Catholic Priest on How “survival mentality” is Impeding Authentic Formation in African Major Seminaries

According to Fr. Anwuchie, Priests who are not formed to be authentic experience difficulties “being themselves” when relating with Christians. “Instead of becoming men, we continue to live as boys and this is not helping in our pastoral work,” he said.

He lamented that in many Major Seminaries in Africa, aspects of human formation and the expansion of emotional intelligence are neglected while what Seminaries “ought to do” and “ought to behave” is emphasized.

This way, he said, Seminarians become reactive to situations even as Priests.

Fr. Anwuchie expressed concern that most Parishes in his native country of Nigeria, and in Africa are experiencing crises between Clergy and Laity because Priests are not imparted with emotional intelligence during their years of formation.

The July 19 event is the latest in the series of digital palavers that theologians and other experts in Africa have organized to deepen the understanding of the Synthesis Report that came out of the October 2023 session of the multi-year Synod on Synodality. 

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Participants in the virtual event explored the theme, “The revision of the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis in a missionary synodal perspective” based on the December 2015 document of the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy translated as “The Gift of the Priestly Vocation”.

Discussions, also known as “palavers”, were structured around present-day Seminary formation in Africa, participants reflecting on what is working as well as what seems not to be working based on experiences from different parts of the continent. 

In her presentation, Sr. Dominica Dipio, pointed out the disconnect she said she had observed between the seminary environment and real life of priests in the parishes and Christian communities.

The Ugandan-born member of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (MSMMC) and Consultor of the Pontifical Council for Culture expressed concern that many Priests do not continue with formation, which participants at the July 19 palaver had already agreed should be ongoing, and not stop at the Major Seminary when ordained as Deacons.

“Most of the Priests are overwhelmed by their assignments and they quickly burn out. They hardly have time to engage in their own formation, which is supposed to be ongoing,” the Professor of literature at Uganda’s Makerere University said.

“I have met Priests in retreats who have for years not had the experience of retreat. The involvement in mission takes all their time and burns them out,” Sr. Dominica said, and appealed to Bishops who participated in the PACTPAN event to look into the possibility of allowing Priests “to reconnect with God as the centre.”

“For our Priests, living an ongoing formation is quite a challenge and we need to support them, especially the young ones,” Sr. Dominica emphasized. 

On his part, Stephen Cardinal Brislin of South Africa reminded participants at the palaver that ongoing formation of Priests is a responsibility of each Episcopal See and Religious Order.

The Local Ordinary of South Africa’s Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town noted that Seminaries in Africa are already doing “an excellent job” in terms of the academic formation and “intellectual stimulation” of Seminarians, in terms of spiritual formation and for the students to learn routine and discipline.

Cardinal Brislin said that Seminarians should be involved in the joys and struggles of ordinary people, and added, “To the extent that Seminaries are not providing that, I think it is incumbent that Dioceses supplement it during holidays, to put them in communities and situations where they can be with people and people can take some responsibility as well in this formation.”

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Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.