Jesuit Needs Help In Sudan With "The Catholic Boom"

Help for the training of 63 major seminarians at the St Paul’s Major Seminary, Philosophy Section, in the Archdiocese of Khartoum. Since January 2005 there has finally been a measure of peace in Sudan, at least in relation to the long-running civil war, rooted in the country's colonial past, which pitted the mainly Arab and Islamist North against a predominantly Christian and Animist South of this vast country, twice the size of France, Germany and Great Britain put together.

The latest phase of this cruel fratricidal war dates back to 1983 and has cost more than 2.5 million lives. Over 4 million people have become refugees in their own country and many more in neighbouring countries. The list of "Sudanese woes" is almost endless and ranges from religious persecution and discrimination, including restrictions on freedom of worship and denial of access to employment for non-Muslims, through to slavery, torture, rape, executions and aerial bombardments.

But despite the discrimination and persecution, more Sudanese are coming anew to the Christian Faith each day. At the same time, however, the growing number of Catholic faithful presents a particular challenge for the Church. If these newly baptised Christians are to have a chance of becoming fully formed Catholic Christians, then a great deal of educational work needs to be done. First and foremost there is a need for priests and religious - and that is why the heart of the Church in Sudan is the seminary in Khartoum, which trains the future priests for the entire country. Seminarians at the Major seminary in Khartoum. Originally this seminary was situated in Juba, in the South; however in 1990 it was transferred to the Archdiocese of Khartoum on account of the war. A return to its original home cannot even be considered until the seminary buildings in Juba, which were totally destroyed in the fighting, have been rebuilt. At present there are 62 seminarians studying at Saint Paul's Seminary; they come from the dioceses of Khartoum, Juba, Wau, Malakal, El Obeid and Tombura Yambio. It is intended to include the students from the two dioceses of Torit and Yei in the near future, which until now have been obliged to send their students outside the country for their training, to Uganda and Kenya.

For the 62 students currently in the philosophy seminary of Saint Paul, great importance is attached not only to their formation in the classical theological subjects but likewise to their personal spiritual development. Already by the time they begin their philosophy studies the seminarians have a full year of spiritual formation behind them. "Personal, individual and communal prayer cannot merely be a matter of discipline and timetabling", writes the spiritual director of the seminary, Father Hans Putman SJ. Thanks to a range of initiatives, the seminary has great success with its seminarians. Thus there are prayer groups, monthly multi-day retreats and annual spiritual exercises. "There is a good response from the seminarians – they love their vocation and day by day they are helped to be men of prayer. However they need always to be guided so that they develop freely the right vision and motivation to the priesthood", he continues.

Hence there are seven priests who accompany these young men in their spiritual, intellectual and human formation. Equally important is their training in the pastoral field. In the third year of their training the seminarians go out into one of 10 different parishes in the vicinity, where they help the priests in their work. Here they lead Bible study circles, teach Religion and English and conduct Liturgies of the Word. Not only are the priests delighted to have this support, but the Catholic faithful too are happy to see them.

Seminarians studying at St Paul's Major seminary in Khartoum Father Celestino Murras, who has been rector of the seminary since 2006, is delighted to see the growing number of vocations, but at the same time he faces a whole range of problems. For a start there are more and more mouths to feed, yet at the same time the inflation and the unfavourable exchange rate for the euro and the dollar is a source of additional headaches. He knows that the families of the seminarians cannot make anything more than a symbolic contribution, since most of them are from poor families.

The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has been helping the Church in Sudan for many years and has agreed to a grant of over $40,000 so that the seminary can cover its ongoing costs for food, lodging and staff salaries. To help this cause please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web: www.aidtochurch.org
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