Adeladius Makwega – MBAGALA
Once upon a time, a young Catholic man from the Diocese of Dar es Salaam applied to join the priesthood after completing Form Six, even though he had not previously studied in seminaries.
His application was sent to a priest holding the position known as Director of Vocations of the Catholic Diocese of Dar es Salaam.
According to information received by Mwanakwetu, at the time this young man applied to join priestly formation, the responsibility lay with the Director of Vocations to evaluate the application by examining the life of the young man and his family—whether their situation was suitable for entering religious formation and eventually priestly training.
The Director of Vocations at that time did his work diligently. He even visited the parish, outstations, and Small Christian Communities to collect all necessary information. Later, the young man was summoned through his parish priest during Sunday announcements:
“So-and-so, son of so-and-so, should go to St. Joseph’s Church, second floor, Office of the Director of Vocations, on Wednesday from morning until 2:00 p.m. The office will be open.”
The young man claims that when he arrived at the Director of Vocations’ office, the priest said the following:
“We
have conducted an investigation into your family life and it appears that your
father and mother do not live together.”
The young man replied, Yes.
“In addition, in your Form Six results you have one ‘F’. Therefore, joining the priesthood through the diocese will be difficult. Perhaps you could try applying through religious congregations. Shall I give you addresses to apply?”
The young man requested about ten minutes to step outside and reflect before giving his response. He left the office, went downstairs to the gate of St. Joseph’s Church, then decided to return and sit on the church steps. He sat on the very first step from the bottom, gazing toward the Dar es Salaam Customs area, deep in thought.
Five minutes passed and he arrived at a decision. He then returned to the Director of Vocations’ office. Of the ten minutes he had requested, only seven had passed—three were still remaining.
He knocked, was warmly welcomed, the door was opened, and he explained his decision:
“I have reflected now, Father. I see, I see, I see that my Catholic Diocese has rejected me on two grounds: an ‘F’ in one Form Six subject and the fact that my parents do not live together. I think I should not apply again through religious congregations either. Perhaps this path is not right for me.”
The young man shook hands with the Director of Vocations—a patriotic, tall, dark-skinned priest—then left and returned home to look for another direction in life. The religious life he had desired had hit a dead end. He chose a completely different path and later became a family man.
Mwanakwetu, who was a neighbor of this young man, later asked him whether it was true that his parents did not live together.
He responded as follows:
“My mother found another man and separated from my father,
starting a new life through civil divorce. Later, the Church intervened to
resolve the issue through the Lay Council, with the aim of restoring the
marriage properly. The situation appeared hopeful for a full reconciliation.
However, the man’s relatives said that although in the Church marriage does not
break, the man my mother had been involved with had a modern disease which, at
that time, was just beginning to spread. Restoring the marriage would endanger
our father’s life. Therefore, we as relatives did not see it as safe to restore
the marriage at that time; we had to protect our relative’s life.
While all this was going on, the Director of Vocations of the Catholic Diocese
of Dar es Salaam was analyzing the background information of that young man as
part of his application to enter the formation year to become a priest.”
Mwanakwetu expressed deep sympathy, but that was how it ended—the young man missed the chance to become a priest.
What does Mwanakwetu say today?
Family life is very complicated. That young man lost the priesthood because of his parents’ mistakes, especially his mother, who entered into relationships that were dangerous both to health and to her son’s spiritual life.
“A diocesan priest must come from parents who are a spiritual example to other families,while at the same time the young man had failed one Form Six subject with an ‘F’.”
That family understood more than others that the decision not to restore the marriage was not something shared with the community or the Lay Council; the health issue was a family secret.
That mother later died, and the man she had been involved with also died early. The father of the young man—whose son missed the priesthood—is still alive to this day. Those who died passed away before the young man even began married life. He never returned to the Director of Vocations nor applied through any religious congregation. The book had already been closed.
The question is:If the Director of Vocations of the Catholic Diocese of Dar es Salaam had known about this health issue, would he have allowed the young man to proceed to the year of formation and priestly studies? Or would the issue of the ‘F’ grade in one subject still have stood?
This is today’s reflection in Mwanakwetu’s article, which calls upon all Directors of Vocations in the Catholic Church worldwide to reflect deeply. Whenever they investigate the family lives of their Christians, they should be extremely careful, so as to uncover hidden realities within human marital and family life.
Mwanakwetu, are you there? Remember:
“Director
of Vocations of the Diocese.”
I wish you a good day.
makwadeladius@gmail.com
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