Course for Minor and Major Seminary Formators Promoted By the Pontifical Mission Societies

The Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Malawi, together with the International Secretariat of the Pontifical Society of St Peter the Apostle (POSPA), will hold a formation course for formators of the country’s minor and major seminaries from 14 to 18 September 2026.

The course will take place at St Peter’s Major Seminary in the Diocese of Zomba and will focus on strengthening the knowledge, missionary spirit and pastoral competence of those responsible for training future priests. The program will be guided by the Magisterium’s documents, especially the 2021 decree Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis.

Father Guy Bognon, Secretary General of POSPA, and Father Alessandro Brandi, an official of the same Pontifical Society, will arrive in Malawi on 12 September 2026. They will remain in the country until 20 September, allowing them to participate in celebrations marking the 125th anniversary of the Catholic mission’s beginning in Malawi.

The course will open on 14 September with a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Thomas Luke Msusa, Archbishop of Blantyre and President of the seminaries in Malawi. The delegation from Rome will be joined by Father Peter Madeya, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Malawi, and Father Pascal Mtuwana, National Safeguarding Officer for minors and vulnerable persons.

During the five‑day program, participants will study and discuss topics such as the ongoing formation of formators, the institutional dimension of formation, the role of the educational community, the mission and identity of the formator, the process of priestly formation, safeguarding of minors and vulnerable persons, spiritual accompaniment, and human formation. The course will also present the history of the Pontifical Mission Societies and provide practical sessions on PMS resources, with particular emphasis on the Pontifical Society of St Peter the Apostle.

The initiative reflects PMS’s commitment to supporting the integral formation of future priests and aims to deepen the missionary identity of seminary formators, improve the quality of priestly formation in Malawi, and strengthen collaboration between the local Church and the universal Church.

Article source: allafrica.com | Image credit: Agenzia Fides