful to the Gospel, which proclaims a way of life that is very often in contradiction to the world.“
But financial support is also essential in order to be able to train these seminarians. The Church in Africa is rich in vocations but poor financially. And so ACN is proposing to support the 221 young men currently training in the Archdiocese of Kinshasa as they they strive to follow their path to the priesthood. This year we are offering to give the sum of 40,000 Euros.
