THE RECTOR’S WELCOME ADDRESS FOR 2019/2020 INAUGURAL MASS

THE RECTOR’S WELCOME ADDRESS FOR 2019/2020 INAUGURAL MASS

VERY REV FR. HABILA DABOH

Your grace, the Metropolitan archbishop of Kaduna and the chairman of the seminary Board, Most Revd Matthew M. Ndagoso, the team of formators, lecturers here present, my dear seminarians, I welcome you all to the inaugural Mass of the 2019/2020 session of Good Shepherd Major Seminary, Kaduna.  During this Mass of the Holy Spirit, the formators and lecturers shall make their profession of faith and take the Oath of Fidelity.  Some seminarians will have their investiture.  New functionaries shall be commissioned; our vision statement for the year shall be presented. 

This Eucharistic celebration marks the official opening of the 2019/2020 academic year.  I am more than happy to say that our seminary is now full fledged because the four arms of both philosophy and theology are complete.  We also have with us the Missionaries of Mother Teresa of Calcutta and international seminarians from Benin Republic.  In my opinion, we are complete and we have no reason not to be like other seminaries that have existed many decades.  I am also proud of the quality of formators that we have assembled in the seminary.  Our visiting lecturers are simply second to none.  The Philosophy and theology departments are solid.  We shall do our best to continue to make this seminary the cradle of spiritual and academic excellence.

We all know that there is a dearth of honesty in our society today. It is important to remind ourselves that honesty goes beyond mere telling the truth. It has to do with the individual being real to himself and others. Being truthful and honest is most needed in a community such as ours. As formators and lecturers, we cannot but be honest, opened and sincere to those we are forming and lecturing. This honesty should be demonstrated in everything we do, especially in relationship with our seminarians. Seminarians must also imbibe the attitude and culture of profound openness, sincerity and honesty in order to give their formators the enabling confidence to form and educate them according to the mind and heart of the Church. If formation is built on the foundation of dishonesty, fear and lack of openness, we can be sure of a corrupt, dishonest and a failed generation of priesthood in the near future. Pope Francis, talking on vocation and discernment in his post synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus vivit to young people said youths (seminarians) must develop the ability to listen to their helper. The helper he said could be a priest, religious, layperson or even another young person. He went further to say they must listen to their helper unconditionally without being offended or shocked, tired or bored. Therefore, the formandee must listen and be opened to the formators in order to learn from them. If you fail to be opened and sincere to your formators, as I said last year, then we can be sure of no quality harvest in the Catholic priesthood.

May the grace of God, through the sanctifying power of this Mass and the intercession of our Lady support us through this academic year and journey of faith Amen. May I humbly invite the bishop to please continue with the Mass.