Mount Saint Mary's Seminary, Theology I (Configuration Stage)
Diocese of Kumbo
What did you do prior to entering seminary? 
Prior to entering the seminary, I attended Catholic School Nkambe in the northwest region of Cameroon from classes One to Three. I continued classes Four and Five at Government Practicing School Nkambe, then completed Primary at Presbyterian School Nkambe. Later, I enrolled at Government Bilingual High School Nkambe where I attended both secondary and high school. With burning zeal to serve the people of God wholeheartedly, I applied to become a seminarian with the Diocese of Kumbo.
What influenced your decision to apply for seminary entrance?
I saw the selfless commitments of the priests who worked in our area at the time. Their sacrifices for the people made God’s voice clearer to me. I wish to love and serve the people of God even more.
Why do you want to be a priest?
I have an endless desire to serve wholeheartedly. Thus, it becomes a commitment I make each and every day of my life that priesthood for me is about tireless service.
What are your favorite pastimes?
To sit at home with my parents and siblings and to converse and play together. To serve at Holy Mass and to attend events and have intellectual arguments with my friends. Also, to play musical instruments like the piano, bass guitar, and drums.
What is your favorite quote?
"Let those who hope in you not be put to shame through me, Lord God of Hosts: Let not those who seek you be dismayed through me, Lord God of Israel" (Psalm 69:6).
Who is your favorite Saint and why?
My favorite saint is Saint Pope John Paul II, who lived during the crisis of the Second World War, a similar situation to what is taking place in my country. He passed through a lot of challenges, went to an underground seminary to become a priest and served the people not only of the Catholic background but humanity at large. His zeal for service is what attracts me.
What advice would you give to a young man thinking about the seminary?
My advice to any young person who wants to go to the seminary is that the priesthood is twofold: a gift and mystery, quoting Saint John Paul II who wrote Gift and Mystery after fifty years as a priest. One shouldn’t see the glory part of the priesthood and overlook the most important part, which is the victimhood: the readiness to give up one’s life for humanity, to be persecuted, and to be another Christ through the Cross. Thus, the seminary is where we learn to conform ourselves to this reality.
