Pastor’s Corner — July 21st, 2024

Missionary Cooperative Appeal This Weekend

Every year we host a missionary to preach an appeal. Hosting and giving to such appeals are rooted in our deeply Catholic conviction that the Church throughout the world is One Body of Christ. We are all on the same team and on the same mission of witnessing to the love of Jesus in word and in deed. Not only do we care about the Church’s efforts locally, but we care about the Church’s efforts across the world. Please welcome Fr. Daniel Saaka from Ghana and prayerfully consider giving a generous gift to his appeal.

We are not having a second collection for this appeal, but invite people either to give in an envelope designated for this purpose (Checks written out to St Patrick Catholic Parish with “Mission Appeal” in Memo) or give online using the QR code below.  It’s important that if you’re giving online to use the drop-down menu to select the fund “Missionary Cooperative Appeal.” 

Here is a note from Fr. Daniel: 

Introduction 

I am Fr. Daniel Fuseini Saaka, the Vice Rector of St. Victor’s Major Seminary in Tamale, Ghana. I was ordained on 9th July 2003. I head the theology department and also chair the academic board of the seminary since 2017. Currently I teach the following courses: Doctrine of the Trinity, Christology, Sacraments, Natural Theology, Homiletics, Ecclesiology and Ecumenism. I have visited the diocese of Lansing for Mission Appeals since 2018. I will be visiting your parish for this summer mission appeals on behalf of St. Victor’s Major Seminary on July 20-21, 2024. 

St. Victor’s Major Seminary

St. Victor’s Major Seminary was established by the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) in 1946 to train natives to minister to their own people in their native language and culture. As an inter-diocesan seminary, St. Victor Seminary is owned by five (5) dioceses: Tamale Archdiocese, Navrongo/Bolgatanga diocese, Wa diocese, Damongo diocese and Yendi diocese. The five Bishops form the Episcopal Board of Governors of the Seminary with the Archbishop as the Board Chairman. This makes the Seminary a Provincial or Inter-Diocesan Seminary. Since the 1960s the Society for the Divine Word (SVD) have been an important partner to the seminary. Their seminarians receive their philosophical and theological formation at St. Victors Seminary. Some of the SVD priests are part of the teaching staff of the seminary. St. Victor’s Seminary is also affiliated to the Pontifical Urban University in Rome for the STB programme since 2005. 

For more effective training of Seminarians, the Board of Governors decided to divide the Seminary into three (3) campuses. A spiritual year at St. Michael’s Propaedeutic Seminary, three (3) years of philosophy at St. Augustine’s Seminary and four (4) years of theology at St. Victor Main campus. This move contributed greatly to the depletion of the seminary funds. Since then, the finances have been a major problem since much of the savings were used to establish these two campuses. This move, coupled with the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic, has pushed the seminary into a serious financial situation. 

I also wish to inform you that, even though the Seminary was started originally to train diocesan priests, it has opened its doors to other dioceses and religious congregations outside the country. Currently we train seminarians from dioceses in other parts of Africa: Burkina Faso, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Togo, Nigeria, and other African countries. 

Due to the poor management of the Ghanaian economy, coupled with high inflation, the cost of running the seminary has gone high. Food prices continue to increase astronomically. Currently the seminary spends more than 40% of our funds for the feeding of the seminarians. Because if this, we do not have enough funds to cater for other important things that the seminary needs to run smoothly. Most of the seminarians come from poor and low-income families, therefore the families are not able to support the formation of their sons. The Christians of this area are not also able to support, therefore making it absolutely necessary to seek help elsewhere. To enable us tackle some of the challenges we face, it has become necessary for us to seek help from your parishioners. Below are some of the areas for which we need your support

Areas of Need

1. Provision of Basic Books for seminarians (Breviary, Catechism of the Catholic Church, New Jerusalem Bible, Jerome Biblical Commentary, Code of the Canon Law, Vatican II Documents, The Book of Rite, etc.,)
2. Provision of Wi-fi for internet to enhance teaching and learning.
3. Support to start a self-help or self-reliant project in the rearing of animals and fowls. This we hope will enable us to provide the protein needs of the seminarians.
4. 5 Projectors for lectures and other academic programmes. 
5. To establish a Computer Laboratory for seminarians (10 Computers, 2 Printers and I Photocopier)
6. Course and references books for consultation by students and formators
7. Bicycles for weekly apostolates for seminarians

Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias