VATICAN: Pope Benedict XVI Letter to Seminarians

VATICAN CITY, October 19, 2010 (CISA) -Given below are ample extracts from the English-language version of a Letter to Seminarians, written by the Pope to mark the end of the Year for Priests and dated 18 October.


"When in December 1944 I was drafted for military service, the company commander asked each of us what we planned to do in the future. I answered that I wanted to become a Catholic priest. The lieutenant replied: 'Then you ought to look for something else. In the new Germany priests are no longer needed'. I knew that this 'new Germany' was already coming to an end, and that, after the enormous devastation which that madness had brought upon the country, priests would be needed more than ever. Today the situation is completely changed. In different ways, though, many people nowadays also think that the Catholic priesthood is not a 'job' for the future, but one that belongs more to the past. You, dear friends, have decided to enter the seminary and to prepare for priestly ministry in the Catholic Church in spite of such opinions and objections. You have done a good thing. Because people will always have need of God, even in an age marked by technical mastery of the world and globalisation: they will always need the God Who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, the God Who gathers us together in the universal Church in order to learn with Him and through Him life's true meaning and in order to uphold and apply the standards of true humanity. Where people no longer perceive God, life grows empty; nothing is ever enough".

"In this letter I would like to point out - thinking back to my own time in the seminary - several elements which I consider important for these years of your journeying.

"(1) Anyone who wishes to become a priest must be first and foremost a 'man of God', to use the expression of St. Paul. For us God is not some abstract hypothesis. ... God has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. ... It follows that the most important thing in our path towards priesthood and during the whole of our priestly lives is our personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ. The priest is not the leader of a sort of association whose membership he tries to maintain and expand. He is God's messenger to His people. He wants to lead them to God and in this way to foster authentic communion between all men and women. That is why it is so important, dear friends, that you learn to live in constant intimacy with God. When the Lord tells us to 'pray constantly', He is obviously not asking us to recite endless prayers, but urging us never to lose our inner closeness to God".

"(2) For us God is not simply Word. In the Sacraments He gives Himself to us in person, through physical realities. At the heart of our relationship with God and our way of life is the Eucharist. Celebrating it devoutly, and thus encountering Christ personally, should be the centre of all our days. ... In the liturgy we pray with the faithful of every age - the past, the present and the future are joined in one great chorus of prayer. As I can state from personal experience, it is inspiring to learn how it all developed, what a great experience of faith is reflected in the structure of the Mass, and how it has been shaped by the prayer of many generations.

(3) "The Sacrament of Penance is also important. It teaches me to see myself as God sees me, and it forces me to be honest with myself. ... Even when we have to struggle continually with the same failings, it is important to resist the coarsening of our souls and the indifference which would simply accept that this is the way we are. ... Moreover, by letting myself be forgiven, I learn to forgive others. In recognising my own weakness, I grow more tolerant and understanding of the failings of my neighbour.

"(4) I urge you to retain an appreciation for popular piety, which is different in every culture yet always remains very similar, for the human heart is ultimately one and the same. Certainly, popular piety tends towards the irrational, and can at times be somewhat superficial. Yet it would be quite wrong to dismiss it. Through that piety, the faith has entered human hearts and become part of the common patrimony of sentiments and customs, shaping the life and emotions of the community".

"(5) Above all, your time in the seminary is also a time of study. The Christian faith has an essentially rational and intellectual dimension. Were it to lack that dimension, it would not be itself. ... I can only plead with you: Be committed to your studies! ... The point is not simply to learn evidently useful things, but to understand and appreciate the internal structure of the faith as a whole, so that it can become a response to people's questions, which on the surface change from one generation to another yet ultimately remain the same. For this reason it is important to move beyond the changing questions of the moment in order to grasp the real questions, and so to understand how the answers are real answers. It is important to have a thorough knowledge of Sacred Scripture as a whole, in its unity as the Old and the New Testaments. ... It is important to be familiar with the Fathers and the great Councils in which the Church appropriated, through faith-filled reflection, the essential statements of Scripture. ... I do not need to point out the importance of knowing the essential issues of moral theology and Catholic social teaching. The importance nowadays of ecumenical theology, and of a knowledge of the different Christian communities, is obvious. ... But you should also learn to understand and - dare I say it - to love canon law, appreciating how necessary it is and valuing its practical applications. ... I will not go on with this list, but I simply say once more: love the study of theology and carry it out in the clear realisation that theology is anchored in the living community of the Church, which, with her authority, is not the antithesis of theological science but its presupposition. Cut off from the believing Church, theology would cease to be itself and instead it would become a medley of different disciplines lacking inner unity.

