The Institution of the Seminary and the Training of Catholic Priests in South-Eastern Nigeria (1885-1970)

Today, we can no longer hide under the pretence that the grace of God alone suffices to make one a good priest. A close study of the history of priestly formation has shown that not just the training of priests can ensure an authentic priest-product, rather a continuous effort to adapt the training to the current world situation so that priests would be in the position to discharge their duties effectively. Such readiness to adaptability should, of course, not lose sight of the meaning and function of the priest as revealed in the person of Jesus: a service to the world. In the bid to assess the models for the training of priests in South-eastern Nigeria, the author using a historical-critical method traced the history of the models and events that shaped the current modules for the training of priests in South-eastern Nigeria. At the end of the historical research, he proffered some suggestions for improvement, amendment and solidification of the training of priests in the area. As one of the younger African churches, the examination of the training of priests in South-eastern Nigeria will also serve as a paradigm or typology for understanding the dynamics and the process of training of priests in other African countries, since most of these local churches share relatively similar historical, cultural, economic and socio-political circumstances.