The day, 8th June 2019, was well decorated at St. Paul the Apostle Seminary in Mangochi as the seminarians and staff were celebrating the feast of Ss. Peter and Paul in anticipation. The feast normally falls on 29th June every year. This anticipation was made to include the graduation of the form fours and the launch of the strategic plan of the SPAS Alumni Association.
The activities of the day started will Holy mass which was presided by His Lordship Montfort Stima and concelebrated with the priest-staff and priest-alumni. Emphasising on the need to emulate Peter and Paul in their mission and death, Stima encouraged the seminarians and all present to be courageous disciples of the Lord. He also implored the parents to help their children discern about their vocation, encouraging them to listen to the call of the Lord to become priests. He finally dedicated the form fours to the Lord so that He may help them as they start their examinations.
Later in the day, the alumni had their Annual General Meeting. Led by their chairperson, Mr. Rick Chikwekwe, the meeting had as its main objective presenting plans for the next year and presenting to the members the strategic plan. The strategic plan was then launched by his Lordship Bishop Stima in the seminary’s recreation hall in the presence of the alumni, parents and students. Speaking at the launch, Mr. Chikwekwe expressed joy at the realisation of the dream to have this strategic plan. “We do not want that the SPAS Alumni Association move like a headless chicken, we want to be focused and realise more dreams through this strategic plan”, said Mr. Chikwekwe with great satisfaction.
The strategic plan has goals which include enhancing the image of SPAS, students’ basic academic requirements and welfare, resources mobilisation, widening membership base and networking. The alumni have in the past years been involved in so many activities for example, buying books, mattresses and in this year, they are renovating the kitchen and refectory and have bought benches for the students’ refectory to the cost of 3.8 million kwacha.
St. Paul the Apostle Seminary was opened in 1985 and has an alumni base of over 1000 but only about 100 of them are active in the association. However, even with that small number, the seminary is appreciative of the support that the alumni render to the seminary and even to the diocese. As it has been stated in the strategic plan efforts will be made to have as more active members as possible so that the contributions for the support of the seminary may also increase.