Allow Ugandan Catholic major seminaries to re-open

It is coming to almost two years since the outbreak of Covid-19 and the closure of Ugandan schools. The government directive to close learning institutions has negatively affected Ugandan Catholic Major Seminaries such as Katigondo, Ggaba, Alokolum, and Kinyamasika that have been now closed for almost two years. 

I appeal to the Ugandan government to make an exception (as it has done for several other sectors), and allow the re-opening of the national major seminaries. 

First, I am cognizant of the fact that most Ugandan seminaries are categorized as institutions of higher learning. As a matter of fact Katigondo National Seminary is the first institution of higher education in the history of Uganda. Most current major seminaries continue to be affiliated to European or Ugandan universities such as Makerere University. 

In a sense the directive to close all institutions of higher learning in Uganda included seminaries. However, the nature of the seminary institutions does not neatly fit the one-size-fits-all directive. 

Perceiving a major seminary as an ordinary institution of higher learning is a misconception of the character of a seminary. The intellectual formation is only a piece of what goes on in the life of a seminarian. 

Catholic major seminaries are modeled after European monasteries. Like the historical monasteries dotted all over the world, the major seminaries are intentional communities where people live on the same campus and are ordinarily isolated from the general public. 

The seminaries are tightly knit communities that live a fairly regimented life whose rhythm is punctuated by prayer, study, common meals, manual work, sports, and basic social or recreational time. 

Visits by outsiders are highly regulated, and so are visits by seminarians outside the seminary. If there is any safe space for one to live in during this Covid-19 outbreak, it is inside Catholic major seminaries and monasteries. 

Secondly, Catholic seminaries are places where people are being trained in the virtue of obedience to God and their superiors. The rules in seminaries tend to be strict, and dismissal or ‘advice’ to explore a different vocation is usually not too far away. 

If there is a category of people who would follow faithfully the Standard Operating Procedures, it would be the seminarians. The following of the SOPs is tied in with their ongoing training in obedience.  

As one whose work involves the training of seminarians, I feel sad that Ugandan major seminarians have been away from the seminaries from almost two years. 

Training seminarians involves a close observation of their growth in faith, prayer, mission, character, and intellectual life. With two years away from the seminaries and with Catholic parishes closed, the Ugandan seminary formators are going to be challenged in the evaluation of their seminarians.

I am making an appeal to the government to make an exception for the reopening of Ugandan Catholic major seminaries. The government has made similar exceptions for institutions such as hotels, nursing schools, and shopping malls. Ugandan Catholic dioceses can get their seminarians vaccinated; and the seminaries can get the seminary staff vaccinated as well. 

Both seminarians and staff can be tested before showing up at the seminary to continue their common life. This compromise will allow the continuation of the formal seminary formation program while maintaining the strictest safety for the people involved. 

A couple of years back at the outbreak of Ebola in Gulu, seminarians at Alokolum major seminary lived on the campus for almost three months without stepping out. This time around, they can certainly handle similar isolation and restrictions. 

Fr. Dr. Fred Jenga, Catholic priest