"(6) Your years in the seminary should also be a time of growth towards human maturity. It is important for the priest, who is called to accompany others through the journey of life up to the threshold of death, to have the right balance of heart and mind, reason and feeling, body and soul, and to be humanly integrated. ... This also involves the integration of sexuality into the whole personality. Sexuality is a gift of the Creator yet it is also a task which relates to a person's growth towards human maturity. When it is not integrated within the person, sexuality becomes banal and destructive. Today we can see many examples of this in our society. Recently we have seen with great dismay that some priests disfigured their ministry by sexually abusing children and young people. Instead of guiding people to greater human maturity and setting them an example, their abusive behaviour caused great damage for which we feel profound shame and regret. As a result of all this, many people, perhaps even some of you, might ask whether it is good to become a priest; whether the choice of celibacy makes any sense as a truly human way of life. Yet even the most reprehensible abuse cannot discredit the priestly mission, which remains great and pure. Thank God, all of us know exemplary priests, men shaped by their faith, who bear witness that one can attain to an authentic, pure and mature humanity in this state and specifically in the life of celibacy. Admittedly, what has happened should make us all the more watchful and attentive, precisely in order to examine ourselves earnestly, before God, as we make our way towards priesthood, so as to understand whether this is his will for me. It is the responsibility of your confessor and your superiors to accompany you and help you along this path of discernment".

"(7) The origins of a priestly vocation are nowadays more varied and disparate than in the past. Today the decision to become a priest often takes shape after one has already entered upon a secular profession. Often it grows within the communities, particularly within the movements, which favour a communal encounter with Christ and His Church, spiritual experiences and joy in the service of the faith. It also matures in very personal encounters with the nobility and the wretchedness of human existence. ... The movements are a magnificent thing. You know how much I esteem them and love them as a gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church. Yet they must be evaluated by their openness to what is truly Catholic, to the life of the whole Church of Christ, which for all her variety still remains one. The seminary is a time when you learn with one another and from one another. In community life, which can at times be difficult, you should learn generosity and tolerance, not only bearing with, but also enriching one another. .. This school of tolerance, indeed, of mutual acceptance and mutual understanding in the unity of Christ's Body, is an important part of your years in the seminary.

"Dear seminarians, with these few lines I have wanted to let you know how often I think of you, especially in these difficult times, and how close I am to you in prayer. Please pray for me, that I may exercise my ministry well, as long as the Lord may wish".

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TAARIFA YA GOMBERA SIKU YA MAHAFALI YA 41 YA KIDATO CHA NNE TAREHE 16 OKTOBA 2010

1. UTANGULIZI:

Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, awali ya yote napenda kuchukua nafasi hii kumshukuru Mungu kwa kutujalia kufika siku ya leo tunapokusanyika hapa kwa lengo la kuwaaga vijana wetu wa kidato cha nne.

Pia kwa niaba ya  Jumuiya ya Seminari Ndogo ya Mt. Petro, Morogoro napenda kukukaribisha wewe Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, Padri Romanus Dimoso, Daktari wa uchumi na Mkufunzi Chuo Kikuu Mzumbe na pia kukushukuru kwa utayari wako wa kuitikia mwito wetu wa kuja kuwa Mgeni Rasmi katika Mahafali  haya ya 41 ya kidato cha nne.   Ukiwa Tunda la Seminari hii, uwepo wako  hapa hakika unaleta changamoto na faraja ya pekee kwetu na tunaona  kuwa kazi inayofanywa na Seminari hii haipotei bure.

Tunatambua unayo majukumu mengi pale chuoni lakini kutokana na upendo wako wa dhati kwa Seminari hii, ukitambua mchango mkubwa wa shule hii kwako ukawa tayari kutenga muda kwa ajili yetu.  Tunasema asante sana na Mungu akubariki kwa utayari na upendo wako kwetu.

