St. Mary's Minor Seminary is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

senior

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

boarding school in

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...

,Palms Australia website, Opportunity section, ''Science Teacher/Mentor in Chipata (Zambia)''
/ref> run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chipata for males aged 12 years and older. The

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and ...

is from

Lusaka Lusaka (; ) is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was about 3.3 milli ...

and is situated from the

Chipata The city of Chipata is the administrative centre of the Eastern Province of Zambia and Chipata District. It was declared the 5th city of the country, after Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe and Livingstone, by President Edgar Lungu on 24 February 2017. The ...

Chadiza Chadiza is a town in the Eastern Province of Zambia. Its headquarters are located at Chadiza District. It lies 35 km south of the Great East Road and about 80 km south-south-west of Chipata, on a plateau (elevation 1050 m) studded by isolated roc ...

Road.

History and operations

The school is sometimes called new St. Mary's because it is the second seminary after the sale of the St. Mary's which was situated along Malawi Road. The new seminary was opened in 1980 by late Cardinal

Medardo Joseph Mazombwe Medardo Joseph Mazombwe (24 September 1931 – 29 August 2013) was a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the former archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lusaka (1996–2006) and Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chipata (1 ...

, then-Bishop of the Chipata Diocese, with the sole aim of raising up young men that would proceed to the Major seminary to pursue diocesan priesthood. In 2021, the school had 155 pupils and 11 teachers, with a 100% pass rate at Year 12.Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in East Africa website, ''Zambia: Bishop Lungu Urges Minor Seminaries to Join Priesthood'', article dated February 15, 2022
/ref>

Symbols

* The chapel symbolises the centrality of

prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deifi ...

and all spiritual activities of the seminary. * The

hoe Hoe or HOE may refer to: * Hoe (food), a Korean dish of raw fish * Hoe (letter), a Georgian letter * Hoe (tool), a hand tool used in gardening and farming ** Hoe-farming, a term for primitive forms of agriculture * Backhoe, a piece of excavati ...

symbolises the hard work that the boys should cultivate. * The

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...

and the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institu ...

: celebration of

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different element ...

that should be the centre of life of every seminarian and a reminder that he is called to be a priest to offer mass for the people. * Motto: ''

Ora et Labora The phrase pray and work (or 'pray and labor'; Latin: ''ora et labora'') refers to the Catholic monastic practice of working and praying, generally associated with its use in the Rule of Saint Benedict. History "Ora et labora" (pray and work ...

'' ("Pray and Work")

References

1980 establishments in Africa 1980s establishments in Zambia Boarding schools in Zambia Boys' schools in Zambia Educational institutions established in 1980 Private schools in Zambia Catholic Church in Zambia Catholic minor seminaries Catholic secondary schools in Africa Secondary schools in Zambia {{Catholic-seminary-stub

History and operations

Symbols

See also

References