Advertisement

Pray for Your Priests not to Lose Heart amid Challenges, Catholic Bishop in Tanzania to the Faithful at Silver Jubilee

Credit: Radio Maria Tanzania

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Mpanda in Tanzania has described priesthood as a demanding vocation, and called on the faithful to fervently pray for their priests to remain faithful and committed to their calling especially in the face of challenges.

In his homily on Sunday, August 10 at the Eucharistic Celebration to mark the 25th priestly anniversary of Bishop Flavian Matindi Kassala of the Catholic Diocese of Geita, Bishop Eusebius Alfred Nzingilwa reflected on the profound calling and gift that priesthood represents and the importance of understanding it as a vocation centered on sacrifice and service to God’s people.

Noting that priesthood cannot be fulfilled by human strength alone, he said, “These Priests have been sent by God to give their lives as a sacrifice so that you, the faithful, may receive Salvation.”

“Just as Christ was sent into the world not for His own sake but for ours. Priests are sent to give their lives for the salvation of others,” he said.

The Bishop who has been at the helm of Mpanda Diocese since August 2020 explained that the salvation of a Priest sent by God to offer his lives for the spiritual well-being of the faithful is intrinsically linked to “his faithfulness and righteousness in fulfilling the mission God has entrusted to him.”

Advertisement

“A Priest will achieve his salvation by being faithful and righteous in carrying out the work to which God has sent him. Goodness and faithfulness are what will bring us [Priests] into the joy of heaven,” the Bishop said in the Sunday, August 10 Homily at the Blessed Virgin Mary of Fatima Parish of the Catholic Diocese of Geita.

“Therefore dear ones I plead with you to pray for your Priests; they are your children, they are human, not Angels, but they have been chosen for the divine work,” said the Tanzanian Catholic Bishop, who began his Episcopal Ministry in March 2010 as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam.

“This calling has great demands which we cannot fulfill by human strength alone,” he noted, and emphasized that Priesthood comes with many challenges, “and some of them can discourage us, therefore, pray for your Priests not to lose heart due to the difficulties in their ministry.”

Bishop Nzingilwa acknowledged the immense spiritual guidance and nourishment that Bishop Eusebius Alfred Kassala has provided to the people of God in Tanzania and beyond.

He said, “Dear Bishop Kassala in your 25 years of Priesthood, you have celebrated this mystery of the Eucharist and fed people with this bread from heaven for the life and salvation of their souls. You have also provided spiritual guidance and teachings of faith to lead people on the path that is pleasing to God. You have celebrated all seven Sacraments, I pray for abundant grace and blessings for you; may God continue to bless you in your priestly ministry.”

More in Africa

Reflecting on the day’s first reading which was taken from 1st Kings 19: 4-8, the 58-year-old Prelate reminded Priests that similar challenges to those Prophet Elijah faced are still alive today and called on them to draw encouragement from the Prophet.

“Dear Priests, even when you encounter difficulties in your Priesthood, know that God is very close to you. Even in our times, these things still happen. Prophet Elijah performed his ministry with great courage and diligence in revealing and proclaiming the true God, but as a result, he was sought after to be killed,” said the Bishop of Tanzania’s Geita Diocese.

He said, “If you ever feel like you want to die, call upon Prophet Elijah to pray for you. He went through such stages. After doing good, people did not understand him, he made great sacrifices, yet he was still hunted.”

The Bishop who was appointed to the Catholic Diocese of Mpanda on 13 May 2020, further advised Priests to create ‘peaceful environments’ for meeting with God, and that just as the angel gave Prophet Elijah the bread that enabled him to travel for forty days to meet God, to always remain close to “Jesus Christ who identifies Himself to us as the Bread of life."

“Let us receive Christ, the bread of life, and we, the Priests, will be assured of traveling day and night in the journey of salvation until we meet the face of God,” he said.

Advertisement

Bishop Flavian Matindi Kassala who is the former immediate Vice President of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) was ordained a Priest on 11 July, 1999. He has been at the helm of his Episcopal See from June 2016 following his appointment 28 April, 2016.

The Local Ordinary of Geita Diocese will alongside Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Ruwa’ichi of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam represent the Catholic Church of Tanzania at the Second Session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishop from October 2 to 6, 2024 in Rome. The second session is a follow-up to the first one, which was held from October 4 to 26 bringing together 364 participants from around the world among them 67 from Africa.  

Nicholas Waigwa contributed to the writing of this story. 

ACI Africa was founded in 2019. We provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Catholic Church in Africa, giving particular emphasis to the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See, to any person with access to the internet. ACI Africa is proud to offer free access to its news items to Catholic dioceses, parishes, and websites, in order to increase awareness of the activities of the universal Church and to foster a sense of Catholic thought and culture in the life of every Catholic.