Kipalapala
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Kipalapala is a community in
Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
close to
Tabora Tabora is the capital of Tanzania's Tabora Region and is classified as a municipality by the Tanzanian government. It is also the administrative seat of Tabora Urban District. According to the 2012 census, the district had a population of 226, ...
. It became the location of a
White Fathers The White Fathers (), officially known as the Missionaries of Africa (), and abbreviated MAfr, are a Roman Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right (for men). They were founded in 1868 by Charles-Martial Allemand-Lavigerie, who w ...
mission around 1891, and now contains various Catholic institutions including a senior seminary and a priory.


Mission

The mission of St. Paul Major Seminary, Kipalapala is to impart academic, religious, moral and human training to young persons who will serve the Catholic Church and the nation as committed priests. R.P. Ganachan of the White Fathers penetrated the region of Unyanyembe in 1879, and tried unsuccessfully to settle at Tabora. In 1891 R.P. Guillet managed to open an orphanage at Tabora, which was soon moved to Kipalapala an hour's walk away.
Jean-Baptiste-Frézal Charbonnier Jean-Baptiste-Frézal Charbonnier, M.Afr. (20 May 1842 – 16 March 1888) was a Catholic White Fathers missionary who was Vicar Apostolic of Tanganyika from January 1887 to March 1888. Jean-Baptiste-Frézal Charbonnier was born on 20 May 1842 ...
was ordained bishop by Bishop
Léon Livinhac Léon-Antoine-Augustin-Siméon Livinhac, M.Afr. (13 July 1846 - 12 November 1922) was a Catholic priest who established the church in what is modern Uganda and became head of the White Fathers (Society of the Missionaries of Africa). He oversaw a ...
on 24 August 1887 at Kipalapala. He was the first bishop to be ordained in equatorial Africa.


Vision

The vision of St. Paul's Major Seminary is a deep evangelization of the local Catholic Church of Tanzania through a well trained personnel. This evangelization leads to an ultimate vision of the Church that is salvation of souls.


History

The official name of Kipalapala Senior Seminary is St. Paul's Senior Seminary - Kipalapala. The seminary was founded by the society of the Missionaries of Africa, popularly known as 'The White Fathers' in 1923. Initially it was located at a small place called Utinta near Lake Tanganyika. Two years later the seminary was shifted to Kipalapala, Tabora, a place which was central and accessible for students who came for priestly formation not only from Tanzania (Tanganyika by then) but also from neighboring countries such as Kenya, Malawi and Zambia. Thus, St. Paul's Senior Seminary at Kipalapala existed since the year 1925. The course in Theology takes four academic years. Since mid 1960s the seminary became one of the three inter-diocesan regional seminaries in Tanzania assigned to train seminarians in Theology. The other two seminaries for theology are Peramiho Senior Seminary in Southern Tanzania and St. Karoli Lwanga Senior Seminary - Segerea in Dar es Salaam.


Seminary

St. Paul's Senior Seminary is located in Kipalapala. In the years that followed
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
the White Fathers decided that a regional seminary should be founded at Kipalapala to serve the apostolic vicariates of
Tabora Tabora is the capital of Tanzania's Tabora Region and is classified as a municipality by the Tanzanian government. It is also the administrative seat of Tabora Urban District. According to the 2012 census, the district had a population of 226, ...
, Nyassa, Bangwelo and Tanganyika. When the seminary at Rubya was closed in 1929 the seminarians from the Apostolic Vicariate of Mwanza joined the seminary at Kipalapala. The seminaries were threatened by British educational regulations, and to meet them it was decided in 1928 to meet the demands of the colonial administration and conduct classes in English. Bishop
Mathurin Guillemé Mathurin Guillemé (3 July 1859 - 7 April 1942) was a Catholic White Fathers missionary who was Vicar Apostolic of Apostolic Vicariate of Nyassa, Nyassa in today's Malawi from 1911 until his resignation in 1934. Early years Mathurin Guillemé was ...
, vicar apostolic of Nyassa, was one of the driving forces in establishing the regional seminary at Kipalapala.


Other

St Bernard's Priory, Kipalapala, Archdiocese of Tabora was founded on 1 January 1984 and raised to Simple Priory on 20 August 1992.


References

Citations Sources * * * * * {{refend Populated places in Tabora Region White Fathers missions