About Us
Blessed Bakanja AMECEA College
The Blessed Bakanja AMECEA College was founded in 1998. It accommodates Major (Theology) seminarians from the AMECEA (Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa) region. The region comprises of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.
The Seminarians are part of the student body in the Faculty of Theology at The Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). In fact, they are the core of the First Cycle of Theology at CUEA.
Blessed Bakanja College was authorized to function as a formation house for priestly candidates by the Congregation of the Evangelization of peoples on 18th December 1999 (Decretum Prot. No. 5619/98).
The College is built to accommodate 72 seminarians. We always expect at least 24 seminarians every year to maintain the targeted student population.
The Mission of a Seminary is not to form supermen, who pretend to know and control everything but to help Seminarians become priests who are humble servants of the communities they continue to belong to.
Pope Francis
Blessed Bakanja at a Glance
Mission and Objective of Bakanja College
Blessed Bakanja AMECEA College is committed to the formation of seminarians from the AMECEA member countries to prepare them to become Diocesan Priests.
The seminary is unique because it brings together seminarians from different cultural backgrounds who are then helped to form a community and to integrate diverse cultural values and perspectives in their formation for the priesthood.
The formation team at Bakanja College is selected and appointed by the AMECEA Staffing Committee (comprising of representatives of different member countries) after due consultation with the respective Ordinaries and Episcopal Conferences.
The formators live and share their faith and vocation with the seminarians and help them to grow into mature persons dedicated to the Church as a family of God.
The major objective of Blessed Bakanja AMECEA College is to form true African Catholic Priests on the model of Our Lord Jesus Christ- Teacher, Priest and Shepherd.
Our Core Values
The seminary’s major core principle is faith in God and his constancy. The seminary puts its reliance on the Lord for sustenance, protection, guidance, consolation, and love. All institutional pledges and plans are based on trust in God’s word, which the Bible has preserved for us. This establishes a basis for people’s faithfulness and loyalty to one another. The optimal environment for long-term growth is one where there is safety and where the seminary is constantly seeking methods to understand and support when there is a deficit. A climate of honesty and authenticity within the institution requires this kind of faithfulness. As a devoted organization, it works to strengthen the body of Christ by assisting local churches and teaching people.