WINTER BREAK (part four)

                                                St. Joseph Seminary - Kaengesa

Seminary church & a couple of the classrooms

Inside the church

Front of the church

Seminary sign

Fr. Maufi (Dean), Fr. Nkungwe (Rector) & Fr. Makasi (Vice Rector)

 June 13, 2014...After a long day of traveling and visiting throughout the Sumbawanga area, Fr. Makasi and I finally reached St. Joseph Seminary. It was so nice to finally relax, have a meal and go to sleep! Traveling around Tanzania is so exhausting!

The next day, Fr. Nkungwe and Fr. Makasi gave me a tour of the seminary grounds. The last couple times I visited, there wasn't time for a tour. This time I had a couple of days so I was able to see everything and get a little bit of the history. Built during 1954-1956, the seminary opened in 1956. Some prominent business people throughout the country have attended the seminary school over the years because of its excellent reputation. The seminary has also prepared many young men for the major seminary and the priesthood, including the priests on the current seminary staff. The school is currently at capacity with 300 students attending. Almost all of the students board at the school, with only a few coming from the local village. There are four dormitories, housing 72 students each. Because the seminary lacks the necessary funds, these dormitories are in pretty bad condition, as are most of the buildings throughout the grounds. The building where the corn harvest is usually stored is in such bad condition that this year's harvest had to be stored in the dining hall, and the students had to take their meals outdoors. The school lacks a library, as well as equipment and chemicals for their science labs.

boy's dormitories

storage buildings

dining hall

 

inside a classroom

courtyard in front of the classrooms

The seminary is located at a high elevation in the Sumbawanga mountains and has only one access road. The bridge connecting the property to the main road was destroyed during the last rainy season, which made going to, or coming from the seminary, impossible. The priests and some of the students built another bridge, which had managed to withstand the traffic over a few months time, until a delivery truck crossed and damaged half of the new bridge, along with all of the supplies in the truck. Only half of the bridge remains until now, which terrified me when we first approached it. I didn't think it was possible for the vehicle we were in to cross safely, but Fr. Makasi assured me he had been using the bridge for many months without problems. I hope the priests will find a way to repair the bridge properly before someone really has trouble!

The view overlooking the villages below

remains of the bridge built by the priests and students

Another thing I find interesting is that the teachers live on site at the school. The seminary provides them with housing. I have found this to be the case with most of the schools I've visited here. I suppose that's because very few people have vehicles, so transportation would definitely be a problem, especially at this elevation. 

teacher's housing

Boy's choir

instruments used in the church

Only the 2nd year students were present during my visit because they were studying for their national exams. The remaining students were on holiday. In spite of the small numbers, the singing during mass was beautiful! I can only imagine what they sound like when all of the boys are present! I was also very impressed with the behavior of the students. They were extremely polite and courteous whenever we met on the grounds or in the church. 

It makes me sad to think that if the seminary isn't able to find the means to renovate the buildings and the classrooms, what will become of this beautiful place?!