Aidha tunawashukuru wageni wote mliofika siku hii ya leo, waheshimiwa  Mapadri na Watawa, marafiki wa Seminari, Kamati Tendaji ya St. Peter’s Seminary Alumni, wazazi na walezi.  Ujio wenu unaleta furaha na tumaini jipya kwetu kwani ni ishara ya mshikamano katika suala zima la malezi ya wito wa upadre, kuijenga na kuendeleza Seminari yetu.

2. TAARIFA YA SEMINARI:

Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, Seminari Ndogo ya Mt. Petro, Morogoro ni   shule ya Kikatoliki inayotoa elimu ya sekondari Kidato cha Kwanza hadi cha Sita na malezi maalumu ya kidini na kimaadili kwa vijana wanaoandaliwa    kuwa Mapadre wa Kanisa Katoliki.

Shule hii inamilikiwa kwa pamoja na Majimbo saba ya Kanisa Katoliki    ambayo ni Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar, Morogoro, Tanga, Same, Mahenge na    Dodoma.  Kwa ruhusa maalum ya Mwenyekiti wa Bodi ya Maaskofu tunao pia  Waseminaristi kutoka Jimbo Kuu la Songea, Mashirika ya Wasalvatori,  Wabenedictine na Wakarmeli.

Kwa sasa Seminari ina idadi ya wanafunzi 324, wakiwemo vijana 14 wa kidato  cha nne tunaowaaga leo.

Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, tunapofanya mahafali haya ya 41 ya Kidato cha Nne, Seminari hii inatimiza miaka 41 tangu iwepo hapa Morogoro.  Kihistoria Seminari hii ilianza huko Ilonga, Wilayani Kilosa mwaka 1936, ikahamia Bagamoyo na mwaka 1969 ikahamishiwa hapa ilipo sasa.

2.1. MAFANIKIO:

Kwa kipindi cha miaka 41 tangu Seminari ihamie hapa Morogoro, Seminari imekuwa na mafanikio makubwa katika nyanja mbali mbali hasa katika kutoa wahitimu kwani hadi kufikia leo tarehe 16.10.2010 Seminari imeweza kutoa wahitimu 2104 na kati yao 215 ni mapadri na kati yao watatu ni Maaskofu.

Ni habari njema pia kuona kuwa wale ambao hawakufikia lengo la kuwa Mapadre wamekuwa  hazina njema kwa jamii ndani na nje ya Tanzania.

Seminari imetoa watu katika medani mbalimbali wakiwemo walimu, wanahabari,  wanadiplomasia, wanasheria, wahandisi, wataalamu wa uchumi ukiwemo wewe Mgeni wetu Rasmi, n.k.

Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, Seminari inapofikia miaka 41 tunawashukuru wote waliochangia kwa namna moja au nyingine mafanikio yake: tukianzia Maaskofu wamiliki wa Seminari, wafadhili wetu wa ndani na nje, kamati ya wazazi na marafiki wa Seminari, wanafunzi waliosoma hapa (St. Peter’s Seminary Alumni), wanafunzi, wafanyakazi na wote wale ambao wamewezesha Seminari hii kufikia hapa ilipo.

2.2. WAHUDUMU:

Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, kwa sasa Seminari ina wahudumu hamsini na moja (51) wakiwemo mapadri 7, watawa wa kike 5, walimu walei 19 na wafanyakazi Walei wasio walimu 20.

2.3. MAENDELEO YA TAALUMA:

Mheshimiwa  Mgeni Rasmi, historia inaonesha  kuwa Seminari Ndogo ya Mt. Petro, Morogoro ni moja kati ya shule bora Tanzania kwa wanafunzi kufanya vizuri katika mitihani yao ya Taifa.  Pamoja na ukweli kuwa kuna nyakati tunashuka, lakini daima kiwango cha taaluma ni kizuri.

