MALAWI: Church Invites Ex-Seminarians to Rise to the Occasion
Some members of the Association of ExSeminarians at the event
Sam Kalimba
In the wake of responding to the call “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission” the Church in Malawi invites all ex-seminarians to feel part and parcel of the Church. Speaking during the double launch of Seminary Day and Seminary Fund on 28 May 2023, the Chaplain of National Association of Ex-Seminarians at the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) Rev. Fr. Henry Chinkanda said that ex-seminarians should not feel bitter for any reason but take it that it is the way it is that they are called on the other side, which is critical for the growth of the Church.
“Come out and participate in the Church activities. Do not hold any grudge against any one about what happened for you to leave the seminary. I will give my own example. My dad was an ex-seminarian but he had me, his first-born son as a priest; my sisters produced priests as well. What would it be if my dad became a priest? We would not be talking of three priests in our family for sure. This why we call upon you all ex-seminarians to be present in the Church and accept the vocation you are in,” advised Fr. Chinkanda.
The Seminary Day and Seminary Fund were commemorated jointly in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe at a Mass presided over by Rev. Fr. Henry Zulu the Archdiocesan Bible Coordinator and Parish priest at St. Patrick’s Parish.
Fr. Zulu, formerly a bursar at St. Peter’s Major Seminary for 10 years, narrated his ordeal as the seminary’s purse keeper.
“For 10 years I was there, being looked at someone who is mishandling resources for the Seminary, and yet the truth was that the resources were not enough to run through an academic year. My fellow priests had all their eyes on me to ensure that all the activities were done as normal without any moderation. Thanks to few lay members of the Church who kept running up and down, begging from offices around the country,” he said and continued, “Why am I saying this? I want to underscore the importance of this activity we are doing today to raise awareness of the needs of the seminaries and raise funds to cushion the operations of the seminaries. This is why I did not hesitate but to accept to host as well as to preside over this prestigious occasion.”
Corresponding to these sentiments, Fr. Chinkanda outlined how the plenary of bishops received the idea of having the Seminary Day and Seminary Fund a when it was proposed to them.
“I can assure you that our bishops did not hesitate to resolve to have the Seminary Day and Fund because during their plenary. They were always worried when rectors were called in to present their reports. They already knew that the ending would be in seeking for financial bailout. It is therefore high time we started preparing for safety-nets where such calls for bail out arise, the bishops would have somewhere to start from,” said Fr. Chinkanda.
According to the Board Chairperson of the National Association of Ex-Seminarians in Malawi, Mr. Edson Ngopola an estimate of MWK2,500,000 (approximately $2,500.00) was realized at a single event, which he declared to be a good starting point. He was hopeful that this amount would rise if all the parishes were to remit the Sunday collections as requested by the Episcopal Conference of Malawi earlier before the day.
“We started very well at one centre alone. We expect this to rise if all parishes are involved because the Pentecost Day, which is also the Seminary Day, is celebrated by the local Church in all the Catholic Churches with offertory being sent to ECM through the Seminary Fund account,” he said.
Ngopola said that the Seminary Day celebration shall continue being organized by the National Association of Ex Seminarians at national level while Member Associations of Ex Seminarians will continue organising at Diocesan level. He said that all celebrations shall be aimed at raising funds for the Seminary Fund that is managed by ECM for the purpose of bailing out Major Seminaries and Formation Centers from their financial woes.
When asked on next year’s plans, Ngopola said that the modality of celebrations at national level have not been agreed upon until their national AGM scheduled for July this year.
The Seminary Day and Fund is celebrated on the Pentecost Sunday as resolved by the bishops in Malawi to keep memories of the birth of the Church in the future Church through the formation of priests. The Bishops in Malawi assigned the association of ex-seminarians as one way of bringing everyone to participate in the activities of the Church.
There are two major seminaries run by the ECM and one run by missionaries, two diocesan formation centers and seven minor seminaries in Malawi.
