Seminarians in Nigeria Encouraged Not to “flee from vocation” amid Heightened Insecurity

Gboko, 22 July, 2025 / 6:48 PM

The Rector of St. James Minor Seminary Yandev in Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Gboko, has urged Seminarians and their formators not to abandon the path of formation amid growing insecurity in the West African nation.

In an interview with ACI Africa on the sidelines of a three-day national leadership conference that the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) organized for rectors of Seminaries in Nigeria, Fr. Dominic Asor warned that fear of being persecuted is detrimental to the future of the Church in the country.

He noted that no place in Nigeria is safe, and that Seminarians and formators have no place to run to for fear of attacks.

“We must not flee from our vocation because of trials, insecurity, or the lure of worldly comfort. God, who called us will sustain us, but we must remain faithful and focused,” the Nigerian Catholic Priest told ACI Africa on Monday, July 21.

He added, “The Seminary has not become an endangered species. Apart from the Seminaries, where else can you have complete safety? There is no place.”

 “The fact that something has happened in a particular place does not mean we should stop worshipping God. Seminary is a place to worship God. So, allow your children to be in the Seminary,” Fr. Asor said.

He argued that taking children out of the Seminary will not shield them from the dangers of the outside world. 

He further called on formators and Seminary staff to model a life of prayer, discipline, and commitment, stressing that “we are forming Priests not for a utopia, but for the real world marked by hardship and hostility.”

The Nigerian Catholic Priest expressed his spiritual closeness with the families of three Seminarians who were kidnapped from Auchi Diocese on July 10.

He said that even though his Seminary has not been directly targeted, the effects of the violence in Benue State have disrupted Seminary life. 

“In Benue State, we have insecurities, and all the Dioceses are affected. The mother of my classmate, Fr. Tsegba Martin, was burned in the Yelewata attack, and four of his sisters were equally burned in the same room,” he recounted.

The instability, he continued, affects food supply, financial stability, and emotional well-being.

“Those from whom we get food have been displaced. The cost of food items is hiked. Everything is in disarray,” he lamented and continued, “I cannot close the Seminary and say that God will provide. That is how we have been moving in faith.”

Fr. Asor called for courage and perseverance, especially among Seminarians contemplating abandoning their vocation due to fear. 

“If they give up the vocation, who else will go into it?” he posed and added, “We are people of hope. Nothing lasts forever. We hope that this will come to an end as well. God has His mysterious ways of doing things.”

He continued, “If we are killed in the Church, I have the trust that we shall go to heaven because we have been killed because of our faith. So, nobody should run away. Because if you run away from the Seminary because of insecurity, where will you go? Which part of Nigeria is safe? Is it here in Abuja? Nowhere is safe,” Fr. Asor told ACI Africa

Fr. Asor emphasized that in the face of hopelessness, prayer remains a lifeline. 

“Prayer works,” he said, and added, “God is watching everything. And those invaders, those who are taking lives will surely pay for it. And those of us who have been killed unjustly, God will judge us with mercy, and we shall go to heaven.”

The rector suggested that martyrdom in the line of duty is worth embracing. 

“Even if it means we should die for the sake of peace, let us continue to embrace it. So, Seminarians shouldn't give way for fear. We should always believe that with God, all things are possible,” Fr. Asor told ACI Africa.