Agnes AINEAH

 

Theologians in Africa have embarked on a six-week formation program that seeks to explore priestly life, starting with Nigeria, amid mounting mental health concerns among Catholic Priests.

 

According to organizers, participants in the program, which was launched on Wednesday, August 26, will look at “the quality of life, service, joy, aspirations, fears, and anxieties” that they say are “gradually pervading the cycle of a priest's life and ministry.”

 

Speaking to ACI Africa on the day of the launch, the Coordinator of the program said the course brings on board seasoned Church scholars, including the Secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, as well as members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and lay professionals on the continent.

 

Fr. Barnabas Shabayang said the aim is to improve the quality and service of the priesthood.

 

“Through this six-week training, consisting of webinars, Zoom meetings, and interactions, we want to explore the priestly life in general,” Fr. Shabayang told ACI Africa.

 

He added, “The inspiration is to motivate, provide hope, address the fears and anxieties of priests, and offer counsel, guidance, and solutions. It is also about sharing, reading the Scriptures, going through the history of the Church, and encouraging and mentoring elderly priests, young priests, and struggling priests, while discussing the quality of a priest's life centered on Jesus Christ.”

 

“We have brought together quality people, from clerics to professionals, laymen, and women, to speak about the priestly life. We begin with seasoned scholars, administrators, and career professionals,” the member of faculty at Veritas University in Nigeria said.

 

The initiative is a joint effort of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), the Catholic Theological Association of Nigeria (CATHAN), the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN), the Association of Nigerian Catholic Priests, and Veritas University.

 

The initiative was launched in the wake of the resignation of Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann of Germany’s Speyer Diocese over mental health struggles and similar mounting struggles among the Clergy.

 

In Africa, research published in August 2026 involving 336 Catholic Priests in Nigeria found widespread exposure to suicide-related situations and underscored the need for structured suicide-prevention training among the Clergy.

 

More recently, the death of Rwandan-born Fr. Alex Mutahigwa Kalemba in Nairobi in August 2026 is being investigated by Kenyan authorities as a suspected suicide.

 

The case of Fr. Stephen Kyalo, a Kenyan Catholic Priest who reportedly died by suicide in 2022, also drew attention to the struggles Priests can face behind their public ministry.

 

Meanwhile, the President of the Regional Union of Priests of West Africa (URPAO/RUPWA) has told Catholic Priests not to be ashamed of seeking psychological support, stressing that “mental-health struggles do not cancel their vocation.”

 

In a reflection on Monday, August 24, Fr. Peter Konteh said Priests whose lives involve caring for others also need trusted friends, safe spaces for honest conversation, and regular medical and psychological support.

 

“Our priests and religious spend their lives caring for others. We must also care for them. They need trusted friends, safe spaces for honest conversation, regular medical and psychological support, sufficient rest and communities that listen without judgement,” Fr. Konteh said.

 

He added, “Mental health struggles do not cancel a vocation or diminish a person’s dignity. Sometimes, the greatest courage is not continuing to suffer silently, but accepting our limitations and reaching out for help.”

 

In the August 26 interview with ACI Africa, Fr. Shabayang said starting with Nigeria for the formation program was strategic owing to its numbers.

 

“Nigeria has a large population of over 260 million people, more than 60 dioceses, and a significant number of priests, from diocesan to religious priests, serving in Nigeria and in the diaspora. In almost every congregation and in many dioceses within Nigeria, Africa, Europe, and America, you find Nigerian priests going for studies or serving in various missions,” the member of the Clergy of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Kano said.

 

The Catholic Priest, who has taught at Veritas University since 2014, said the formation program is intended to create a space where Priests can openly discuss the realities of their ministry and receive guidance from experienced Church leaders and professionals.

 

He said the program will pay particular attention to the human and spiritual formation of Priests, especially the challenges that can affect their lives and ministry.

 

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The graduate of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, who has also served as a formator Good Shepherd Major Seminary in Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna, said the Church must continue to accompany Priests beyond their ordination by providing opportunities for formation, mentorship, prayer, and professional support.

 

He said the six-week program is expected to help Priests better understand their vocation, strengthen their relationship with God and the Church, and develop healthier relationships with those they serve and work with.

 

The organizers hope that the discussions will also encourage Priests to seek help when they face loneliness, anxiety, illness, financial difficulties, or other challenges that may affect their well-being.

 

“We are also going to talk about the vulnerability of the priest in times of loneliness, mental-health challenges, ministry, and obedience: obedience to God, obedience to the Church, obedience to one's bishop, and obedience to one's superior. We are also going to talk about the poverty of the priesthood,” Fr. Shabayang told ACI Africa.

 

The entire program is expected to run through webinars, meetings, prayer, presentations, and discussions involving Priests, theologians, medical professionals, Church leaders, and other experts.

 

The organizers said the ultimate goal is to strengthen the quality of priestly life and ministry in Nigeria while providing Priests with the support they need to serve the Church with renewed joy, hope, and commitment.

 

Speaking on expected outcomes, Fr. Shabayang said, “We hope that the quality of life of the priesthood in Nigeria, among those who serve here as missionaries, those who are indigenous to Nigeria, and those in the diaspora, will be strengthened by this program.”

 

“We pray that the life that flows from this program will energize and strengthen the quality and love of the priesthood from within and among the many people we are going to touch,” he said.

 

Also set to speak on priesthood in Nigeria during the six-week course are Nigeria’s John Cardinal Onaiyekan, CBCN’s President Archbishop Matthew Manoso Ndangoso, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Nigeria’s Sokoto Diocese, and Bishop Godfrey Onah of Nsukka Diocese.