2.4. CHANGAMOTO:

Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, Utume wa Seminari Ndogo ya Mt. Petro, Morogoro  tangu iasisiwe ni kutoa elimu bora ya sekondari na malezi bora kwa vijana wenye mwelekeo wa kuwa mapadri kwa gharama nafuu ambayo hata familia zenye kipato kidogo wanaweza kuimudu.  Seminari Ndogo ya Mtakatifu Petro, Morogoro ni moja ya shule zenye kiwango kidogo sana cha ada miongoni mwa shule za bweni za kulipia.

Kwa sasa kiwango cha ada kinachotolewa kinakidhi 70% ya gharama za kawaida za kuendesha shule bila kuingiza mipango ya maendeleo na ukarabati mkubwa.  Hii  ina maana kwamba 30% ya gharama za kuendesha shule lazima zipatikane  kutoka vyanzo vingine kama miradi ya shule na misaada ya wahisani.

Mara nyingi shule imeshindwa kupata hiyo 30% ya bajeti toka vyanzo hivyo.  Misaada ya wahisani haizidi 15% ya bajeti ya shule; na miradi ya shule  inachangia 2% tu ya bajeti hiyo.  Mbaya zaidi, karibu kila mwaka wanafunzi 20 hushindwa kabisa kulipa ada, hii ni sawa na 4% ya bajeti ya shule.  Hii ina maana kuwa kila mwaka, shule inakuwa na upungufu wa 17% katika bajeti yake na hii ni kwa ajili ya gharama za kawaida tu za kuendesha shule, bila kuingiza mipango ya maendeleo na ukarabati mkubwa.

Hivyo pamoja na nia nzuri ya Seminari kutoa elimu na malezi bora kwa gharama nafuu, Seminari imejikuta katika wakati mgumu kiuchumi.  Bajeti ya shule inakuwa ndogo na hivyo kuathiri mambo mengi, kama vile:

·        Kukosa uwezo wa kuboresha chakula cha wanafunzi

·        Kukosa uwezo wa kutoa mishahara mizuri kwa walimu na wafanyakazi wasio walimu.

·        Kukosa uwezo wa kukarabati mejengo ya shule na kuyaweka katika hali bora.

·        Kukosa uwezo wa kununua vitabu vya  kiada na rejea vya kutosha kwa matumizi ya wanafunzi na walimu

·        Kukosa uwezo wa kununua kompyuta kwa ajili ya kufundishia somo la kompyuta.

2.5. MATAZAMIO YETU:

Tukiwa na uchumi imara Seminari itakuwa katika nafasi ya kuendelea na utume wake wa kutoa elimu bora ya sekondari na malezi bora kwa vijana wenye muelekeo wa kuwa Mapadre kwa gharama nafuu inaoweza kulipwa hata na familia zenye kipato cha chini.

Hivyo, wakati Seminari inaendelea  kusisitiza na kukusanya ada kutoka kwa wanafunzi, wakati Seminari inabuni na kutekeleza miradi ya kiuchumi, ni muhimu pia kuomba wahisani ndani na nje, mashirika, vikundi na mtu mmoja mmoja  ambao wanaamini katika utume wa Seminari hii ili waungane nasi katika utume huu.

Tunawashukuru sana wanafunzi waliosoma hapa zamani (St. Peter’s Seminary Alumni) ambao kwa namna ya pekee hivi karibuni wameamua  kusaidia  maendeleo ya Seminari hii. Kwa muda mfupi tangu walipoanza rasmi kutekeleza azma hiyo hapo Januari 12, 2010 wameisaidia Seminari kwa mambo mengi kama vile:-

·        Kununua meza mbili za mpira wa meza (table tennis) na seti zake (rackets) vyenye kiwango cha Olympics vikiwa na thamani ya Tshs 1,931,000.-

·        Kuchangia uanzishwaji upya wa shamba la  matunda;  tayari miche elfu moja (1,000) ya michungwa na miembe imeshapandwa.

·        Vitabu vya kiada na rejea vyenye thamani ya Tshs. 6,376,000.- vimenunuliwa na kutolewa zawadi kwa Seminari.

·        Meza 13 za mninga na viti vya kisasa vya ofisini 23 vyenye thamani ya Tshs 1,800,000.- vimetolewa zawadi kwa Seminari.

