MALAWI: ECM appoints Ex-Seminarians’ Body to Champion Seminary Day
Sam Kalimba
The Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) has called on members of the National Ex-Seminarians Association in Malawi to help in organising the first ever National Seminary Day slated for 28 May, 2023.
According to a message intended to be read in all the Catholic Churches in the country, released by the Secretary General of the Conference Very Rev. Fr. Alfred Chaima, members of the association of Ex-Seminarians are to assist in organising the celebrations as well as to be part of every committee chosen at all levels to mobilise resources to support the formation of priests in the country through the national seminaries Saint Anthony and St. Peter’s Major Seminaries.
According to Fr. Chaima, in 2017 the Catholic Bishops of Malawi resolved that the National Seminary Day and National Seminary Fund should be celebrated in all Catholic Dioceses and parishes throughout the country every year on Solemnity of the Pentecost, which this year falls on 28th May. He said that the Bishops believe that everyone has a role to play in the formation of future agents of evangelisation.
“The celebration of the National Seminary Day and National Seminary Fund in all the dioceses and parishes is, therefore, designed to allow everybody to participate in supporting the formation of future priests. For this purpose, all collections realized on the Pentecost Sunday, 28th May, 2023 will be deposited in the ECM National Seminary Fund accounts specially opened to support the formation of Seminarians in our two major seminaries,” read the message.
Fr. Chaima also guided that on this same day, the Church calls upon all people of good will to prescribe and make financial contributions or pledges to the National Seminary Fund whose objective is to mobilise funds on a regular and sustainable basis for supporting the running of Kachebere and St. Peters Major Seminaries. He said that everyone as individuals, families, members of small Christian communities and Church based ministries and organisations, are invited to subscribe voluntarily to the Fund.
He said that people can contribute by giving cash, starting from an equivalent of USD 0.48 per month or USD 5.79 per year to an equivalent of USD 4.83 or more per month or an equivalent of USD 57.92 or more per year. Fr. Chaima said that people even adopt one or more Seminarians by paying for their school fees that was at the equivalent of USD 337.84 per term.
In response to this call, the Board chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the National Association of Ex-Seminarians in Malawi Mr. Edson Ngopola wrote to all the 7 affiliated alumni associations requesting their respective leaderships to mobilise their members to participate in the Seminary Day and Seminary Fund.
“The local Church has requested the Association of Ex-Seminarians to embrace the day as an annual event with the purpose of increasing its visibility through animations for creating an awareness to all Catholics of their responsibility to support the seminaries and most importantly to fundraise for the seminary fund. Therefore, the board resolved to launch the National Seminary Day on 28th May 2023 and as an annual event, where moving forward the associations will takeover and coordinate the events of the day. Therefore, the board is requesting the leadership of all associations to mobilise its members to celebrate the day with the local Church,” said Ngopola.
Ngopola said that main activities will take place in the Archdiocese of Blantyre to be presided over by the prelate of the Archdiocese His Grace Thomas Luke Msusa, and in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe to be presided over by the Archdiocesan Bible Coordinator Rev. Fr. Henry Kamganga Zulu. He said that their Board has requested members of the Ex-Seminarians Association to organize themselves and celebrate the day and also conduct fundraising activities in all other Dioceses and Parishes and remit the funds through their member associations.
The National Seminary Fund in Malawi has been established by the National Laity Council with the approval of all Catholic Bishops. The National Seminary Fund (NSF) is a response to the Catholic Bishops’ request to the lay faithful to put in place measures and mechanisms to support the formation of priests in Malawi.
The NSF is being founded on subscriptions mostly from individual Catholics. Members of the Ex-Seminarians Association in Malawi are called to assist in organising events in view of mobilizing resources for the seminary fund.
Rev. Fr. Henry Chinkanda is the National Chaplain for the Ex-Seminarians Association at ECM and is at the centre stage ensuring that this year’s Seminary Day takes place and achieves its intended purpose.
The National Seminary Fund is managed by the Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi.
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