The experiences of African Roman Catholic Church seminarians

Abstract

This qualitative study describes and interprets the lived experiences of African RomanCatholic Church seminarians (priests-in-training). The interpretive lens employed was worldview, a conceptual tool extensively used in African-centred psychology. Sixteen Africanseminarians (age range 21–31 years) were purposely selected and interviewed in depthAdditional sources of data were reflexive notes and observation notes. Data were subjected tovarious iterative cycles of analysis. Participants described their difficulty in adjusting in theseminaries where teaching and living predominantly reflects a Western world view. Theyevidenced cognitive dissonance, emotional discomfort and feelings of marginalisation. Thefindings point to the importance of acknowledging the world views and cultural heritage ofseminarians in their training.