Seminary Turned To Secondary School

 Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC)’s decision to turn St. Augustine’s Seminary into a mixed Secondary School has been implemented, and first enrolment to the Catholic institution of learning has since commenced.

According to a report made released on Wednesday, the Secretary General of ZCBC, Fr. Tryvis Moyo, outlined the implementation of the Catholic Bishops’ decision on the Major Seminary that had not been in operation since 2016.

 “The Bishops decided at their administrative meeting held in Masvingo in August 2023 to turn the former seminary into a private college. Since then, efforts have been made to renovate the place, hire the school head, an administrator, and teachers.

“St. Augustine’s school will open its doors in January 2024 with Forms 1,2,3 and 5. The recruitment of the school head and teachers is complete and the school is busy with the enrolment of learners,” he said.

He added that “Although the school is located in the Archdiocese of Bulawayo, it belongs to the Bishops’ Conference.”

St. Augustine’s Seminary, which was built to enhance the proper formation of local Priests was closed in 2016 due to the decline of vocations to the Priesthood. The whole faculty of philosophy was moved back to Chishawasha Major Seminary.

The expenses involves in running “two half-empty Seminaries” were prohibitive, a situation that prompted ZCBC members to close St. Augustine’s Seminary, the report further indicated.

The report went on to highlight earlier attempts to utilize the premises. “When St. Augustine’s closed as Seminary, the Catholic University of Zimbabwe (CUZ) moved in for about five years and later left, leaving the complex unoccupied. This resulted in the decision to turn it into a private school by the Bishops.”

The new Secondary School is set “to offer holistic education informed by Catholic ethos”, the report indicated, adding that the institution will be guided by the motto, ‘Sapienta, Amor et veritas’, “which speaks of Hope, Love and Truth.”

The school fulfills the Church’s goal to provide a quality education that targets the formation of the whole person; the initiative will also support the local Church’s financial needs.