Quarterly Bulletin

 Priestly training can be one of the most delicate things in the Catholic Church. Whilst some would say that we should follow a universal way of training priests, others assert that we should adapt the training to particular cultures and traditions. In Africa since 1994, the Church finds it good to inculturate all aspects of faith in Africa that includes priestly training. In 2009, there will be a second African Synod following up on the first that took place in 1994. Fr. Marc Nsanzurwimo finds it necessary to evaluate the results of implementing the 1994 synod and looks at what would be the challenges in the 2009 synod.

Next year, a second African Synod will take place. The first one was held in Rome in 1994. An evaluation of its resolutions and recommendations is timely, to look at what kind of Family of God we have become in Zambia. The proposed model was biblically and, in a particular way, anthropologically appropriate to the people of God in Africa, of which the priest is a member. This ecclesiological breakthrough, backed by new Christological insights from African theologians, has been guiding the implementation of the Synod.

INCULTURATION

The first African Synod discussed the priest within the wider context of the agents of evangelisation. It formulated the wish that priests should be formed in the true cultural  values of their country, in a sense of honesty, responsibility and integrity.

Moreover, they should acquire the qualities of true representatives of Christ, true servants and animators of the Christian community, solidly spiritual and capable of administering the goods of the Church. In order to form a priest of that profile, suggestions have been made in different forums by different members of the Family of God.

TRAINING OF PRIESTS

Right from the outset, the process of screening candidates should be done with great care and in collaboration with their families and small Christian communities. In the Seminary there should be life groups in which trust is built up, accountability and responsibility of many aspects of seminary life are assumed by the seminarians themselves. They must become the agents of their own formation to be leaders (not masters) of a community. They must become good men and good Christians before they can become good priests.

In some cases, couples have been carefully selected to accompany seminarians, especially during their pastoral year. Thus the future priest realises that lay people have things to teach to the priest that no book or lecture can give. Some dioceses have tried, without much success, a version of the initiation ceremonies whereby values like respect, purity, celibacy and obedience are emphasized to those to be ordained. On the other hand, during the ordination ceremony, the ordinandi and the rest of the clergy enjoy the anointing with inkula (red powder) and lupemba (white clay or flour), signs of peace, goodness, bravery, with mission to defend, and liberate the people.

Ndola diocese has been most original in innovating and involving the community to determine whether and when to ordain a candidate to    priesthood.     They have moved   from  “instant priests” (ordained immediately after seminary training) to “skilled priests”(college training  before ordination).

The symbol that the priest is part and parcel of the community (Heb 5:1) is obvious when the Bishop calls the deacon to be ordained; the deacon does not respond alone but he is accompanied by his family and sometimes by representatives of the Christian community. After the ordination ritual he goes back to the people to greet them to indicate "I belong to you, I am yours".

It is very important to bear in mind that inculturation is not a hymn to the uniqueness of a culture but a requirement of each generation to bring it about in its context. It includes the whole life of the Church, its life and structures as well as the whole process of evangelization.

LITURGY

Liturgy as an aspect of the life of the church remains the most outstanding example of the on-going efforts for inculturation. Not withstanding the need for ongoing reflection       and       assessment,   Catholic worship has been more and more holistically engaging the Zambian congregation.

Liturgical inculturation has made great strides to such an extent that even during an English Mass in cosmopolitan Lusaka, some parts of the Eucharist, e.g., Gloria, are definitively preferred in local rhythm and language. I will choose late Mgr Jailos Peter (Chipata Diocese) to represent all the priests who have made a major contribution either personally by their creativity or by encouraging the laity.

NEW ERA, NEW IDENTITY

1991 was the year for centenary celebrations in Zambia. One sign of this continuing growth is the higher number of Zambians who have consecrated their life to God in priesthood.

Around the time of the first Synod, the Directory of the Catholic Church in Zambia put the number of expatriate priests at 393 while their Zambian counterparts were 240. A survey I conducted in 2006 reverses the ratio. It hikes the number of Zambian priests to around 379 while the missionaries shrink to about 268.  Whether or not this situation is a result of an historical coincidence, there is no doubt that vocation to priesthood has become a top priority. 

