AMECEA: The Uniqueness of Blessed Bakanja College Stands Out
Bishop Kasonde Delivering his Homily at Blessed Bakanja College
The Chairman of AMECEA Rt. Rev. Charles Kasonde, has expressed that there is no Seminary for Diocesan Clergy that can match Blessed Bakanja AMECEA College in the whole Region and even beyond, in terms of variety of students from various countries, something that is only synonymous only to Religious Congregations.
Speaking at the institution in Nairobi, Kenya on Sunday, October 14, when he celebrated Mass for the Seminarians at the occasion of commissioning new students’ leadership for 2018-2019, Bishop Kasonde who is the local ordinary of Solwezi Diocese, Zambia reminded the seminarians that the opportunity at Bakanja enables them to enrich each other with a tradition of each country from which they are coming from, and that uniqueness blends with their formation.
“So take every instance as unique and special opportunity; gladly receive the information from the Formators who are accompanying you spiritually, pastorally as well as academically because this is the integral formation that we all must receive. From here you must move slowly until you are ordained,” he told the seminarians.
He also urged the seminarians to ‘turn the page and read’ because in every page read, “there will be something that inspires you. So, if you read 20 pages, you have more than 20 inspirations, and that is what is known as education.”
He further urged the seminarians to treasure the opportunity of education that their bishops have given them.
“An educated mind suffers differently from that of an uneducated within the same environment, and the resilience with which you do that is what makes the difference because education empowers, frees and capacitates thereby enabling one to look at the world differently.”
He also explained that the study for a Baccalaureate Degree may require them to study a wide range of subjects: while the main exams always captures just a section, it is important to study widely as this usually proves helpful in the future when one is ordained a priest.
“When you are ordained to the Ministry, you are ordained to attend to a new born baby just as much as to attend to that grey-haired person of 90 years. And in between you have various people with various qualifications, some are certificate holders, diplomas, degrees, masters, doctorates, professors. But when they come to Church they will listen to you; so you need to prepare yourselves well.”
Bishop Kasonde who is also the Chancellor of Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) told seminarians that this is the time to prepare themselves for that, so that at the end they will become instruments of service to all in the task of of evangelization.
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By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
