AMECEA: “Be a Good Priest, not Just a Priest,” AMECEA Chairman to Bakanja Seminarians

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA

Seminarians of Blessed Bakanja AMECEA College (BBAC) during the celebration to mark 25 years since the establishment of the seminary, were reminded to strive towards being good priests and not just to be priests and that is final.

“It is not enough to be a priest but to be a good priest,” Bishop Charles Sampa Kasonde the Chairman of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) who was the main celebrant for the Eucharistic celebration on Saturday, October 21, said during the homily as the seminary marked their silver jubilee.

He narrated that every good priest should be a vocation promoter whenever he is assigned to work saying, “If you are in the parish and the vocation is not flourishing you need to find out what you aren’t doing right. You should be able to promote, religious life, priesthood, and marriage life that leads to solid and good vocations.”

Bishop Kasonde, the Local Ordinary of Solwezi Diocese in Zambia emphasized to the congregants who comprised of prelates from other conferences within the AMECEA region, alumni of Bakanja seminary, clergy, Religious, seminarians, and other Christians that, “Good people are an inspiration, they promote the newness of life and wherever they are, joy goes before them.”

AMECEA Chairman appreciated the inclusive nature of Blessed Bakanja Seminary as it has students from the member conferences and beyond sharing his observation that Bakanja is “a splendid institution that gives the most faceting way of looking at formation but all in one unison.”

In his reflection focusing on the theme for the Silver Jubilee: Looking at the past 25 years with gratitude, living the present with passion, and moving toward the future with hope, Bishop Kasonde highlighted that it is in thanksgiving that we receive blessings.

“When you say thank you, to the people who help you, their souls are gladdened and they are given the impetus to do more and more,” the Bishop said and addressed the young men who are the future priests, “My dear seminarians, you are privileged to be here. When you account for the deeds that have been done to you and when you count the cost for bringing you to this seminary from the countries, conferences, and dioceses you are from, it is a great cost but for a higher value of capacitating you to be exposed to formation that in the future you become good priests and you add to the glamour of service of the Church as a good priest.”

He noted that the 25-year celebration of thanksgiving to God comes following several generations that have passed through Blessed Bakanja Seminary as “we appreciate as witnesses what the Lord has done to the institution.”

“May we continue to pray that Blessed Bakanja AMECEA College grows from strength to strength in anticipation of the golden jubilee in the next 25 years to come and may we make every place wherever we go a better place than we found it,” Bishop Kasonde concluded.

Blessed Bakanja Seminary located in Kenya was established in 1998 by the AMECEA Fathers, as an inter-regional seminary bringing together young men from the eight AMECEA member conferences and beyond to have high-quality formation to priesthood.