The primacy of the spiritual formation in the entire seminary formation of candidates for the Catholic Priesthood is greatly recognized and appreciated by the Church. The Decree of the Second Vatican Council on the Training of Priests (n. 8) affirms such importance as it states: “…Those who are to take on the likeness of Christ the priest by sacred ordination should form the habit of drawing close to him as friends in every detail of their lives…. They should be taught to seek Christ in faithful mediation on the Word of God and in active participation in the sacred mysteries of the Church, especially in the Eucharist and the Divine Office…” However, this can be greatly achieved through the assistance of the spiritual director; an emphasis on the importance of spiritual directors in houses of formation. Nevertheless, inasmuch as spiritual directors are meant to guide seminarians, they are also not exempted from moments of retreats, spiritual workshops, etc., where they are refreshed in order to adequately execute the delicate task of guidance entrusted to them by the Church.

The foregoing accounts for the National Spiritual Directors’ Conference held in the Seminary of Saints Peter and Paul, Bodija from the 9th – 12th January, 2018. The Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit which declared the conference open had the Archbishop of Ibadan, Most Rev. Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin as the Chief Celebrant, and was concelebrated by the seminary formators and spiritual directors of the various seminaries. The Rector, Very Rev. Fr. Francis Adesina, welcomed the Archbishop, and the spiritual directors for choosing our seminary as the venue for this year’s annual conference. At the close of the Mass, the National Secretary of Spiritual Directors, Rev. Fr. John Okebule, introduced the seminaries represented by their spiritual directors. The seminaries present were Pope John Paul II Seminary, Awka; Blessed Tansi Major Seminary, Onitsha; Christ the King Major Seminary, Kafancha; St. Peter Apostle Spiritual Year Seminary, Eruku; St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Makurdi; Seat of Wisdom Seminary, Owerri; Spiritan School of Theology, Attakwu; St. Albert the Great Seminary, Idowu-Offoron, Abeokuta; All Saints Major Seminary, Uhiele, Ekpoma; Bigard Memorial Major Seminary, Enugu; Saints Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Bodija; Good Shepherd Major Seminary, Ikot-Ekpene; Claretian School of Philosophy, Nekede; Society of African Mission (SMA), Ibadan.