The Privilege of Teaching Seminarians

I begin teaching at the major seminary this week. I will be teaching a four-semester course on the Church Fathers (Patristics). I’m teaching first and second year theology students at the same time. I don’t have much background in this area, but they say the best way to learn is to teach! I will be using PP’s, something that hasn’t been done before. (I’m hoping that some razzle-dazzle will compensate for what might be lacking in substance.) I’m looking forward to the challenge.

This seminary serves four dioceses, plus there are a few seminarians from other parts of Cameroon and other countries. I think it’s a total of 240 students—that includes three years of philosophy and four years of theology (they have a pastoral year in-between). The incoming class of 58 philosophy students is the largest class since the seminary was founded in 1973.

Joy and I attended the opening-of-the-year inauguration Mass, with the Archbishop presiding, where we were introduced along with another new faculty priest. I am the first lay person to teach theology. Three of the seminary professors (all priests) took an Oath of Fidelity, something I will also be doing at some point. The second and third year theology students received the Order of Reader and Acolyte, respectively, symbolizing the ministry of proclaiming the Word and serving at the Altar which is integral to ordained ministry. (They are ordained deacons at the beginning of their fourth and final year.) As is typical here in Cameroon, the Mass took almost three hours.

Joy and I were especially impressed with the singing from these young men—full of praise, beautiful harmonies, moving rhythmically from side-to-side, with complete engagement and participation. It really sounded heavenly. Besides two nuns, Joy was the only female, which felt more awkward to her than us being the only white people.

I feel very honored and privileged to have this opportunity to be an instrument to help impact these young men as they prepare to serve the Church as priests. I love studying and sharing the rich treasures of the faith. While there are cultural differences, the Bible and Tradition of faith is the same. Please pray that I can fulfill this role of formator as God would want!

-Pete