UGANDA: Do Not Ask for Ordination If You Will Be Scandalous to Church, Rector Tells Seminarians
Rev. Fr. Paul Masolo, Rector St. Mary's National Major Seminary-Uganda
Rector of St. Mary’s National Major Seminary in Uganda Rev. Fr. Paul Masolo has urged seminarians to politely decline being ordained into priestly ministry if their conscious tells them that they will hurt the Church with scandals.
Addressing seminarians from St. Mbaaga Major Seminary of the Archdiocese of Kampala together with Seminarians from the National Seminary during the Eucharistic celebrations to mark the end of AMECEA Training on Small Christian Communities (SCCs), Fr. Masolo said that of late the Church has been going through difficult times owing to child abuse scandals that are reported in the media.
“Some of us have been a source of great pain to our Mother Church. Please dear young people, if you think you are going to be a source of more pain to her, you better leave early. How can you hurt your mother? Who among us here has the courage to hurt his own mother? Don’t you appreciate what your mother has done for you: she has brought you up, she has nourished you, given you everything, made you what you are. How can you dare hurt your mother the Church?” he posed.
Major Seminaries in Uganda with some guests from abroad
during Eucharistic Celebrations to mark the end of AMECEA
Training on Small Christian Communities to
Students of the two Seminaries
“Please if you fear that you might be a source of pain to the Church, do not asks for ordination. It will be better that way. But I believe that each one of you can be a source of great blessing not pain. I pray that what we have learnt during this workshop may be useful to us so that each one of us, may be a source of blessing to our mother the Church.”
He further urged the seminarians to pay more attention to SCCs, which are largely referred to as Basic Christian Communities in Uganda.
“We should not only be contented with big crowds; it is very important to guide and help the basic families, the Basic Christian Communities. Do not be afraid to go and celebrate mass even for one family or even for one individual. Do not be afraid to go the Basic Christian Community to pray with the people of God because that is where the basis of our faith is built.”
He highlighted the importance of building the SCCs as it ensures pastoral care to all people.
“The Church depends on us, God uses us, he works through us, so if each one of us has enough pastoral zeal to work on Basic Christian families, I would call them a family than a community because a family is the source of life to the whole church, so if the family is well set, then the whole Church will be okay.”
∽End∽
