BY EDITH MENSAH// AGNUSDEIMEDIA.COM
Ninety Years of existence, recounting the prospects and challenges, St. Teresa’s Minor Seminary in the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana, has over the years equipped its seminarians with the requisite skills and developed the disposition necessary to be ministers of the Gospel in all things and at all times.
The School, thriving on its mission, has supported students in their dreams of becoming men of integrity with the personality necessary for priestly ministry in the Church.
With its human formation programs, students have been nurtured to develop a strong moral character, to be well-oriented to the truth, to encounter the real world, and to have humanity at heart.
This holistic platform provided for students builds them to take up bigger tasks in the real world even when they choose a different path other than communion with the holy priesthood.
The likes of Hon. Andrew Asiamah Amoako Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, the Senior Partner of KPMG Practice in Ghana, Dr. Gabriel K. A Botchwey of the University of Education, Winneba, and other key personalities who have become great figures discharging national duties are products of this honourable institution.
Did you know- a former Australian Prime Minister was a product of this amiable seminary????
Did you know- Ghana’s first Cardinal was produced by this little flower???
The Seminary believes the 1992 apostolic exhortation, Pastores dabo vobis released by Pope John Paul II sheds light on the formation of priests and emphasizes human formation could shape its students for future endeavors.
The school believes, the principal foundations for priestly formation as spelt out in the exhortation as human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral are necessary for building a well-fitting individual for today’s world.
While each area is unambiguous in itself, there’s a natural interaction between them and this forms the comprehensive structure of formation that guides the development of the candidate towards Priesthood and so, activities in the seminary go all out to shape character in a fast-changing secular world.
Strives
The Seminary remains the little flower of God in nurturing youth for priesthood and for national duties as it simply does not just look out for “Priestlike characters”, but extends its formation holistically to all persons who pass through its four corners.
St Teresa is currently the Central Region’s third-best West African Senior School Certificate Examination performing School and had a little over 99 percent pass in last year’s WASSCE and authorities are poised for greater heights.
Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast and Patron of the Seminary affirms that the school would, together with management and the Archdioce, make a fervent commitment to consolidate its gains.
“Hopefully we would become the best performing school in the Region as we strive to consolidate our gains in education and character formation.”
Students who receive this holistic education are equipped with proven intellectual gifts and determination that would guide them in their respective endeavors.
Being the only “pure” Minor Seminary in the country, it seeks to particularly empower students with a theological vision that would guide them as future leaders in their ministry ahead, however about two-thirds of its students choose different paths.
Currently, the school provides a formidable array of courses and extracurricular opportunities, but still lays emphasis on its core mandate.
Dr. Gabriel K A Botwe who is an ex-seminarian and was tasked to speak to the theme for the 90th Anniversary celebration appealed to management and the Church hierarchy to consider expanding its curriculum to have space for students who may come through for formation, but choose different paths -(Ex-Seminarians in that regard).
He believes “It is never a loss to have few candidates become priests out of many who come to the seminary because most of them when they go out there serve in deserving capacities.”
“And this is something we should be proud of as an institution that is building not only men of integrity for Christ, but also for the nation.”
“The Church must become intentional in this second priority and consider expanding its courses for students who would choose other fields of endeavor.”
“After all it is God who has the ultimate decision power on who becomes a priest,” He concluded.
He stresses that the church can do so to consolidate its gains as the second-largest humanitarian organization after the United Nations if it expanded its courses to absorb all persons and not only those with priestly intentions.
Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, Patton of the School acknowledged the suggestions and said management would table the concerns and take necessary steps to encourage the school to offer a curriculum that would enable each seminarian to engage the history of ideas while preparing them to be effective leaders in a quickly changing secular culture.
While the Seminary has chalked many successes of providing the country with some its prominent figures, successive governments have done a little over zero to support.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle said it was time the government extended its support to the school.
“Government owes us something,” he said stressing that the school “trains two-thirds of students who go out to help the nation and we are entitled to receiving some support.”
The Seminary hopes to realize one of its long-desired goals – a state-of-the-art science laboratory for its growing population.
With a highly sophisticated and fully equipped laboratory and the wisdom of experienced faculty, the students will stand to benefit immensely in the pursuit of scientific excellence.
Management is therefore appealing to well-meaning individuals and the Catholic faithful to reach out to the school with such apparatus to smoothen the science space.
Master Solomon Teye Lomo, Prefect of the institution said “ we are calling on stakeholders to provide our science lab with the latest and most modern apparatus.
Nine years from now, the Seminary would hit the big “100”- a milestone that would be marked in grand style.
Photo Report from last Saturday’s Climax of the 90th Anniversary Celebration
