THIS PERIOD
AND THE ALUMNI
Nwanyanwu Christopher
One day between the twenty-four hours of that day,
they came into the seminary compound. Most of them were coming for the first
time, few of them were coming for the second time and some of them have been
here on several occasions. Despite these divergences, the convergence is that
they were coming to have an official beginning. Some came so as to be priests
in future, others to become good citizens and ambassadors of the Church and
others were undecided about their intention. The conflicting reasons for coming
paved way for a unity of reason which is to receive the seminary formation.
While some started in year one, some
year two and some others from other classes; they all started from somewhere. Hence the formation began!
They went to classes; while some
studied philosophy, some others theology. They participated in liturgical
celebrations; while some were the leaders, some were the lead. They
participated in games; while some played volleyball, some basketball, some
badminton, some others lawn and table tennis and most of them played football.
They also did manual labour; some supervised the work, some marked the register
and some really did the work. They also participated in spiritual exercises
such as recollection, retreat, penitential; services, etc. Throughout this
period, they were always visiting the refectory as at when due. They
participated in all the activities of the seminary. And so they were trained in
the mind of the Church.
On another day, they left the
compound as those who have received the seminary training and have become
graduates. They finished and won the race and were subsequently crowned with
the crown of victory which is evident in their priestly ordinations and great
achievements in other facets of life. Today, they have all become good citizens
of the country and great ambassadors of the seminary, the church in Nigeria, in
Africa and the Universal Church. We are very proud of them for their numerous
achievements.
This time around, they are coming
back to their alma mater. Besides the
primary purpose of coming which is to have their meeting, they are also coming
to see their Nourishing mother, and
their younger brothers, although their stay is not a long one.
However, beyond the above reasons,
what is the significance of their presence in the seminary? Why should the
meeting take place in the seminary compound? Are there no other places outside
the seminary to organize and have their meeting? Why must the meeting take
place when the seminarians are around; not just few of them but almost all of
them?
One of the significance of their
presence in the seminary compound is that they remind us of our purpose of
being in the seminary. This is because some of us who have lost sight of what
actually brought us to the seminary are reminded of that by the presence of the
Alumni. Most of us who wanted to become priest at first but are now in a
dilemma due to one reason or the other are rescued by the presence of the
Alumni as that intention of becoming priests is restored. Having reminded us of
our good initial purpose of coming to the seminary, they become source of
encouragement towards the achievement of that intention.
They are source of encouragement because having
passed through this process, we believe also that we shall make it one day; we
believe that we shall one day reach where they are and possibly go beyond.
Sometimes the training is full of tension, ups and downs and other discouraging
experiences; but with their presence we believe that we can succeed like them.
Most of us think that we cannot make it due one problem or the other. But the
presence of the Alumni and the experiences they share with us reveal to us that
they also shared some of our present problems during their days, and so their
perseverance to the end is our encouragement. The presence of the Alumni is
really a great source of encouragement. At least some of us who remain
undecided about returning back after the long vacation usually make up their
minds to come back with the presence of the Alumni.
Having reminded us of our initial intention for
coming to the seminary and being source of encouragement towards the
achievement of those intentions, the outcome of it is the utmost dedication and
commitment with which we go about the seminary formation, so as to be where the
Alumni are. This is seen in the efforts most of us make in abiding to the rules
and regulations of the seminary. This is evident in the seriousness we exhibit
in the formation process especially in the next session. Arguably the presence of the Alumni may not directly influence us, but
the influence is their presence is felt. It may not influence so many people,
but it influences at least somebody. For these and many other reasons, the presence
of the Alumni remains very significant.
To our Alumni, we remain very grateful for their
presence in the seminary this period. Despite their engagements, they still
find out time to come and be with us. For this alone we are very grateful to
them. We are very proud of them for
their numerous achievements in various aspects of life in the country and
beyond. They remain our source of encouragement, for whenever we encounter them
both physically and mentally, we are encouraged to struggle to the end. We pray
them to continue representing the seminary very well in all they do and
wherever that is done. We also pray them to always remember us in their
prayers, so that we too like them will fight to the end.
To our “Year one Alumni” the newest set of the
Alumni, we are also proud of you all. We thank God for leading you thus far and
for the many manifestations of his immense love to you all. You are also a
source of encouragement to us and your influence on us in various ways was very
immediate and direct because we have been struggling with you since the
inception of the session. We beseech you to represent us well in the pastoral
field and other assignments you will be engaged in. We also beg you to remember
us in your prayers so that we shall be where you are and even move beyond your
present stage. We wish you the VERY BEST
OF LUCK in the ministry. May the Holy Spirit always guide and guard you in
all you do. While we make these prayers for you, we are earnestly expecting GOOD REPORTS about you wherever you may
be. And
so we tell you to do your best, your very best, do it always and God will bless
you. It is only when this is done that God will help you for heaven helps those
who help themselves. May the grace of God the Father, the Love of God the Son
and the companionship of the Holy Spirit be with you always. AMEN
Finally, we say welcome to our Alumni
and we pray that their short stay with us will be very pleasing to them and to
everybody. We also pray that their meeting will be very fruitful and successful.
And as they go back to their various places of assignment, we pray God to grant
them journey mercies so that they return back in safety. And as we all vacate
for our long vacation, we pray God to guide and guard us throughout the
vacation, and finally bring us back as at when due. MAY THE NAME OF THE LORD BE BLESSED BOTH NOW AND FOREVER. AMEN!
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