·        Mradi wa Biogas wenye thamani ya T.shs 12,427,750.-           umeshaanza kutengenezwa kwa matumizi ya jiko la wanafunzi.

2.6. MIKAKATI  YA KIUCHUMI:

Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, ili kukabiliana na changamoto za kiuchumi zilizopo mbele yetu, Seminari imeazimia yafuatayo kama mpango wa kujinasua kiuchumi:

(i) Mradi wa Trekta:

Kwa kuwa chakula  cha wanafunzi peke yake kinagharimu  sehemu kubwa ya bajeti ya shule (23%) tumeamua ni vyema   Seminari ikawa na shamba lake na hivyo kuzalisha  sehemu kubwa ya chakula cha wanafunzi.

Seminari ina mpango wa kupata ekari 50 huko Kilombero kwa ajili ya      kilimo cha mpunga.  Matazamio yetu ni kwamba hizo ekari 50 zitatupatia kilo 30,000 za mchele, ambazo ni chakula tosha kwa mwaka na zaidi.

Ili kufanikisha hili Seminari ina mpango wa kununua trekta jipya na jembe lake.  Aidha trekta hilo litasaidia kuchangia pato la shule kwa kulima mashamba ya watu wengine baada ya kulima shamba la shule. Kwa kulima mashamba ya watu wengine matazamio yetu trekta litatuingizia faida ya Tshs 26,000,000.- kwa mwaka.

Matarajio yetu ni kwamba mazao yatakayopatikana na pesa itakayopatikana kutokana  na kazi  za trekta kwa pamoja zitachangia 16% ya bajeti ya shule.

Tayari utafiti wa aina bora ya trekta na bei yake vimeshafanywa. Trekta na jembe pamoja vinagharimu US $ 47,444.- sawa na Tshs 74,166,000.-

Seminari tayari ipo katika mchakato wa kutafuta wahisani wa kutusaidia katika hili.

(ii) Mradi wa mifugo (Nguruwe):

Aidha, Seminari imedhamiria kuboresha mradi wa mifugo, hususan kitengo cha nguruwe. Lengo letu likiwa ni kufuga kibiashara nguruwe 228. Kwa sasa mabanda yetu yana uwezo wa kuchukua nguruwe 128; kufikia lengo la nguruwe 228 tumepanga kuongeza banda la kuchukuwa nguruwe 100 zaidi.

Kwa zoezi hili tunatazamia kuboresha chakula cha wanafunzi na kupata pato ambalo kwa pamoja kwa gharama za sasa ni sawa na faida ya Tshs 41,208,240.- kwa mwaka, sawa na 11% ya bajeti ya shule.

Ujenzi wa banda jipya la nguruwe utagharimu Tshs 9,403,425.-

Wakati tukiendelea kutafuta wahisani wa kutusaidia ujenzi huo, tayari tumeshaanza kuboresha mifugo iliyopo na kuongeza idadi ya nguruwe ili kujaza mabanda yaliyopo. Hadi sasa shule ina nguruwe 73. Hivyo tuna upungufu wa nguruwe 55 kujaza mabanda yaliyopo.

2. 7. MWISHO:

Safari ni ndefu na magumu ni mengi, lakini tutafanikiwa kama  tukizingatia msemo wa kiswahili “umoja ni nguvu na utengano ni udhaifu”.

Kwa moyo wa dhati tunawomba wote wenye kuamini na kuthamini pamoja nasi utume wa Seminari hii tuendelee kuwa kitu kimoja tuiendeleze Seminari yetu.  “Penye nia pana njia”. Tukifanya kazi bega kwa bega kwa ushirikiano wa dhati tutaifanya Seminari hii kuwa bora katika kila nyanja na hivyo kutoa wahitimu bora watakaolitegemeza Kanisa na jamii kwa ujumla.

3. HITIMISHO:

Napenda kuhitimisha taarifa hii kwa kukushukuru tena Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi kwa kuwa nasi katika siku hii ya leo.  Wageni wengine wote,   wahafarishwa wetu, wafanyakazi wote na Waseminaristi wote mnaobaki tunawashukuru sana kwa kuifanya siku hii kuwa nzuri,  Mungu awabariki  sana.