Missio England and Wales has a long-standing relationship with five seminaries in five countries. These five seminaries – in India, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Sri Lanka – offer the opportunity to sponsor students studying for the priesthood.
Fr Peter, Rector of Christ the King Major Seminary in Nyeri, Kenya, shared this update with us:
Our Seminary is the largest in Kenya with a population of 320 students. It comprises of three schools: Theology with 136 seminarians, Philosophy with 128 seminarians and Foundation with 56 seminarians.
A tough year
This past year has been tough. Our semester was cut short in 2020, in accordance with the government order that all learning institutions be closed. When it is safe, we plan to bring the students back in three phases to ensure social distancing. We hope to begin a fresh new academic year August for 2021-2022.
Sadly, we have been unable to reach some of our students online with educational programmes, due to poor networks in some parts of our country. We had hoped to roll out formative programs that could help them to cope with the situation at hand. Also, due the long stay at home, we have lost some seminarians who have decided not to come back when we resume, because they have decided to embrace another kind of life.
But we are hopeful
However, we have been blessed with five ordinations to the priesthood and two to the diaconate in 2020.
It is our hope that 2021 will be better. We are hopeful that vocations to priesthood will increase, although we do not have enough rooms to accommodate them. We have faith that The One who calls them, will give us the means to sustain them.
Faith is still alive in our people despite the challenges experienced this year. Because more young people are becoming priests, we are hopeful that it will continue growing as they dedicate themselves in spreading the gospel of Christ as agents of evangelisation.
We are grateful to Missio for your immense support that you accord to us as we strive to nurture the priestly vocations that our heavenly Father blesses His Church with. Please pass our regards to all our donors and assure them of our prayers’.
How you can help
When you sponsor a seminarian, you are building the church of tomorrow, today. You can sponsor a seminarian individually, or as a family, a community or a parish project.