Engage in Vocation Discernment: Catholic Bishop in Angola Cautions Seminarians against “distraction” During Holidays

Ndalatando, 09 July, 2025 / 3:25 PM

Bishop Almeida Kanda of Angola’s Catholic Diocese of Ndalatando has challenged Seminarians to make good use of their holidays, taking time to discern their journey in response to God’s calling. 

In his homily during the closing Mass of the academic year at Martyrs of Uganda Diocesan Major Seminary in his Episcopal See, Bishop Kanda cautioned against “distraction”.

“We hope the holiday period will not be a time of distraction, but a time to deepen the vocation discernment we have begun with our formators and teachers,” the Angolan Catholic Bishop said during the Monday, July 7 Eucharistic celebration.

He told the Major Seminarians that their spiritual growth must be matched with a firm, Christ-centred personality. “We are called to be authentic disciples of Jesus—obedient, humble, and determined to renew our walk with Him as the apostles did,” he said.

The vocation to the Priesthood, Bishop Kanda said, “is not only a personal journey but a response to the hopes of our families and communities.”

“It is not enough to have goodwill or to sow the seed. We must care for that seed daily, so it may grow and bear abundant fruit, helping our Church extend the frontiers of the Gospel,” the Local Ordinary of Ndalatando Diocese said at Holy Mass for the end of the academic year.

At the July 7 event, the Rector of Martyrs of Uganda Diocesan Major Seminary, Fr. José Diogo Jerônimo Zola, looked back at the academic year, saying, “Despite the difficulties, the provident God, with His most provident hand, guided us as we anchored ourselves in hope. We let ourselves be led by Him, and we have arrived at the end.”

Fr. Zola further said, “We began the academic year with 55 Seminarians enrolled, but only 46 were officially registered. These were distributed across the three years of the propaedeutic stage, coming from four Dioceses and one Archdiocese. This was one of the years with the highest dropout rates, which we deeply regret.”

Fr. Zola expressed hope into the future, saying, despite the relatively high dropout, “we can still consider it a positive formative year, because God knew how to guide us according to His wisdom, and we allowed ourselves to be guided.”

Seminarians, who spoke expressed their appreciation for the spiritual and academic guidance they received and said that they were entrusting themselves to the Church and the help of the Holy Spirit.

“Thanks be to God; this formation year was very good. At first, it was a bit difficult because I was transitioning from one reality to another,” Seminarian Bernardo Paulo António said.

On his part, Dário de Sousa highlighted the importance of the holiday as a time for reflection. He said, “The holidays period is for us to examine ourselves, to assess the state of our vocation. As Bishop Almeida Kanda has already reminded us, we must follow the guidance given by our Bishop and our formation team.”