Brother Pius Boa, OSB
Abbey of Ndanda (Tanzania)

Monastic Formation in Tanzania

On behalf of Major Superiors of four Benedictine Abbeys of St. Ottilien Congregation in Tanzania which comprises Peramiho, Ndanda, Hanga and Mvimwa, I would reply your email concerning initiatives at different levels of formation as follows:

For initial formation during candidacy and postulancy, there is no a joint programme.

At the level of novitiate and juniorate there is a joint programme of the seminar organized by the Benedictine Union of Tanzania (BUT) for the preparation of temporary profession and final profession. The novices are given a one-week seminar each year.

For juniors, especially those who are preparing for final vows, there is a joint programme of a one-month seminar. They are taught by different teachers on the topics about the Rule of St. Benedict, monastic spirituality, Holy Bible, human resource management and book-keeping. There is also a one-week seminar for the senior monks (priests and brothers) organized by Ndanda Spiritual Centre (Zakeo) each year.

Concerning formators, most of them have attended the Monastic Formators Programme in Rome and some have attended monastic spiritual theology in Sant’Anselmo, Rome. Also, most of the superiors i.e. abbots, priors and bursars, have attended a leadership course given in Sant’ Anselmo.