By Benedict Lim
KUNDASANG — A total of 124 participants from the three dioceses in Sabah attended the annual vocation seminar, January 17 to 19, at the Bundu Tuhan Retreat Centre. Of these, nine were selected — eight will begin their formation as aspirants at the Formation House for Aspirants (CDC), while the remaining participant will start his formation journey as a seminarian at St Peter’s College Initiation Year Formation House.
The seminar was coordinated by the Archdiocese Vocation director, Fr Isidore Gilbert, with the assistance of Fr Mattheus A. Luta, director of St Peter’s College Formation House in Kota Kinabalu. Also present were diocesan vocation directors Fr Roney Mailap (Keningau); Fr Christopher Ireneus (Sandakan), and Fr Abel Madisang, Spiritual Father of St Peter’s College Major Seminary in Kuching. Additionally, 29 aspirants and seminarians were on hand to offer their support.
The objective of this vocation seminar is to encourage priestly vocations among young Catholic men in Sabah by providing exposure through a series of talks from priests, sharing and reflecting on the lives of aspirants, seminarians, and clergy, and identifying new aspirants and seminarians for formation.
Fr Mattheus presided over the opening Mass for the seminar which coincided with the memorial of St Anthony of Egypt, the originator of the monastic life. In his homily, Fr Mattheus thanked all participants for making time to attend the seminar, especially those who had travelled from afar. He advised the participants that they should open their hearts to listen to God’s call for each one of them, just like St Anthony who responded to God’s call by giving up all that he had and following Jesus.
The three-day seminar concluded with a closing Mass presided over by Fr Roney, who emphasised that to be a priest, one must serve as a bridge between God and humanity. He further reminded everyone that, whether called to the priesthood or not, it is our shared responsibility to live out the common priesthood we receive through the Sacrament of Baptism. Many participants expressed gratitude and awe for the experiences gained during the seminar, with some expressing a strong desire to attend again in the future to further discern their calling.