SUSTAINABILITY

The fact that Mass stipends and other forms of financial and personnel assistance from abroad have been diminishing has sent a wake-up call to the Church in Zambia. Self sustainability has become a leitmotif in many seminars, articles and even books. By and large, the problematic has been grasped and has become the order of the day in many parish plans of action.

Encouraging results come particularly from urban parishes in terms of resources, persons, and monetary economy. Rural parishes are also slowly catching up. Transparency is becoming an established public relation exercise. In parishes, Sunday collection is communicated at the end of the every Mass.

Capacity building is needed; therefore every priest ought to get formation in the area of financial administration. He should call upon his council's service to present the financial budget to the faithful because a lack of information could lessen the faithful motivation and generosity. Moreover, priests have the duty to be innovative, imaginative and also to take initiatives.

Self-sustainability should become a permanent state of mind so as to create a system which survives the transfers of priests. However, priests should be constantly guided by the following prayer: “Give me neither poverty nor riches, grant me only my share of food, for fear that, surrounded by plenty, I should fall away and say, ‘Yahweh, who is Yahweh? (Prov. 30:8-9). We have to avoid a situation whereby, "due to lack of a prophetic and proactive engagement in scanning the environment, the African priest is sometimes culturally deprived, politically manipulated, socially alienated and economically intimidated."

THE GIFT OF A COMMITTED LAITY

The Church in Zambia has more to share with sister churches across the world than what meets the eye. For instance, the National Catholic Forum which brings together Bishops, Priests, Religious and Lay people, is an initiative that other local churches across the world could emulate. Ministerial priesthood is working in tandem with the universal priesthood. In various committees, couples and individual lay people team up with priests to minister together and complement each other.

It is unimaginable to evangelize without the support of scores of volunteer catechizers. For instance, you cannot imagine a funeral without the comforting presence of the Small Christian communities, St Anna or Nazareti groups. Very few church functions would succeed without the selfless offering of lay groups like the Catholic Actio and Women’s League.

The laity has been forthcoming by offering support to the clergy, not only financially but also pastorally in the formation and the ministry of the priest, minding his wellbeing as a whole. The indispensable collaborative ministry versus autocratic rule is poised to be the new image of the family of God in Zambia.

This reflects very well the African heritage, where the chief may not decide anything without a consensus within the council of elders. We may pray that long be gone the days when lay people where asking the chance to enlist under the banner of an ecclesiastical leader in the struggle against forces inimical to Christ.

A MISSIONARY CHURCH

The Church leadership has given clear directives to implement Vatican II’s statement that “the Church on earth is by its very nature missionary.” The Synod of Bishops in 1974 brought back evangelisation at the centre of the Church’s mission. Hence, the following marching orders from the African Synod: “No particular Church, not even the poorest, can ever be dispensed from the obligation of sharing its personnel as well as its spiritual and temporal resources with other particular Churches and within the universal Church.”.

We are slowly but surely waking up to a changing paradigm in the missionary field, whereby every church is both a mission and missionary. That is why the Zambian Bishops encourage Zambian missionary vocations; “The time has come to become ‘missionaries to ourselves’ and to take our part in the Church’s mission to the whole world.” Young men are responding mainly by joining existing international missionary families.

The generosity, the hospitality and the peaceful character of the Zambian people and church are becoming legendary. Since Mission is also about sharing gifts, resources and personnel, more and more Zambian people are called to take part in this worldwide agape. The divine hand reaching out to humanity through Jesus the Prince of Peace is not a hobby restricted to one period of human history or to only a few peoples. It is a permanent call to all Christ’s disciples to “go and tell”. The church in Zambia has a lot to offer to bring about the world’s Shalom!

THE EXTENDED
FAMILY OF GOD

The “One Zambia One Nation” motto is understood against the backdrop of multiplicity of tribes and possible tension between them. Nowadays the context is also that of multi party    politics       and          more interestingly of religious pluralism. In their daily Eucharistic Celebrations priests continue to implore God that “in mercy and love unite all your children wherever they may be.”

