Beschreibung
Today, we can no longer hide under the
pretence that the grace of God alone suffices to make one a
good priest. A close study of the history of priestly
formation has shown that not just the training of priests
can ensure an authentic priest-product, rather a continuous
effort to adapt the training to the current world situation
so that priests would be in the position to discharge their
duties effectively. Such readiness to adaptability should,
of course, not lose sight of the meaning and function of the
priest as revealed in the person of Jesus: a service to the
world. In the bid to assess the models for the training of
priests in South-eastern Nigeria, the author using a
historical-critical method traced the history of the models
and events that shaped the current modules for the training
of priests in South-eastern Nigeria. At the end of the
historical research, he proffered some suggestions for
improvement, amendment and solidification of the training of
priests in the area. As one of the younger African churches,
the examination of the training of priests in South-eastern
Nigeria will also serve as a paradigm or typology for
understanding the dynamics and the process of training of
priests in other African countries, since most of these
local churches share relatively similar historical,
cultural, economic and socio-political circumstances.
Angelo Chidi Unegbu is a priest of the
Catholic Diocese of Okigwe (Nigeria).
