Vocations Difficult to Nurture where Families have “no time for prayer”: Bishop at Priestly Ordination in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam, 11 September, 2025 / 5:05 PM

The Local Ordinary of Tanzania’s Catholic Diocese of Bagamoyo has acknowledged the key role of a family that prays together, noting that vocations are nurtured better where families pray together.

In his homily on Thursday, September 11, during the Priestly Ordination of five Deacons of the Order of St. Augustine (OSA) in his Episcopal See, Bishop Stephano Lameck Musomba underscored the importance of “proper upbringing” for children at the family level.

“The upbringing of our children helps them to discern their vocation and, most importantly, to know God. When they know God, then they can recognize His voice when He calls them,” he said in his homily at St. Augustine Parish of the Bagamoyo Diocese. 

He added, “If we lack proper upbringing, if in our families there is no time for prayer, no time to read the Word of God together, no time for catechesis, no time to go to church with them, no time to attend Small Christian Community gatherings with them, then it becomes very difficult to recognize the voice of God, because the child is not accustomed to it.”

Without being raised in the knowledge of God, he said, it becomes difficult, particularly in today’s world where “faith is often treated like a business,”making it hard to discern where God’s true voice is.

“That is why formation in the family is very important for our children,” the OSA member said, and went on to commend the parents of the five Deacons for their generosity in offering their sons to the Church. 

He said, “We thank the parents of our Deacons who have offered them to the Church, and today they are being ordained to the sacred Priesthood.”

The pioneer Bishop of the Tanzania Diocese, which was erected on March 7 reminded the people of God under his Pastoral care, that vocation is a divine gift rooted in God’s call to holiness, lived out in different ways such as marriage, religious life, or priesthood. 

“All of these are different paths that lead us to holiness. He desires that the one He calls fulfills it wholeheartedly,” he said, and went on to remind the Deacons that priestly life is a lifelong commitment.

He said, “Speaking about this vocation does not mean that our deacons have completed their journey, it is only beginning. From today, they must in their Priestly journey continue saying, ‘Here I am, Lord,’ until the day when He will say, ‘You have completed the mission I gave you, come and rest.”

Bishop Musomba emphasized that Priesthood must be lived as a mission grounded in responsibility, accountability, and transparency, cautioning that it is “not a job, but a vocation and a way of life.”

He cautioned that priests who neglect these principles risk falling into an “identity crisis,” which he described as the confusion that arises when the faithful expect a Priest to live according to his vocation, yet his actions suggest otherwise.

“As a Priest, I must live a Priestly life. I have been called to be another Christ, with a great responsibility in this world: to bring Christ into every family, into society, into the whole world,” explained the Tanzania Catholic leader.

He added, “Priests must choose their words carefully, for words can build up or destroy. They must not gossip, slander, or bring division, but be examples of love, faith, humility, compassion, and holiness.So you must be approachable, welcoming, someone people can speak to freely. That is how you know you are fulfilling your mission.