Ecumenical Palm Sunday processions and other prayers as well as joint statements on critical national issues have become a tradition. Although the mushrooming of churches has continued unabated, inter-church collaboration and regular meetings and consultation among Pastors, Reverends and Priests at various levels has intensified.

Efforts are being made to reach out to Muslim communities through talks and seminars. In this regard, a new study entitled, “Local Muslim Association as a Contemporary Way of Islamisation in Zambia” by Fr. Felix Phiri M.Afr. is to be published soon. It will provide a window of opportunity for dialogue, mutual understanding and knowledge to enhance the peace which has been prevailing in this country since independence.
The “Oasis Forum” is another forum where our church leaders within what is known as the “three mother bodies” join the secular and wider communities. Together they promote, defend and show the common caring spirit for the wider family of God in Zambia. A network of Caritas Commissions promotes evangelical values through civic education especially during election campaigns. The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection contributes through research, television and radio programmes, and publications, particularly the Basic Needs Basket (BNB). Regular articles in The Post newspaper and The Challenge magazine have put social teaching of the church in the limelight.

COMMUNICATION

The Church in Zambia has been systematic in implementing this theme particularly through radio. It has put at the disposal of the Zambian Catholics and public audiences seven Catholic/community radio stations across the country and on the internet. These mass media reach out mostly to urban dwellers mostly in Lusaka and the Copperbelt.

Others broadcast to many rural communities, especially in Chipata, Chikuni, Mansa, Mongu and Monze. Most of them are headed by priests working hand in hand often with boards and committees, which have made them at times scoop first prizes among community radios. A few of them have websites and can be listened to by the cyber community.

Besides that, magazines such as the famous Ichengelo in Bemba, Speak Out for the youth and the ecumenical National Mirror have contributed a great deal to the evangelizing mission. Catholic websites include that of the Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) and the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection. The best in communication is yet to come with the Catholic Television which is only awaiting the license to operate.

SOME CHALLENGES

What methodology is the 21st century priest in Zambia going to use in order to deal with witchcraft which has recently found an “avatar” in Satanism? Whichever side of the philosophical spectrum you belong to, you will agree that these practices are to be reckoned with. The main reason is the connected human suffering.

These issues are complex and call for a multidisciplinary response because there is more than supernatural and bad spirits at play.  Indeed, what is witchcraft if you are comfortably housed, receive a fair monthly salary, have all your children in school or in stable marriages, enjoy three square meals a day, and have a faith that inspires you as you struggle with existential questions?

A plausible answer is that witchcraft or/and Satanism would less likely be part of your vocabulary and your mind set or your strategy to solve your problems. More awareness and dialogue with the ancestral heritage, holistic healing, prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts as well as structural justice will have to take prominence in seminary programmes.

The church is Zambia has a wealth of knowledge and experiences. However, very little is written down or shared through the mass media. Some five years ago, Archbishop M.J. Mazombwe exhorted Zambian ecclesiastical students in Rome to progressively enter a writing tradition by writing and publishing.

On the cultural front, are the following post-Synodal observations anachronistic? E.E. Uzuchkwu contends that "for a foreseeable future, ministers in the church may be in Africa but not live as Africans." In the same vein, J.P. Baalamo Molekwa notes that “uprooted from their milieu by their formation, priests live as strangers in their own countries; they don’t share the life of their peoples.”

Finally, the following challenge from Bishops of Southern Africa is valid for us too: "The worldly ideals of riches and pleasure, power and domination are contrary to the ideal of priesthood." Indeed, "the attraction of money can easily bring about a feeling of self-sufficiency and independence in him. He no longer sees the hand of God in his history and no longer expects the bounty of God's providence."
CONCLUSION

There is overwhelming evidence of the impact of the first African Synod in Zambia. Small Christian communities have become our way of being church. As   a   matter   of  fact, icitente or section have become household names.

The priest has often been on the forefront, and in the process his ministry has been transformed, collaborating more and more with other members of the Church. Not withstanding current challenges, we can sing, drum and dance  in unison that indeed Ekklesia wesu ni nghanda lupwa (our church is a family of God), as we get ready for the second Africa Synod.

 

Marc Nsanzurwimo, M.Afr.
Regiment Parish
Lusaka