| Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  |
| Rt. Rev. George Cosmas Lungu, Bishop of Chipata |
Rt. Rev. George Cosmas Zumaile Lungu of the Catholic Diocese of Chipata bemoaned the lack of vocations at the minor seminary despite being the very reason why it was built. He said the minor seminary which was officially opened in 1980 was built to primarily provide the diocese with vocations to priesthood. He said despite pupils passing very well at grade twelve, very few or in most cases none proceed to the major seminary to continue with the training for priesthood. He said this during the celebrations to mark the feast day of the Junior Seminary which is known as ‘St. Mary’s Day.’
He appealed to parents who were present at the celebrations to encourage their children to proceed to the major, especially those who wants to do so.
“Please parents do not stop your children from answering God’s call to priesthood simply because you want them to have well-paying jobs after finishing their studies. No, allow your children to serve God after passing through this seminary which we hold so dear as a Diocese’” Bishop George appealed.
| Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  |
| Group photo of Students from St. Mary Minor Seminary with H.E. Archbishop Julio Murat, Apostolic Nuncio of Zambia and Malawi |
He said that Mother Mary shared the good news about the birth of the messiah to her cousin Elizabeth; we too ought to share the good news with others, which is primarily the work of priests. He encouraged the minor seminarians to seriously reflect on why they are at the minor seminary and urged them to allow the seed of vocation to grow inside their hearts.
Due to unavoidable circumstances, this year’s feast day for the minor seminary, which is The Annunciation of the Lord was celebrated on the 30th May instead of 25th March.
Source: Fr. Jacob Zulu; Communications Director; Diocese of Chipata-Zambia
