… Joins Others to Celebrate Excellence with St. Johnbosco Seminary, Isuaniocha
By Fr Constantine Echichechi
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Awka, Most Rev. Paulinus Chukwuemeka Ezeokafor, has expressed great hope in the quality of persons that St Johnbosco Seminary, Isuaniocha has produced. The Bishop stated this, Saturday February 8, at the massively attended Feast and Parents’ Day celebration at the seminary.
Ezeokafor, who served for some time as the Rector of the Seminary before becoming a Bishop, explained that the Minor Seminary formation was important and crucial, since the journey and preparation to the Sacred Catholic Priesthood started in the Minor Seminary.
The Bishop described the Catholic Church as unique, especially in the kind and quality of training given to her priests, starting from their training in the early stages of their life. While explaining the need to properly teach the child the values necessary for the proper moral and academic formation of the child, the Bishop said because the Church wanted the best, she started early enough to train her priests.
He used the occasion to challenge the seminarians to count themselves privileged and blessed by God to be in such a serene environment to be receiving their training, noting that it was not easy to get that type of opportunity and diligent formators and teachers, all to themselves.
It will be recalled that the Bishop had always explained the close connection between the human mind and the environment of learning, maintaining that a disordered environment necessarily produced a disorganized human being.
While speaking at the event, which attracted people from all walks of life, including the former Labour Party Candidate for the 2023 Presidential Election, Mr. Peter Obi, who was represented by an alumnus of the Seminary and Board of Trustees Chairman of SABOBA, Barrister Val Obienyem; and the Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Prof Ngozi Chuma-Udeh; the Bishop observed that the Seminary environment bespoke of life.
‘Starting from the arrangement of things in the compound, the green flowers blossoming even in the dry season and the melodious rendition and liturgical participation I am witnessing today, I know that the product of the Seminary is always the best,’ the Bishop enthused.
On another note, while calling on parents of the Seminarians to support the Seminary however they could, the Bishop charged them not to abuse the benevolence of the Church by not doing the little required of them in the course of training their children.
According to him, ‘We want the right people to be formed in the Seminary and there are things that if you do as parents, you waste the efforts of the formators and even the Church.’
He thus called on parents not to be distractions to the formation of their children, insisting that the formation should continue even in the homes.
For his part, the Rector of the Seminary, Rev. Fr. Daniel Eduzor, thanked the Bishop, the priests, the parents of the Seminarians, the alumni of the Seminary, Savio Bosco Old Boys Association (SABOBA), and the members of the Catholic Women’s Organization who, he said, had remained resolute in their commitment to the Food Apostolate Scheme of the Seminary.
He praised the efforts of other priests working with him, namely; Rev. Frs. Livinus Okafor, Evaristus Oramah, Cyriacus Ezeamaechi and Augustine Okoye; and all other staff. According to the Rector, the Seminary was set and fit to always give the Church the best of candidates for the Catholic Priesthood, noting that such had become possible through the support of men and women of goodwill.
He took time to x-ray the different areas where the seminary had recorded successes, including the Nigeria Mathematics and Science Olympiad Examination and other external and internal examinations, which aimed at the integral formation of the seminarians.
Still on the note of appreciation to the Seminary, while making their humongous donations to the Seminary, the National President of SABBOBA, Comr. Celestine Oguegbu, popularly known as Ostende, together with Dr. Dominic Chinedu Nwankwo and other alumni, expressed great joy in the progress seen and made in the Seminary, maintaining that they, as alumni of the Seminary, would always support the seminary in getting the best for the Church.
In their different donations and support to the Seminary, the members of the CWO, parents of the seminarians, priests and parishioners of different parishes in the diocese, friends and well-wishers of the Seminary and guests at the event, thanked the Bishop and the formators in the Seminary for giving quality time and resources in the formation of the candidates to the Sacred Priesthood.
Highlights of the occasion were: the exceptional performances of the choir that attracted them gifts from the enthralled guests and invitation by the Bishop to perform in the thanksgiving Mass of Governor Charles Soludo slated for March 16, 2025; the administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation to more than 50 seminarians; presentation of awards to seminarians who distinguished themselves in character and learning; the mbem-infused direction of the ceremony by the MC, Rev. Fr. Adika Okoli; visit and exchange of pleasantries among students and former students, among other exciting and memorable events.
Speaking at the end of the auspicious and well-organized event, the Chairman of the occasion, Prince Hillary Anaekwe, thanked all who graced the occasion, even as he expressed happiness for attending and witnessing what he described as education and formation at its best.
