The Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) is reorganising its formation system to ensure that only disciplined and dedicated candidates earn confirmation into priesthood and further pastoral posts.
Bishop Martin Mtumbuka, chairperson of the Catholic seminaries, said this yesterday at Kachebere Major Seminary in Mchinji when he reopened Kachebere Major Seminary, which was closed for close to five months.
“What we are about to implement will define the direction of the church and I want all of us to embark on this journey together and play our various roles towards building the church,” he said.
ECM temporarily closed Kachebere Major Seminary in April this year to iron out academic and other administrative issues which Mtumbuka said were sending a bad signal to the future of the church.
“We realised that there were some practices within the system and when the Bishops sat down to analyse them, they saw a coming problem ahead that’s why we had to initiate the changes,” said Mtumbuka.
Among the big changes, Mtumbuka said ECM has hired a team of priests specialised in formation to help run Kachebere Major Seminary for a period of five years as a new crop of administrators undergo specialised training to take over.
He said talks are at an advanced stage with other training institutions which can work with Kachebere Major Seminary in its degree programmes.
National Laity Council chairperson Dennis Khasu said the new strategy the church leadership has lined up is in the best interest of the congregation and he promised to offer all the support that the leadership will require.
