The Challenges of Priestly Formation in the Contemporary Changing Society
To respond to the expectations of modern society and co-operate in the vast evangelizing action that involves all Christians, we need well-trained and courageous priests who are free from ambition and fear but convinced of the Gospel Truth, whose chief concern is to proclaim Christ and who are prepared to stoop down to suffering humanity in his Name, enabling everyone, particularly the poor and all who are in difficulty, to experience the comfort of God’s love and warmth of the ecclesial family 1 This thought of Benedict XVI is adequate to describe the thrust of my reflection which could be understood in line with the formation of candidates for the priesthood in the contemporary world, particularly, in Nigeria. The words, ‘proper’ and ‘adequate’ training of the catholic priest are key concerns that are dear to the Fathers of the Church ‘ab initio’ till today. This concern is premised on the understanding that the world is a changing place and each era and time has its challenges, and so, formation at any point in time must be 'proper' and 'adequate'. Against this backdrop, diverse formative processes are being employed in the training of priests. The formation, therefore, must be dynamic and never static or stereotype. Priests, therefore, must adapt themselves in a positive way to the society and preserve an integrity corresponding to their call and vocation. Thus, the priest of our contemporary society has a lot of moral demands, granted the fast-changing society that we live in. The stakes of formation invariably, therefore, can only become higher.
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