The significance of integration of families of seminarians in the Roman Catholic ministerial formation in South Africa

Abstract

A family is a basic building block of society created by God and it is crucial for a healthy state and church. In traditional African societies, a family is responsible for the spiritual, emotional, moral, intellectual, and physical empowerment of the child. Parents play a significant role in transmitting knowledge and skills for the survival of the child in their own context. Other structures in society educate the children based on the foundation laid by the family. This article proposes that a family should not be ignored in the formation of ministerial priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) seminary. The delay in involving a family hinders the holistic development of the priest candidate. Involvement of the family in the process of formation challenges the relationship between a seminary and a family and encourages an imbalance of male and female formators in a seminary. This article aims to highlight the significance of the family as an indispensable body in the formation process of an African priest candidate, particularly for the RCC in South Africa.