SOUTH SUDAN: Archbishop of Juba Archdiocese Reopens Major Seminary After Closure Due to Covid-19

Ginaba Lino

The Archbishop of Juba Archdiocese on Monday August 2, 2021, reopened St. Paul Major Seminary after the long closer due to COVID-19 which affected all the institutions in the country including the formation houses.

Speaking during the reopen of the Seminary, Archbishop Stephen Martin Ameyu stated that one of the most important things in the Seminary is to put all things that they do in prayer as prayer can make seminarian a good future priest.

“Here in the Major Seminary, learn how to pray because through prayers we can do everything.”

Archbishop Ameyu further said that seminarians should not take the tasks that the formators give them as a way of making them slaves.

“Whatever responsibility you are given, my dear brothers that is not the question of being a slave. all of us are slaves, even our Master, our Lord Jesus emptied himself to be a servant. And who are we, us who have been called by him?”

Most Rev. Ameyu urges all seminarians to join hands together and be one party that can show the image of Jesus who has brought them together in the universal, Catholic, apostolic Church.

Meanwhile, the vice Rector for Theology Rev. Fr. Richard Igalau stressed that, it has been a challenge for Catholic schools in Juba in terms of teaching. He urged the seminarians to take their studies seriously for their own good and for the good of the Church.

One of the seminarians from Wau Diocese, Santino Okenyi Chan, calls on his fellow students to be cooperative and follow what they are told to do.

“There are so many things that we should deal away with such as tribalism. Instead, we should be united as Christians and as seminarians because we are the future leaders of the church. We should cooperate with our formatters for whatever they tell us to follow and we should be humble enough to follow the rules and regulations of our institute”, said Okenyi.

St. Paul is the biggest seminary in South Sudan which brings both theology and philosophy students from the entire Dioceses across the Country. The reopening of the Seminary ended with Mass of the Holy Spirit presided by Archbishop Ameyu.