We publish below two precious testimonies of two seminarians who attend the Bigard Memorial Seminary in Enugu, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary. The Seminary is named after the founder of the Pontifical Society of St Peter the Apostle, an institution whose material support has allowed this structure to take root and develop in the Enugu area and which has contributed and continues to contribute so much to the formation of new priests. In the course of these 100 years of history, 4 Cardinals, 14 Archbishops, 37 Bishops and numerous priests working all over the world have been formed in this Seminary.
My name is Basil Agbo. I am a seminarian from the Catholic Diocese of Enugu. I am currently in the third-year of my theological studies here in Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu. I am delighted to share with you my experiences in Bigard. The seminary has both Philosophy and Theology Departments. She works hard to provide enabling environment for the seminarians to carry out their studies. So many academic programmes are carried out in the seminary each year. These include workshops, symposia, seminars, inauguration and convocation ceremonies. These academic programmes help in the intellectual development of the seminarians. In the current academic year (2024/2025), the total number of seminarians in my seminary is 729. Of this number, 395 are in the Theology Department while 334 are in the Philosophy Department.
The situation in our country has deeply impacted life in the seminary. One of the challenges we face is the growing insecurity in the country. Another challenge is that the economic situation of the country makes it extremely difficult to sustain the seminary financially through the year. Prices of basic goods and services have skyrocketed, making the seminary go to a great length in order to maintain the staff and students.
However, I am happy that notwithstanding the crisis Nigeria is facing, the faith continues to grow in many parts of the country, especially in the South East. Our Churches are full, new parishes are created every now and again, and vocation to the priesthood and religious houses bloom. These give us hope that God is in charge and that there is better days ahead. I also continue to hope that the current crisis and tension in the South Eastern part of the country, where my Seminary is located, would be resolved. This will enable the Seminary to return to uninterrupted Seminary programme ones more.
My name is Ezugwu Emmanuel. I am a seminarian of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka. Presently, I am in the third year of my Philosophical studies here at Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu. I am glad to witness for my dear Seminary.
My seminary as an institution for the training of candidates for the Catholic priesthood has two departments – the Philosophy Department and the Theology Department. These departments follow academic programmes approved by Rome to ensure the academic formation of the seminarians. Other programmes in the areas of pastoral, human and spiritual, that facilitate the integral formation of the seminarians also form part of our formation process. Accordingly, such programmes include annual colloquium paper, formation weekend, various workshops, seminars, spiritual conferences, retreats, cultural and musical events, as well as inauguration of the academic year and convocation ceremonies.
The past year 2023 was indeed a very tasking and challenging year for Nigeria. The general election that took place in the course of the year left much to be desired. Cases of violence, were recorded before, during and after the polls. The litigations that followed the election results also contributed to the unstable political atmosphere in the country. The administration that emerged after the elections imposed some economic policies that have affected the masses adversely. Such policies which include the removal of the fuel subsidy, uniform exchange rate for our local currency to dollar and other foreign currencies adversely affected the cost of generation of power supply in the seminary -which depends on diesel powered generators, as well as access to other goods and services. It is also a pity that Nigeria continues to face infrastructural challenges across various sectors like; transportation, water, power and healthcare. Consequently, the seminary goes extra miles to provide these services for her seminarians.
Furthermore, the security situation in the country has continued to deteriorate. To remain in control of the situation and to protect her seminarians in the face of little or no help from the government, the seminary has continued to upgrade her security outfits and gadgets at great financial costs. These challenges facing Nigeria as a whole, continue to affect life and activities in the seminary. Nevertheless, the seminary remains committed in her responsibility of training seminarians under such conditions.
In the midst of the above, I remain joyful and glad that the Good Lord has continued to be with and sustain us as a seminary in the face of these trying times. Indeed, we can heartily say, “the Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” (Psalm 46 vs 7). We also appreciate the impacts of the support from the friends of the seminary and groups both within and outside Nigeria. These go a long way in helping the seminary fulfil her obligations to the seminarians.
The seminary anticipated 2024 with optimism. One of the reasons being the Centenary celebration of her anniversary. The second reason is that despite all the challenges faced in 2023, the Church in Nigeria has continued to grow in leaps and bounds. This is evidenced in the increase in the number of parishes, deaneries and even dioceses. People continue to identify with the Church, attend Masses and other religious programmes. Thirdly, many young people continue to willingly embrace the call to the priestly and religious vocations. We sincerely hope that in this year and beyond, these positive growths will continue to flourish and that the security situation in the country would improve and thus bringing to an end, the persecution and killing of Christians in different parts of the country.
